Professor Robles cared that we learned something important during the class. His tests were very fair; they covered material in the class and screencasts, and if we read the books, paid attention, and watched the screencasts, we could ace the tests which were about applying material we learned (which I really appreciate since we got to test our knowledge). The class was very well organized, he was available, had fair extra credit, and really thought about the students. Take it with him if you can!

-more thorough review to come-

I took this class because I was interested in the content but he runs the course as if its a research class. Tons of research methods and fine distinctions involved, lots of busy work. There are weekly assignments that he opens and closes access to in very small windows of time, and he sets the due date and time at 5pm which makes it impossible if you have a job and other classes to consistently get them in on time. My biggest complaint is that he spends too much time on telling you how to read the research he assigns and skimps a bit on the content of the course so what he can't fit into a lecture he assigns in "screencasts" and videos to watch on your own time. He gives 3 exams (which he makes very tricky) AND a final as if the students don't have 3-4 other classes they are taking. I feel it should be a 5 or 6 unit class for the amount of work involved. With that said he issues outlines and study guides for each lecture and all the exams. He is helpful and clear most of the time and his personality is good. When he does get to the content it's interesting but if you are not strong in research methods you will struggle.

This class was pretty easy with Robles. He has a handout for each lecture that outlines exactly what u need to know/take notes on and they have the learning objectives which are the only things you need to know for the exams (makes it easy to study). I never read the book once and got an A+. He overs TONS of extra credit. Lectures are bruincasted which is nice, he tried using tophat for participation but only asked like 5 questions all quarter on it. There are THREE midterms and a Final (cumulative). This sounds like a lot, but since each midterm had only a couple weeks worth of info to study it wasn't bad at all. He also gives you every learning objective that will be on the final which makes studying for that easy as well. I really recommend this class with this professor! I think that things you learn are also very relevant to life and health!

I had zero interest in this class at the beginning of the quarter, but this ended up being my favorite one. Professor Robles' lectures are clear and informative. He provides podcasts and handouts that are extremely helpful for studying. I purchased the book, but I found that I didn't need it. The exams are short answer. There are weekly assignments due on ccle that I kept forgetting were due (should have checked more often). Top Hat is used in this class, which is similar to using an iclicker, except you can use your device or cpu.

Professor Ramos is really a great lecturer. He is interesting to listen to and very approachable. He has engaging lectures, so you feel comfortable raising your hand and speaking up in class.
There will be three tests, each worth 30 points. They are all free response. 30 questions in about 50 minutes. And they are incredibly difficult, because the majority of the questions are super specific. Despite the fact that you do not need the book, you still have to memorize every bit of information on the hand outs. And there is a lengthy handout that you fill out every lecture. So this is pages and pages of info that you really have to know, since there is no study guide.
There are podcasts you must listen to, and he asks questions about those podcasts in class that you answer with TopHat.
There are a bunch of short and easy online homework assignments that you need to complete online. There is no warning about anything being due though, so you need to make sure to be on top of everything and check for updates daily.
Even though you will really like him as a person, and the material you are learning is interesting, none of that matters when the tests are impossible to finish in time and correctly.

Selling Course textbook

Health Psychology by Shelley E. Taylor Ninth Edition.
New Condition, no markings.

Email me if interested: haileyjames@g.ucla.edu

Such a great class!

Grading: 3 midterms and 1 final exam all worth 30 points each BUT lowest exam score is dropped, 10 points for quizzes, 10 points for Tophat discussion questions, 20 points for CCLE activities. 3 points of extra credit if you get 90% on the quizzes, 2 points for 80% on quizzes.

The class itself is very interesting if you're interested in learning more about the psychological side of diseases, doctor-patient relationships, and health maintenance. Topics include: dieting, stress, cancer, smoking, alcohol addiction, psychological health interventions, and more.

Three BIG pros about Robles.

1) For each lecture, he provides Word docs of all the notes you need for that lecture. His purpose is to not only cut the time for you to take notes but also help you focus on the material you need to know for the exams. On each Word doc there will be graphs/charts, questions, and lists that will all be explained in class. There are podcasts too if you didn't catch something but he goes at a calm pace so you can jot everything down during class.

2) He is a great personality. Not a mean guy at all. He elaborates on concepts and gets to the main points on each lecture without going off on tangents at all. He has a sense of humor too.

3) His tests are really easy. Like really easy. The questions on the tests are fill in the blank, listing things, or defining a concept in one sentence max. So in a sense, when studying for the exams you need to memorize material BUT all that material is simplified with his notes. A question could be like "Name the four benefits to this concept" and another could be like "What is the substance that causes this disease?" Again, you don't need to explain anything since these questions are not in-depth and don't require thinking. It's listing and defining.

I highly recommend this professor. Not only does he care about students learning health psychology but his exams are very much doable. The averages on the exams were around 20/30 points but if you are good at memorizing the basics of each lecture (not even the details) then you'll be fine. I also recommend taking the first three exams seriously so you don't need to take the final exam (one less final exam on finals week).

In terms of the breakdown of the class: 3 midterm and a final (each worth 30 points) and he drops the lowest one. 20 points for activities, in classes quizzes and questions. Getting a 90% on all the quizzes = 3 points extra credit. And he gave us an extra point for submitting evaluations!

You do NOT need the book and he does podcast everything.

I really liked him; he's very caring and has a lot of information to give in office hours.

However, here is the thing. His curve, can be very, VERY tough. The class curve is determined by the top 10% of the class and how they're doing on the exams. This can be a very good thing (the top 10% didn't hit all home runs) or it could be very bad (aka. all grand slams). This caused a lot of anxiety for most of the class who were averaging a C for the exams.

The best advice would be: memorize! While he does fill in the blanks and short answers, all you need to do is memorize a TON of facts. The tests are not hard per say, but they do require that you know almost EVERYTHING. Go to his office hours, ask specifics, memorize and you'll do just fine. Oh and don't get behind. Our cumulative final covered around 27 lectures of materials.

Very caring & a great lecturer! I really enjoyed his class! Not difficult & you don't need the textbook! Just watch the screencasts & lectures. He posts a video podcast of all lectures. I recommend psych 150 with him!

Quarter Class Taken: Spring 2011
Teacher Evaluation: Among my friends, I have mixed reactions on whether Professor Robles is a good professor or not. Personally, I enjoyed him as a professor. I thought his lectures were engaging and informational. He is very approachable and punctual in his e-mails.
TA Evaluation: Patricia Voege had greater review sessions for the exams that basically prepared you for them. Do not miss the opportunity.
Homework Evaluation: There is a paper due in the class which is graded very strictly to the criteria given in a paper handout. Follow them, and spend extra time proofreading your paper and making sure it is coherent and clear. There is homework in the class, do not skip any. 1 Point could matter greatly in this class.
Test Evaluation: Tests were easy and straight off lecture, but study hard for them. Emphasize recall rather than long-term understanding.
Grading Evaluation: The curve is set difficult, so that only those who do very well in the class will do well. I guess that is fair, you get what you put in.