PSY 101 Frequently Asked Questions
Most of this pertains to face-to-face sections, so if you are in a fully online section a few things might be different.
And a few not so frequently asked
The questions are organized into two groups: questions about classroom routines, and questions about the tests and grades.
Questions about classroom routines:
1. Why is the course information sheet so long?
2. Do I have to come to class?
3. Do I have to bring my book to class?
4. I have an old copy of the textbook. Is that okay?
5. I can’t stand my teacher. Can I change sections?
6. It’s the 10th week and only half the class shows up. Did they all withdraw?
7. Do people fail this class?
8. Who’s the easiest teacher for PSY 101?
9. Why do some of my friends have long handouts from their PSY 101 class?
10. Where can I get another teacher’s handouts?
11. How do I know which material will be on a test?
12. What does my teacher mean when she says I’m an adult now?
13. The people sitting behind me talk all the time and the teacher doesn’t
tell them to be quiet; what can I do?
Questions about tests and grades:
1. I missed my A test. Can I make it up?
2. I missed a whole unit, will that hurt my grade?
3. How do I know what my overall grade is?
4. So, where do I take the “B” test? (I didn’t pay attention when you described this in class.)
5. Is there extra credit?
6. Is there a midterm?
7. Who made up the tests?
8. Why is the B test always harder than the A test?
9. Why do I always do worse on the B test?
10. What score do I need to pass?
11. How can I see what I got wrong on a test?
Questions about classroom routines:
1. Why is the course information sheet so long? Overall it’s so long because it contains all the rules and regulations governing the course. You should read it. Some teachers will hold you to it and expect that you know what’s in it. Others will remind you about things that are in it. Think of it as the PSY 101 rulebook. (Also, starting in 2021, MCC added a bunch of legalistic material to all syllabi, so they are also full of that.)
2. Do I have to come to class? Do you want to pass? Do you want to learn? Your teacher may not withdraw you due to non-attendance, but if you don’t show up don’t expect your teacher to assume you’re trying to succeed. And anyway, no student does as well on the tests on their own as they do when they are consistently attending class.
3. Do I have to bring my book to class? No, you don’t have to, but it often helps. If your teacher tends to ask you to look at specific things in the book during class, then get in the habit of bringing it. Be careful, though: from what I’ve seen, the pages can be flimsy and might not hold up to a lot of back-and-forth turning.
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4. I have an old copy of the textbook. Is that okay? Probably not. Our current text is the 4th edition of Psychology in Your Life. If you buy the book used, or rent it, you might not get an access code to InQuizitive and Zaps.
5. I can’t stand my teacher. Can I change sections? Only if another section has openings. Occasionally you’ll have a teacher who you just can’t tolerate, and you might really benefit from switching. More frequently it’s just a first-impression problem. Give your teacher some time. And if you do withdraw without getting “green-slipped” into a different section, there’s no guarantee you’ll have a class at all. Try to change sections only if you really really have to.
6. It’s the 10th week and only half the class shows up. Did they all withdraw? Nope. Some have withdrawn or quit; most of those who aren’t showing up are either lazy about it, or have had some rotten things happen in their lives. Most of the ones missing are still taking a module test here and there, but they’re generally not doing as well as they could have been had they been in class.
7. Do people fail this class? Yes. Most of those who fail don’t do the work and don’t take all the opportunities offered to them to pass. Some fail despite that. The tests are all multiple choice and straight from the book, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy. I’ve had some students who re-took the class three times before they passed. You’d better study and use the materials made available to help you pass.
8. Who’s the easiest teacher for PSY 101? No one’s easier or harder, because the tests are all the same no matter who your teacher is. (Well, not the same as in you can cheat with your friend from another class section, but the same as in from the same test bank – see the section on test questions below.) But some teachers will teach more directly to the test than others. Some just describe material that’s on the test and others bring in thoughts, ideas, facts, and stories that are pertinent, but for which there are no specific test questions. Whether one of these styles is easier for you or not, I do not know.
9. Why do some of my friends have long handouts from their PSY 101 class? Each teacher teaches the same material on the same schedule, but each teacher has his or her own method, own style. Some teachers provide students with lengthy handouts that summarize all the material in the module objectives. Some teachers have shorter sets of handouts. Some teachers have no handouts at all. Feel free to use anyone’s handouts you get access to, but don’t hold your teacher accountable for another teacher’s handouts.
10. Where can I get another teacher’s handouts? There is no depository for these. Some teachers have them available on BrightSpace in their own class section. Some keep copies in the “Courses” folder of the “M-drive” (MCC’s computer mainframe). Others only hand them out in class. Your best bet is probably a fellow student in another teacher’s class.
11. How do I know which material will be on a test? Be sure to consult the study guide (the study guide is online in BrightSpace, and hard to miss from the Psychology Learning Center web site). Basically, we cover most of the book, and each module is divided into 10 learning objectives. Each learning objective is numbered (there are 10 per unit), and next to the number is a brief list of text headings, which you will find in the textbook. You will not be tested on material that is not listed there. Notice that the questions on the study guide help you focus, and the page numbers list the material that we’re covering.
12. What does my teacher mean when she says I’m an adult now? I think it means you’ll be expected to assume responsibility for the events that happen to you. You know, like if you miss a test, you can expect your teacher to think that you made a rational adult-like decision to miss the test. It sort of also means that you’ll be treated like a low-wage employee working for a heartless corporation where we teachers are management. (It’s not me who uses this line on students, but some faculty do.) Pretend that you need the job, okay?
13. The people sitting behind me talk all the time and the teacher doesn’t tell them to be quiet; what can I do? First, tell your teacher what’s going on. A lot of times we teachers just don’t hear the incessant talking. After all, we’re running our mouths quite a lot ourselves, and then the rooms are generally structured to project sound from the front (the stage) out to the audience (where you sit), but not the other way around. So let your teacher know it’s going on and that it bothers you. Second, see if you can sit elsewhere. Some inconsiderate students won’t stop talking until they’re threatened with extreme sanctions (I’ve had to threaten to call security before some students would learn to behave respectfully) – and though we teachers have the right to remove misbehaving students from class, many teachers are reluctant to be so heavy-handed.
Questions about the tests and grades:
1. I missed my A test. Can I make it up? No. A tests are only given in class on the scheduled date. If you miss it, you miss it. Take the B test for that unit. (Online sections: there is only one test opportunity.)
2. I missed a whole module, will that hurt my grade? If you do nothing about it, yes. You can, however, ask your teacher if you can get a makeup B test. It’s up to your teacher to give you one, and you may only receive one if you’ve missed the entire unit (i.e., you did not take an A or B test for that unit). You can then take the makeup test during final exams week (it is password protected, and your teacher will give you a valid password). If you skip this, you’ll get a zero for the unit, and that’s not good for your grade at all.
3. How do I know what my overall grade is? Grades will be live in BrightSpace, but there may be a delay processing the paper A-tests. They’re usually posted during the week after you’ve taken it. You have to be in the “Testing” section of BrightSpace, and then your current average isn’t listed, but it’s the result of the “tests running total” divided by the number of modules you’ve finished. Individual test scores are also shown. Remember that ZAPS is 10% of your overall grade. Check your test scores regularly to make sure there aren’t any errors. You can also ask your teacher for your grade, but your teacher might not be carrying a copy of the grades. If you are in an online class section, the grading is different.
4. So, where do I take the “B” test? (I didn’t pay attention when you described this in class.) This question is most amusing when asked around the 12th week of class. Make it a habit from the start. The Testing Center is in 11-206 on the Brighton campus and in the Learning Commons Downtown.
5. Is there extra credit? Nope. The only additional assignment is ZAPS; think of it as homework. Online classes have a discussion requirement as well. Neither format has extra credit.
6. Is there a midterm? No. Just the 7 module tests. The highest score on each will be averaged together to form the bulk of your course grade.
7. Who made up the tests? Evil little people who live in faraway places. Or hired hands from the textbook publisher, whichever is more realistic. We have a very large test bank, and individual tests are created by choosing two questions for each learning objective, randomly, from this test bank. Every test has 20 questions. Two questions come from each learning objective as defined in the study guide.
8. Why is the B test always harder than the A test?
It’s not. Sometimes it just seems that way. Keep trying. One test might be harder than another, but that will be a random effect. Like I just said in question 7, above, we have a very large test bank, and individual tests are created by choosing two questions for each learning objective, randomly, from this test bank.
9. Why do I always do worse on the B test? Because you expect it to be easier. You don’t always do worse on the B test, but sometimes it might seem that way. A lot of students will rush to the B test while the material is fresh on their minds after taking an A test, or they’ll put it off until the deadline and then hurry in without having studied additionally for it. Study between tests and in the long run, you’ll do better.
10. What score do I need to pass? Your score on any one test doesn’t matter. What matters is the overall average you have after the highest score from each module has been calculated. If you score a 14 (raw score) or 70% on a test, you have what’s needed for a C there, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have a 70% average after the next module. If you’re happy with a C, think ahead: you might get a module where your highest score is still an F; that will pull down your average. So when you get a 70%, you need to aim for a higher grade to help you out when you get lower grades.
11. How can I see what I got wrong on a test? If it was a paper-and-pencil test (such as the in-class A-test), you can go to the Psychology Resource Center in 11-232 when it’s staffed. If it was a computerized test, you can review it immediately after finishing and prior to logging out of the testing system. At any later time, you’ll have to sit with your professor or a professor in the Psych Resource Center, who will bring up your test on a computer and you can see exactly what you did wrong, and get some help at the same time.