Overview
Biopsychology is about exploring psychological phenomena through a biological lens.
We focus largely on the structure and function of cells in the central nervous system, relating these processes back to organisms' experiences.
My courses are usually filled with neuroscience and psychology majors, but also encompass biology, education, criminology, and biomedical science majors.
After focusing extensively on the foundations of cellular communication, some of the topics we usually cover include neurodevelopment, brain damage, learning/memory, sexual differentiation, emotions, sleep/paraconsciousness, drugs, language, and psychiatric disorders.
We focus largely on the structure and function of cells in the central nervous system, relating these processes back to organisms' experiences.
My courses are usually filled with neuroscience and psychology majors, but also encompass biology, education, criminology, and biomedical science majors.
After focusing extensively on the foundations of cellular communication, some of the topics we usually cover include neurodevelopment, brain damage, learning/memory, sexual differentiation, emotions, sleep/paraconsciousness, drugs, language, and psychiatric disorders.
"I learned that not only am I incredibly interested in the science of psychology, but that I am capable of learning that science. This class provided me the support and safe space to ask questions (both "stupid" ones and good ones!) which led me to realize that this is exactly where I want to be."
Course Layout
I teach two versions of this course:
One version is Online (iCourse and oCourse).
The other is face-to-face (F2F). I teach this version in flipped format.
One version is Online (iCourse and oCourse).
The other is face-to-face (F2F). I teach this version in flipped format.
This means that rather than learning the content for the first time during lecture, students learn it on their own. Class is then used to apply the content, work on problems, engage in group work, and do in-class assignments.
Teaching Assistants
Similarly to Intro Psych, I employ a handful of highly-qualified teaching assistants to help manage our large course sections (usually between 30-100 students).
Student Emails
Other emails from students
"I have gained a lot of skills in critical thinking. I think this is the first class I have had that has helped me to not only learn the information but to apply it in real life situations. I had to work with and understand the material in new ways so I could apply it to scenarios where the answer is not a simple one. Instead, I had to make informed, interferential decisions based on my knowledge of brain areas and how the brain works on a cellular level. This is exactly what it will be like to practice in clinical psychology and conduct research, making this skill invaluable to me.
I also gained insight on how to be better student in your classes. You put in a lot of time and effort to teach us valuable study habits, mastery skills, and psychological principals that we could practically use while in your class. For example, if you can choose between studying or sleeping, you should choose sleeping because sleep is imperative in memory consolidation! You helped me to reflect on my work and experience in your class to better understand the material which led to me getting 100% on my following exam. These skills in notetaking, revising, and the learning cycle are going to benefit me greatly during graduate school. Through your class, I am better prepared to be a graduate student, a researcher, and an academic."
-Mahalia, online Physio Psych, 2021
"Dr. Jennings, thank you for your guidance and support throughout this semester! Your course has been informative, challenging, and engaging beyond any class I have taken up to this stage in my academic career, including my in-person courses. Every day of the semester, I was digging into the content for this course because I genuinely enjoyed the material, the way in which you presented it with humor, and all the wonderful memes. Thank you for making neuroscience fun to learn! You're a brilliant teacher, your Canvas platform is the best I've seen, and your passion comes through in every lesson, so please continue to offer what you bring to education, because it's learning like this that inspires students. I would like to take courses with you in the future, so if you have any planned for the Fall or Spring semester, please let me know so I can add them to my course list. I wish you well in the remaining week, and thank you for the positive impact you have made on my education!"
-Trevor, online Physio Psych, 2021
"Hello Dr. Jennings, My name is Kambria, I was in your physiological psych class over the summer. I just wanted to email you because I just recently started a job as a medical scribe in the Chandler Regional Emergency department, and today I saw a real life example of Wernicke's aphasia! It was so interesting to see it in person, but the coolest part was when the doctor asked me if I knew what was going on with the patient, I was able to tell him exactly what it was. The patient was trying to explain to us what happened and why she called the ambulance, and when she was telling us, she started speaking in the word salad example that we talked about in class. I just wanted to let you know because it was so cool to see an example of something we talked about in class. I also want to thank you for being such a fantastic teacher because it's helped me be so much better at this job."
-Kambria, online Physio Psych, 2021
"My name is Lauren and I was a student in your Physiological Psychology course this past semester. I never got the chance to say thank you. I would have preferred for this to be in person to show my gratitude, but you know... I just wanted to say thank you as I am now going into my senior year of college and prior to your course I have never been so excited to walk into a classroom and learn. I would even get bummed out when the lecture was canceled, and believe me, that has never happened to me before. So I just wanted to say thank you. You made the class so special in your own way and definitely made an impact in my life. I am now double majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience and I couldn't be happier with my course load. Although, I did want to ask you... What are some career options that I could look into with my degree? How can I expand my experience in this field? I know I could apply it to just about anything, but I was hoping to gain a bit more insight from you. Thank you again for all that you have taught, I have deeply enjoyed your class and will be seeing you next semester for Neuroanatomy!"
-Lauren, 2020
"Dr. Jennings you are an anomaly among professors as far as my college career has taken me. From day 1 you were engaging, honest, clearly well-versed in the subject matter and you kept it real. You have a knack for explaining difficult concepts in a manner that the student can digest them and improve their recall skills. Your whole vibe is contagious and I am so thankful to have had you this semester. If I could I would take more courses with you. Keep being the badass that you are, I'll swing by for a visit someday. Thank you for inspiring me to look at the hard stuff and be the best I can. You da realest."
-Ashley, 2020
"Dr. Jennings, you are an incredible professor and I will never forget this class or your passion for neuroscience (and my new found passion for it too). You break down concepts into “small change,” as we say in my country, which just means into a simple form for people to understand. You make it accessible too (which is a huge thing for college students). I’ve been thinking a lot about health equity and what that means. Education has a correlation to how healthy people are. When we look at what goes into a well-rounded education (and health equity, in general) it goes so much deeper than academia. It often involves accessibility, historical racism, finances, etc. All of that to say that you have done an incredible job at making yourself available, at making resources accessible (e.g. study tips, free book(s), life things) using language that many people can understand, and at helping me and many others learn in a meaningful way. Neuroscience isn’t out of reach, it’s our own body and mind. It’s a part of the essence of what makes us. And I walk away from this class with life skills and meaningful knowledge. Slightly unrelated: Last semester you said something that hit me. It was something to the effect of our attraction not being a choice. Every time I was told something about hell and "choosing a side," etc., I remember what you said (and also the research you mentioned about hormones in the womb). Thank you for your willingness to teach, to learn, to be shamelessly who you are. I hope your life is filled with new experiences and an abundance of peace. It's been wild, and I am grateful."
-Anonymous, 2020
I also gained insight on how to be better student in your classes. You put in a lot of time and effort to teach us valuable study habits, mastery skills, and psychological principals that we could practically use while in your class. For example, if you can choose between studying or sleeping, you should choose sleeping because sleep is imperative in memory consolidation! You helped me to reflect on my work and experience in your class to better understand the material which led to me getting 100% on my following exam. These skills in notetaking, revising, and the learning cycle are going to benefit me greatly during graduate school. Through your class, I am better prepared to be a graduate student, a researcher, and an academic."
-Mahalia, online Physio Psych, 2021
"Dr. Jennings, thank you for your guidance and support throughout this semester! Your course has been informative, challenging, and engaging beyond any class I have taken up to this stage in my academic career, including my in-person courses. Every day of the semester, I was digging into the content for this course because I genuinely enjoyed the material, the way in which you presented it with humor, and all the wonderful memes. Thank you for making neuroscience fun to learn! You're a brilliant teacher, your Canvas platform is the best I've seen, and your passion comes through in every lesson, so please continue to offer what you bring to education, because it's learning like this that inspires students. I would like to take courses with you in the future, so if you have any planned for the Fall or Spring semester, please let me know so I can add them to my course list. I wish you well in the remaining week, and thank you for the positive impact you have made on my education!"
-Trevor, online Physio Psych, 2021
"Hello Dr. Jennings, My name is Kambria, I was in your physiological psych class over the summer. I just wanted to email you because I just recently started a job as a medical scribe in the Chandler Regional Emergency department, and today I saw a real life example of Wernicke's aphasia! It was so interesting to see it in person, but the coolest part was when the doctor asked me if I knew what was going on with the patient, I was able to tell him exactly what it was. The patient was trying to explain to us what happened and why she called the ambulance, and when she was telling us, she started speaking in the word salad example that we talked about in class. I just wanted to let you know because it was so cool to see an example of something we talked about in class. I also want to thank you for being such a fantastic teacher because it's helped me be so much better at this job."
-Kambria, online Physio Psych, 2021
"My name is Lauren and I was a student in your Physiological Psychology course this past semester. I never got the chance to say thank you. I would have preferred for this to be in person to show my gratitude, but you know... I just wanted to say thank you as I am now going into my senior year of college and prior to your course I have never been so excited to walk into a classroom and learn. I would even get bummed out when the lecture was canceled, and believe me, that has never happened to me before. So I just wanted to say thank you. You made the class so special in your own way and definitely made an impact in my life. I am now double majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience and I couldn't be happier with my course load. Although, I did want to ask you... What are some career options that I could look into with my degree? How can I expand my experience in this field? I know I could apply it to just about anything, but I was hoping to gain a bit more insight from you. Thank you again for all that you have taught, I have deeply enjoyed your class and will be seeing you next semester for Neuroanatomy!"
-Lauren, 2020
"Dr. Jennings you are an anomaly among professors as far as my college career has taken me. From day 1 you were engaging, honest, clearly well-versed in the subject matter and you kept it real. You have a knack for explaining difficult concepts in a manner that the student can digest them and improve their recall skills. Your whole vibe is contagious and I am so thankful to have had you this semester. If I could I would take more courses with you. Keep being the badass that you are, I'll swing by for a visit someday. Thank you for inspiring me to look at the hard stuff and be the best I can. You da realest."
-Ashley, 2020
"Dr. Jennings, you are an incredible professor and I will never forget this class or your passion for neuroscience (and my new found passion for it too). You break down concepts into “small change,” as we say in my country, which just means into a simple form for people to understand. You make it accessible too (which is a huge thing for college students). I’ve been thinking a lot about health equity and what that means. Education has a correlation to how healthy people are. When we look at what goes into a well-rounded education (and health equity, in general) it goes so much deeper than academia. It often involves accessibility, historical racism, finances, etc. All of that to say that you have done an incredible job at making yourself available, at making resources accessible (e.g. study tips, free book(s), life things) using language that many people can understand, and at helping me and many others learn in a meaningful way. Neuroscience isn’t out of reach, it’s our own body and mind. It’s a part of the essence of what makes us. And I walk away from this class with life skills and meaningful knowledge. Slightly unrelated: Last semester you said something that hit me. It was something to the effect of our attraction not being a choice. Every time I was told something about hell and "choosing a side," etc., I remember what you said (and also the research you mentioned about hormones in the womb). Thank you for your willingness to teach, to learn, to be shamelessly who you are. I hope your life is filled with new experiences and an abundance of peace. It's been wild, and I am grateful."
-Anonymous, 2020
Anonymous Feedback and Course Evaluations
Biopsych (formerly Physio Psych) is the class I've taught for the longest (~10 years), so I have a TON of data.
To read my argument against Ratemyprofessors and some critical considerations about traditional course evaluations, please see my blog post. I post my course evaluations here to model transparency and evidence that RMP is full of biased, inaccurate ratings. Course evaluations are not much better (in fact, they only ask about our flaws), so I also include anonymous survey feedback about content specific to my courses and teaching for a more informative approach.
Fall, 2021
Course Eval Figures
Course Eval PDF
Notable Feedback
Below is a screenshot from the course evaluations that I wanted to address.
There is a combination of feedback here that deserves attention.
First, notice comments number 6, 7, and 10. These students expressed that the course/material was very challenging in different ways, but also included appreciation for the challenge. This is a key feature of Biopsychology, as many students are discovering how to effectively learn science material in novel formats.
Second, consider the fact that this was an iCourse. I never met any of these students in person, and to make up for it, I used Persuall as our main discussion forum. Students were required to read and interact with the text, watch/comment on videos, help one another out, and ask questions. I was heavily involved in posing additional/practice questions, inviting them to discuss the information, and adding relevant side conversations along the way. Although it was incredibly rewarding for everyone, it was also hugely time consuming. If I teach this course online again, I plan to find an alternative way to stay involved that doesn't also eat up my time so much.
First, notice comments number 6, 7, and 10. These students expressed that the course/material was very challenging in different ways, but also included appreciation for the challenge. This is a key feature of Biopsychology, as many students are discovering how to effectively learn science material in novel formats.
Second, consider the fact that this was an iCourse. I never met any of these students in person, and to make up for it, I used Persuall as our main discussion forum. Students were required to read and interact with the text, watch/comment on videos, help one another out, and ask questions. I was heavily involved in posing additional/practice questions, inviting them to discuss the information, and adding relevant side conversations along the way. Although it was incredibly rewarding for everyone, it was also hugely time consuming. If I teach this course online again, I plan to find an alternative way to stay involved that doesn't also eat up my time so much.
Summer, 2021
Course Eval Figures
Course Eval PDF
| psy_325_course_evals_summer_c_2021.pdf |
Notable Feedback
The feedback I received from my spring 2021 students set me on a very different path for this iCourse. I revamped the assignments and my involvement in the entire learning process so that students were more connected, invested, and supported.
Spring, 2021
Course Eval Figures
Course Eval PDF
| psy_325_course_evals_spring_2021.pdf |
Notable Feedback
Here is an example of the kinds of extremely polarized mixed messages I received about the course. It gave me a lot to ponder, which is reflected in my subsequent course revisions.
Fall, 2020
Course Eval Figures
Course Eval PDF
| course_evaluation_psy_325_fall_2020.pdf |
Spring, 2020 (the semester of darkness)
Course Eval Figures
Means and standard deviations formatted in an inverse 5-point scale for easier processing where 1 = least positive and 5 = most positive.
ATTENTION. Does the course hold your attention and interest?
IMPACT. Does the class stimulate your intellectual curiosity?
EXAMINATIONS. Do examinations reflect the assigned material?
LEVEL: Does the instructor cover the material at a level and pace appropriate to you?
CLARITY. Does the instructor present the material in a clear and understandable manner?
EMPHASIS. Did the instructor make clear to you what is expected of you in this course?
CREDIBILITY. Do you have confidence in the instructor's knowledge of the subject?
SENSITIVITY. Does the instructor seem to know when the class is having difficulty understanding the material?
HELPFULNESS. Is the instructor helpful outside the class?
RESPONSIVENESS. Does the instructor encourage student response?
ENTHUSIASM. Does the instructor convey enthusiasm about the course?
WILLINGNESS. Would you willingly take another course from this instructor?
EVALUATION. What overall grade would you give this instructor?
Do you have any suggestions for this course?
Do you have any suggestions for this instructor?
IMPACT. Does the class stimulate your intellectual curiosity?
EXAMINATIONS. Do examinations reflect the assigned material?
LEVEL: Does the instructor cover the material at a level and pace appropriate to you?
CLARITY. Does the instructor present the material in a clear and understandable manner?
EMPHASIS. Did the instructor make clear to you what is expected of you in this course?
CREDIBILITY. Do you have confidence in the instructor's knowledge of the subject?
SENSITIVITY. Does the instructor seem to know when the class is having difficulty understanding the material?
HELPFULNESS. Is the instructor helpful outside the class?
RESPONSIVENESS. Does the instructor encourage student response?
ENTHUSIASM. Does the instructor convey enthusiasm about the course?
WILLINGNESS. Would you willingly take another course from this instructor?
EVALUATION. What overall grade would you give this instructor?
Do you have any suggestions for this course?
- no, I loved every single part of it
- This was one of my favorite courses at ASU, I really enjoyed the material and Dr. Jennings made the classes incredibly engaging and provided a lot of outside help. I felt comfortable talking in class, asking questions, and expressing my own ideas.
- This subject was a tough one with a lot of content to learn at once, but the professor made it possible without overwhelming us.
- The actual material discussed in the class was fascinating and greatly applicable to my future profession. Thus, I greatly enjoyed learning about the material and would certainly recommend the PSY325 to future students.
- None at all. Professor Jennings is absolutely incredible. I am a senior at ASU and she is by far, the BEST instructor I have EVER had. She makes the class so interesting, holds every individuals attention in the room. She's hilarious, breaks down difficult topics in an easy-to-understand manner, and you can just tell she loves her job and loves to teach others on this topic. This class was so fantastic, it made me consider looking into psychological neuroscience as a grad school option. I have nothing but the utmost respect and gratitude for this professor and this course. It was the most interesting and fascinating course I have ever taken at ASU. I absolutely loved every second of it.
- Never EVER replace Dr. Jennings. PLEASE. She made what would otherwise be inaccessible information fun and easy to understand. She related to her students in such a fun and quirky way that only she can do. She's irreplaceable, seriously.
- N/a
- N/A
- More worksheets of the "draw it to know it"
- Literally DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT THIS COURSE. IT IS PERFECT LIKE THIS.
- I mean there's always room for improvement but you know what I mean, she is the best professor I've ever had. Period.
- I wish there was more of a focus on how the physio concepts we cover impact people's psyche. Just more of a focus on the effects these concepts have in the real world and how they impact how individual people live. For example, how does blindsight impact the lives of people and how the "view" the world.
- I love everything about this course. Thank you so much for giving me some direction for graduate school.
- Dr. J was hands down, one of the best professors that I’ve had during my time here at ASU. She is engaging, thoughtful, and absolutely dynamite in all regards.
Do you have any suggestions for this instructor?
- You are so knowledgeable in all regards. I look up to you, and hope to one day run my own classroom like yours.
- The Service-Learning portion of the class was very hard to understand. I was constantly wondering if I was missing deadlines for it and it was very unclear and stressful not having information about that earlier in the course. More information about it on the syllabus would have been extremely helpful.
- Such an incredible professor!!!! I'm so glad I took this class, for both the knowledge gained and how you presented it. You definitely handled the online transition the best of all my professors and I hope you're doing well
- No, she is amazing!
- No suggestions. I really enjoyed this class because of the interesting material and the instructor always engaged with the students. She presented the information in a way that made sense.
- N/a
- Keep it up! The way you are presenting the material is flawless. You're balance of humor and seriousness is perfect. The class atmosphere is 10 out of 10. It was by far my favorite class and I wish we hadn't had to switch to online - but you even made THAT fun! And you were so kind and considerate - you set the example for other teachers. YOU ROCK, DR. JENNINGS!!!
- The instructor conveyed the material that was necessary, however, I personally did not enjoy the instructor. I felt that she has adopted the "cool instructor" persona. Dr. Jennings was often late to in-person lectures, which I found very disrespectful. I found some of Dr. Jennings' exemplative stories as inappropriate, though she did relate them to class material. When the lectures altered to an online-format due to COVID-19, she was unable to adhere to the lecture schedule and canceled the final exam. Overall, I personally found Dr. Jennings unprofessional and immature. I would not take a class from her again nor recommend my peers to attend her class. However, I do recognize that some students will enjoy her nontraditional teaching style and find it enthusiastic and interesting.
- Just a comment, Dr. Jennings is the best professor I have had at ASU. She is clearly very knowledgeable and interested in the material, and she seems to know the best ways to help students retain it. It's always fun being in the classroom with her, and I can tell she cares for her students so much.
- I hope Dr. Jennings doesn't change anything about this course. It was an amazing experience.
- I have nothing but positive things to say about Professor Jennings and this course. She is fantastic and she MADE this course fantastic. I was so nervous at the beginning of the semester, knowing that this coursework would be challenging. She made it an easy A for me, and not due to a lack of assignments or difficult material. She is just so good at teaching and making challenging topics become easy to understand through she explanation and instruction. I wish I could have Professor Jennings as an instructor for every course possible. She is absolutely amazing.
- I don't even know where to begin. Dr. Jennings is a gem. A diamond. you might think I'm exaggerating but that is not the case at ALL. She was the beacon that held up for us, a bunch of paranoid scared students, she was always there for us, acting funny and nice to us during this HARD semester. Always keeping us CHALLENGED but not too much.
- I really wish to see her again in other classes.
- You guys better pay her well and give her that motivation, because she DESERVES IT.
- That's the only thing I can suggest about this beautiful, magical and eye-opening course.
- Keep rocking Dr. Jennings.
- I absolutely loved Dr. Jennings. She asks for and listens to student feedback. She is very passionate about what she teaches and explains things very well. She also structured the class to set students up for success. I could not recommend this professor more!
- Going back to what I said before, Dr. J was great, she made complex material fun and interesting to learn.
- Dr. Jennings is amazing. She takes a subject that is pretty tough and content-heavy and breaks it down into manageable pieces. Her suggested study strategies are extremely helpful and she sets us up for success. She keeps lectures that could be very boring and dry and keeps them lively by finding ways to relate the concepts to things we could more easily understand. The work she had us doing prepared us for the exams and the exams were hard, but that's because the subject is hard. Her entrance quizzes and reviews of the previous lectures made it easier to follow the concepts and jump back into the lectures from class to class. During the quarantine/social distancing debacle, she made adjustments to the course so that the online format would still deliver the information we needed to learn, and she was one of the only instructors I had who genuinely cared about her students as people. I will not forget Dr. Jennings. 10/10 would recommend!
Course Eval PDF
| course_evals_325_spring_2020.pdf |
Anonymous Survey Results
What was your favorite topic to learn about in this course?
What should Dr. Jennings continue to do because it works well?
What could Dr. Jennings do to improve the course or her teaching?
What do you wish we had learned more about in the course?
What advice would you give to the new students for next semester?
Are there any specific adjustments Dr. Jennings made after the covid-19 remote learning switch that you feel were particularly helpful? If so, please describe them below.
If you have any additional thoughts about the course in general, please describe them here.
- Oof. Can I say ALL? The chapter on sleep was eye opening. The chapter about drugs was as well. I just love this class [I say it too much].
- I really enjoyed the material on the first exam. It was a bit difficult for me since I have never taken an anatomy class but I am very happy to understand the basics of neuropsychology.
- I enjoy learning the various pathways in our brain.
- I loved learning about action potentials and neuronal firing!
- I thought drugs were really interesting because what's actually happening is rarely talked about, just the side effects, and I liked that I could see how all of the previous concepts built up to allow us to actually understand how physiology worked I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the initial brain/neurotransmitter stuff. It seemed overwhelming at the beginning and like it was just a lot of memorization, but it was fun seeing stuff that I ACTUALLY KNEW NOW pop up for the rest of the course. I feel like it gave me a really strong foundation for not only understanding this class but for any future class as well. The topic definitely grew on me and that alone made this class totally worth taking and valuable moving forward. I think this class should be required as part of the major due to how the biological perspective is so integrated with "traditional psychology" and aspects of the physio mechanisms pop up in every other course.
- All of them. I enjoyed learning from all of them so I cannot truly say I had a favorite. I will say the different pathways was the most challenging for me but I feel like that is why I enjoyed it.
- neurotransmitters and memory
- The drugs
- Module 2, specifically Chapter 10! (brain damage)
- I loved the sleep and dream portion.
- Sleep/Dreaming
- Learning about occurrences like blindsight and understanding the different pathways.
- Everything. I can’t choose.
- Chapter 11 (learning and memory)
- Sex/Hormones
- Sleep :) also Sex and Hormones
- My favorite topics were the ones on sleep disorders and different forms of brain damage and their effects.
- abnormal psych
- Abnormal psychology or sensation and perception
- I LOVED the chapter on sleep and dreaming, as well as the Sex and Hormones chapter! I also was fascinated by the learning and memory chapter and the one on brain damage and neuroplasticity! I loved this course!
- Brain damage and neuroplasticity and learning and memory
What should Dr. Jennings continue to do because it works well?
- I mean, if there was anything wrong with the class, I'd be glad to help. But to me. This class was absolutely perfect. Thank you for all your hard work Dr Jennings.
- So this is my second time taking the course but the one thing I whole heartedly enjoy is you making complexity easier to understand! When I first learned about depolarization and what happens there’s an action potential, it was very difficult. But when I took your class, I couldn’t believe how I was over complicating so much! I also enjoy the chapter homework! They are great study references and the extra videos you post under the learning materials
- Providing the powerpoints for student completion, entrance quizzes, exam review sessions
- Entrance quizzes, Exam review sessions - just all of it. But specifically, having the TAs share their study tips, the kahoot that simulated exam questions, the new worksheets that were more of a recap than the specific ones for each chapter, Fill in the blank powerpoints were great and really helpful for taking notes.
- dr jennings’ course is structured to promote learning like no other class i’ve taken before and i think that the class ran flawlessly (of course, except for the whole pandemic thing).
- Fill in the blank PPTs & entrance quizzes were very helpful in retaining the material. Also the handouts for exams were helpful.
- The videos that are added into the materials really help connect the lectures and the review time is great.
- Continue to be yourself because it made the class so, so entertaining!
- The PowerPoints and exam review sessions were very helpful. Also, she keeps the class engaged in the material, which is why I always looked forward to attending.
- Connect with her students and explain detailed occurrences with ease in a manner that helps the student break it down and truly learn.
- Her entrance quizzes and openness to questions during lecture are probably the greatest things that helped me learn and reinforce the ideas taught in class.
- Chapter homework’s are very helpful.
- Being empathetic
- I honestly found everything to be perfect. The entrance quizzes gave me motivation to review my notes before every class without giving me the stress of losing points if I get something wrong since the entrance quizzes were extra credit. Because of this, I was constantly reviewing the material, which helped me remember it in the long run. The draw-it-to-know-it handouts helped me a lot with learning and reviewing the material since I learn and remember material best when I review it in different ways. On top of this, the test format helped me learn the material better and perform better as well. With so many different types of questions on the exams, I would practice the material in different ways to make sure I understood all of it. The different types of questions on the exams helped me to stay focused the entire time rather than get tired and lose focus after a few multiple-choice questions.
- She gave everyone a good chance at making up extra points with the entrance quizzes. She made the information and slides helpful there was no guessing about information it was all there. TA kahoots were super helpful and she made the class interesting which helped me learn better.
- The extra credit quizzes helped SO MUCH! It reminded me to study in between classes which in turn helped me retain the material.
- I really enjoy the draw it to know it worksheets. They are helpful in understanding the material.
What could Dr. Jennings do to improve the course or her teaching?
- Nothing
- That’s tough, but I guess what could help is more fill in the blanks on diagrams? Naming the different parts in the brain...
- I didn't have any problems with this, but I know that one of my classmates complained to me about Dr. Jennings not being available before class like the TA's were. I am not sure why that mattered to that student, as she gave us plenty of resources to get our questions answered.
- I wish we spent a bit more time talking about how the physio mechanism actually play out in real life/the psychological effect more than just how they work. For an example, we talked a lot about how different areas of the brain store different types of memories and how that can be disrupted/improved as well as specific famous examples of people living with compromised memories, but I wish we had done more for what that looks like for normal people and how we could see those aspects play out in our daily lives (how can you hack the different processes to improve your memory, what does working memory actually look like, are there ways to stimulate acetylcholine production in the basal forebrain etc.) It was a little frustrating that some homework questions had to be answered using the book when it wasn't really a source used for the class overall. None of those questions were referenced later, so it just meant a lot of opening each different section of the chapter and scanning through all of them to find info that you know wasn't actually important enough to be part of the class directly.
- i don’t know man...dr jennings did a pretty good job...
- I though the class was well designed and Dr. Jennings crushed it this semester
- She’s killing the game and is one of my favorite professors I’ve had at ASU.
- Can you please teach every psych class? Please. For the love of god and murder hornets, PLEASE. You are such a blast and such a nice human being. If there wasn’t a pandemic and you weren’t my professor with a horrifyingly large amount of knowledge that intimidates me lol, we’d be friends. Stay safe out there :)
- I can’t seriously think of a way she could improve her class since she provides so many opportunities to understand the subject material as well as go more in depth on it if we wanted to.
- Dial back the amount of additional information on canvas to just what is needed and incredibly helpful to passing the course and instead leave a note to inquire for more information if wanted. Too much information on the page can prove to be a deterrent to study rather than an aid.
- nothing she’s perfect.
- This is the best course I have taken so far. I don't think anything needs to be improved.
- nothing in my opinion. My favorite professor I have ever had
- Nothing
- N/A
- I think she should upload the documents on Canvas so we can print them out and practice them a few times.
What do you wish we had learned more about in the course?
- My only wish is to have remained with y'all during the whole semester. I think the best about this class is being in front of you guys, you're all so lively and fun to learn from.
- Alzheimer’s
- More psychological effects of the physio concepts and what they look like daily in a normal person rather than just the mechanisms functioning and the very extreme cases
- aphasia and language acquisition
- I just wish we were able to learn the last module in class.
- The drugs and abnormal psych units would have been so much fun *in* class.
- I wish we could’ve had time in class to learn about abnormal psychology. Since it was the last chapter, we didn’t have the opportunity due to the pandemic.
- I wish we learned more about sleep, but that may be due to online format. I miss the discussions!
- I skimmed through the psychopathologies and I was sad. There was very little representation for other disorders outside the hot topic ones.
- Drugs and their effect on the mind (I know we were supposed to and it became optional, but i wish we were able to learn it more in depth in class)
- Addiction and abnormal psychology
- I wish we could have spent a lot more time on the abnormal psychology part of the course. I was looking forward to that throughout the semester, but unfortunately, it got cut short.
- abnormal psych
- I wish we had more time to really cover the last two lectures
- I wish we had learned more about drugs. I felt like that chapter was very short for how in depth the topic can be.
- I wish we learned more about neuroplasticity
What advice would you give to the new students for next semester?
- This class is not easy. It isn't hard either. It's a matter of applying yourself to the matter, which Dr. Jennings and her TAs make so easy. Pay attention to the lectures. Read a little EVERY DAY, and remember to enjoy the teachings. It's literally all about your brain, the center of all events of your body, why wouldn't you pay attention?
- Studying before every class to prep for the entrance quizzes is very helpful for overall retention of the material. One extra credit point may not seem very valuable but it adds up and in the process, you are helping yourself out for the exam.
- It’s a tough class but if you enjoy the material you will feel great, like an intense leg day!
- Study each lecture between the lecture and the entrance quiz. It helps you understand the material better when you study it at different times, and the extra credit from the entrance quizzes really adds up if you earn it. Go to the review sessions and don't be afraid to ask questions... chances are someone else has the same question you do but are nervous about asking.
- Use the fill-in-the-blank powerpoints but make sure to also write down the additional information given verbally GO TO CLASS! Lecture material is the entirety of the test and the entrance quizzes are so valuable The TA email is really helpful and has a quick turn around, so that should be your main go-to for the class unless it's something that absolutely has to be attended to by Dr. Jennings or the grad TA. When studying for the exam, don't just look over your powerpoint notes. Write it out separately to make sure you can both recall and understand the material. Plus, that's really helpful in making connections between chapters. And there's questions on the exam that require you to apply the concepts and demonstrate that you know how it all connects, so it can only help you
- STUDY!! During lecture, I found it most useful to fill out the ppt and type additional notes on the slides, then to take those home and write them down in a notebook with charts and diagrams to help me retain the information.
- Take advantage of the review sessions and the entrance quizzes. The material is not hard at all if you apply yourself.
- study early and often
- The class has a lot of information that is very important and it may seem like a lot when doing the class but the knowledge sticks and have come in handy so much in my day to day life.
- Go to class and take your notes directly on the powerpoint slides! Take advantage of the entrance quizzes. They may seem minuscule, but they can really add up and make a huge difference in your grade. Go to office hours!! Dr. Jennings is awesome and I wish I had the opportunity to speak with her more.
- Study early and take the entrance quizzes seriously.
- Go to class. She outlines the material in a way that makes sense. Utilize the PowerPoint slides that are given. They really helped guide my studying. Also, the entrance quizzes really benefited my final grade.
- Know what you’re committing to. Take the time to continuously look over the material. Make friends in your class it makes it easier to talk about things and teach each other. If you can teach someone then you have learned!
- STUDY. LISTEN.
- Always attend lecture, always prepare for the entrance exams, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. These three things are the biggest reasons why I succeeded in this course, along with studying (obviously).
- Study everything. Everything on the slides is important to know extremely important. Take notes in addition to filling out the slides. SERIOUSLY.
- Study every day-don’t get comfortable. Treat every class like it’s exam day and you’ll kill it.
- Take notes as if you’re going to have to teach someone else. This helped me in studying as well as being able to recall.
- Put in the effort and take advantage of the entrance quizzes and extra credits. Although the material is difficult, Dr. Jennings gives so many resources and opportunities to help you succeed in the class.
- I would say you get out of the class what you put in it. The information can be a lot, but it is super worth it and one of the most interesting classes to talk about with other people once you learn it. Use all the resources you’re given because they help A LOT.
- To really put in the time and effort and you will succeed
- Take the time to understand the material well enough so that you can explain it to someone else.
Are there any specific adjustments Dr. Jennings made after the covid-19 remote learning switch that you feel were particularly helpful? If so, please describe them below.
- Everything was great. Changes in homework, EQ quiz but the online lectures were both entertaining and super enriching. Dr. Jennings and her team were incredible, and I could not ask for more dedication in light of such a bad situation.
- Yes! Dr. Jennings you are by far one the most impactful teachers I’ve had at ASU. I like to say it’s your passion for the subject but your passion for your students too. You were more than accommodating especially compared to my other professors. Not trying to knock them down but I’ll definitely remember this class 10 years from now. So thank you!
- Making optional adjustments to the service-learning project was very helpful. I know that a lot of my classmates would not have been able to complete the project at all if the adaptations were not made. I also felt like adding flexibility by making all of the week's work due on Sunday was extremely helpful. I am a mom and basically became a teacher when my kiddo's school closed so having the time to complete my own school work when it was convenient for me.
- Having the question bank for the exam and finding a way to still do Entrance Quizzes The option of switching from a paper to the video/discussion for the service-learning project was so so so so helpful everything that was done in this course, post-covid, was the best any of my other courses did to transition.
- Dr. Jennings was super understanding during the pandemic and was kind enough to change some deadlines and make changes to the SL project for those of us whose volunteer experiences had been effected due to the virus. She always encouraged us to challenge ourselves despite not being in class to learn and her videos/lectures were almost as great as if we were in class.
- Dr. Jennings did an amazing job helping people during the COVID-19 she took into consideration that people were having to move home, find new jobs, and readjust to a stressful time. The lectures were set up very well and the overall teaching style is great.
- Flexible with student's individual needs and circumstances. Provided ample opportunity for Zoom office hours. Made appropriate adjustments to our assignments and due dates.
- I loved the service learning adaptation.
- She definitely made the service learning project a lot easier for me to complete, especially since I was unable to attend my event due to cancellations.
- Dr. Jennings was extremely astute in identifying student needs on a professional and a personal level. It was evident that her and her team put serious thought into post covid modifications. She made it very clear that she cared and was going to do anything in her power to make the change a smooth one!
- Her understanding that none of it was ok. That we weren’t ok. And she adjusted course work knowing this and knowing that other teachers wouldn’t.
- I wish with all my heart we could’ve kept going in person, but Dr Jennings is a blast no matter what and she makes me want to work hard.
- The option to create a video for the service-learning project was very helpful. Other than the fact that it was helpful since some of our events got canceled, the video provided a change from the other assignments professors had been assigning us. I personally had weekly essays for another class plus two final projects that were both long papers. When stressed, I tend to not be able to write as well as I typically would. Allowing for a video in which we could show whatever activity we wanted gave me a chance to have fun with the project, and it gave me a way to relax while still fulfilling class requirements.
- The discussion posts instead of the optional final test and also she made the 3rd test much more accommodating to the situation
- I loved that she took students' situations into consideration and asked for feedback directly from her students. She really cared about us succeeding in these circumstances and it showed!
- Discussions instead of test. So much more helpful in remembering material learned from this class and other classes.
If you have any additional thoughts about the course in general, please describe them here.
- It was unfortunate to spend half the class online, but I can tell Dr. Jennings had a genuine desire to help, not only academically. Dr. Jennings was supportive, and that's more than I can say from the other classes I had transferred online.
- Dr. Jennings made a tough and content-heavy course fun and digestible.
- I was told the class was a ton of work and really hard, but I feel like it was broken down and laid out so well that everything seemed to transition so smoothly that it felt effortless. I can't even recall actually memorizing the information. It felt like I went to study for the exam and everything just poured out without my conscious awareness of when it actually stuck in there. I attribute this a lot to the entrance quizzes and how everything built on itself and created a lot of internal cues. Additionally, the memes and pop culture references used to help us understand/relate to the concepts was so so so helpful because it made things more comprehensible/familiar and helped it all stick
- There was a ton of support built into the class, from the fill-in-the-blank powerpoints, entrance quizzes, homework, TA review sessions, the email which reached all of the TAs and always had a fast response time and how Dr. Jennings paused in class at good points to make sure everyone was on the same page.
- I really enjoyed this course and was the one I was looking most forward to in my major. I am really glad I got to have Dr. Jennings as my instructor.
- She made it fun to learn and confirmed by desire to pursue bio/neuropsych.
- I really enjoyed this class! I’m a business major and I’m getting my minor in psychology but the information I learned in this class was so valuable for my life.
- This was my favorite course, and I enjoyed every part of it. I am sad that in-person classes got cut so short since I loved going to lecture, and I can't believe the course is already over.
- My favorite class i’ve ever taken.
Fall, 2019
Survey results
Word cloud of students' self-reported favorite topics from the class (Fall 2019)
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Word cloud of students' self-reported favorite aspects of the course (Fall 2019)
