Reviews for Frank S. Hall
Average Rating:| Anonymous Course: PSYC301 Grade Expected: A January 5, 2012, 4:29 pm | not an easy class..going to lecture really didnt help because he had a tendency to go on a tangent that wasnt relevant to class.My advice would be to study the posted past exams and to try and get the most recent past exams..majority of his exams used similar questions from past exams..format for his exams were all fill in the blank diagrams and questions..if you dont need this class i would recommend taking a different class in this area |
| slow Course: PSYC301 Grade Expected: C December 2, 2011, 9:54 am | If you don't remember anything about the human nervous system before entering this class, be prepared. As others have said, his exams are around 6 to 8 pages of recall. The "word list" that he gives you during the test is useless because it doesn't contain answers to the easier to forget items. To do well, you must memorize previous exam answers and review the concepts on the Powerpoints by reading about them in the book. Be prepared to not take down detailed notes because he skips slides after talking about one subject in depth. It's really hard to learn by lecture in this class. However, he lectures in a positive, interpersonal manner and gladly answers your questions after class. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC301 Grade Expected: B November 17, 2011, 9:30 am | I think people are giving him a bad rap on here. He definitely can come off as full of himself when someone asks him a question and he'll go off into extreme detail but trails off with, "ehh but you guys don't know what that is anyway" However he TELLS you what you don't need to know. He puts an obscene amount on his slides but he clarifys that you don't need to know all the detail and that old exams he posts are good examples of what you need to know. Also, he probably waits to tell you the final is optional because it ensures you work hard on the first two. If you do well on the first 2 you don't have to worry about the final and if you think you can do better you can try to boost your average with the final which I appreciate. I think Hall did a fine job with a difficult class overall. |
| hyeung1 Course: PSYC301 Grade Expected: A March 5, 2010, 1:13 pm | his exams are not that hard IF you memorize every past exams he posted...and i mean memorize it word for word...in the class youll learn nothing...except for maybe like two things... he tells interesting stories and goes off a tangent too often...after a while he starts repeating his stories he thinks everyone knows what he knows...thus he doesn't do a good job explaining...He tells you things, not explain |
| terpof2011 Course: PSYC301 Grade Expected: C December 1, 2009, 4:43 pm | I am a student with a very strong biology background...I've taken anatomy & physiology here at UMD and gotten easy A's...take it from me. This is NOT an easy A. I struggled through this course, mostly because I think Hall's teaching style conflicted with my learning style. He is long-winded and is technically a researcher, not a professor, so he included WAY too much information in all of his lectures, apparently unaware that his students don't have the extensive background that he has. The material was very overwhelming, and I found that "Biological Basis of Behavior" was a completely misleading title. We only discussed the effects on behavior to the extent that all behavior is a result of neural activity, which is common knowledge to begin with. The material was interesting, but the exams made it virtually impossible for me to demonstrate my grasp on the material...it was just too much. All of his exams were fill-in-the-blank and diagram ID...all 7-8 pages of them. Basically, if you didn't know absolutely every single thing that was presented in the class, you didn't have a great shot at A's on exams. If you are taking other difficult classes in a semester, WAIT TO TAKE THIS ONE. It's not a good one to add to an already burdened schedule. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC301 Grade Expected: c August 4, 2009, 8:31 am | This class was pretty hard but do able. The tests are all fill in the blank which was something I wasn't expecting. He knows a lot about this field so often in class he would digress and discuss lots of extra information that we really didn't need to know in the course. The class was made up of 2 exams, first then a final. In prep. he gives out study guides and two previous tests |
| terpzilla Course: PSYC301 Grade Expected: B May 21, 2009, 8:43 am | He's a really smart guy and he knows his stuff, but he gets sidetracked really easily. This can result in a super boring or super exciting lecture... The grades are based entirely on 2 exams and the final, which is not cumulative. Also, at the VERY end of the last class, he discloses that the final is optional. As far as preparing for the exams, he provides two previous exams for each exam. He also posts a study guide to tell you which figures are important from the book and lecture notes as well the power point notes. |
| ppang15 Course: PSYC301 Grade Expected: A December 24, 2008, 11:35 pm | He is incredibly knowledgeable in the topic. Dr. Hall really knows the material and at times incorporates his own research experiences into the lectures so you get a better understanding of the material. It's a difficult class simply because it's a physiology class so lots to memorize, but overall, an a great class. Highly recommended for those who want to know more about the nervous system and all that is affiliated with it. |
| Anonymous Course: PSYC301 Grade Expected: December 22, 2008, 9:21 am | Hard class.... I has to drop it. I think it was because I left the reading for last sec right before the test which was a bad idea since there is so much material that you need to know. His test were hard due to the fatct that it was all short answer and fill in the blank and was 5-6pg to do in an hour. It was ridicules i hated his format. He was a pretty good prof i guess his lectures were all from power point and everything was posted online power pints and notes. Not an easy A, but very interesting topics. |
| anneymarie Course: PSYC301 Grade Expected: B- November 9, 2007, 11:16 am | A very difficult but fascinating class. Dr. Hall is very intelligent and really knows his topic. I loved the course and would definitely take another of his classes. |