I regret enrolling in this class more than any other class I've taken yet. This course revolves around learning disabilities and problems, as well as the current education and policies addressing them. We learned about how current education systems have wronged so many students, specifically those with learning problems. However, this course was the most unaccommodating class I've taken at UCLA.

Lectures are in-person, which was expected. However, *nothing* is recorded and you cannot zoom into class. So, if you're exposed to COVID or if you actually get COVID, etc, you have no way of watching the lectures remotely. And to top that off, the professor has stated multiple times that he does not upload every single slide to Bruinlearn. Therefore, if you can't come to class, because of a valid reason such as literally contracting COVID, there is no way to learn all of the material discussed in lecture that day. You are automatically at a disadvantage, even for a valid medical reason. And all of this is occurring even with rising COVID cases and worried students.

Moreover, the class seems to ignore the application of the very core curriculum it teaches. We spent weeks learning about the need for classes and teachers to understand the feelings of their students, the need for an open dialogue and accommodations for individuals with learning problems. However, this was never applied to the class itself. Your final grade is comprised of a timed in-person midterm exam (worth 40%) and a timed in-person final exam (worth 60%). These exams are based on the fact that you have memorized every single fact/term/concept discussed in all lectures. The exams have either 2 or 3 prompts (depending on if it's the midterm or final), and these prompts are very vague with no rubric attached. If you fail to include a seemingly unimportant detail, you will be docked off points. So, in order to avoid this, you have to memorize every little thing said in class so that, during the test, you can make sure to include every detail. This class is structured on the professor's lectures as well as in-class discussions, which are supposed to get you to analyze the topics further. However, the exams don't ask you for application, or for you to advance certain things we learned in class. You just have to explain and describe. Basically just memorize and regurgitate information.

There is an extra assignment mentioned in the syllabus but in order to do this assignment you have to come up with a basic thesis during week 2 (when you're barely introduced to the course), otherwise you can't do it. And after that brief mention in the syllabus, nothing was ever said about this. No explicit deadline given, no other information.

Getting a grade in this class is dependent on if you're either good at memorizing or not. A class that talks about learning disabilities and how educational policy has failed to adequately accommodate, does not care about its students with learning disabilities. What about students with test-taking anxiety who may forget specific names or terms? What about students who cannot focus well enough during timed in-person exams to include every little detail? Why is there no open dialogue? We learned about how classes that are too rigid and unaccommodating cause low motivation in students which then causes even more problems. So, why then does this class have such a rigid, unrealistic grading policy?

The final exam itself had an entire paragraph in the beginning mentioning that it will be graded harder than the midterm and how each question is worth 1/5 of your final grade. Surely, this would increase anxiety in students. Imagine beginning an exam and reading that if you mess up one question, your final grade will decrease by 1/5. How is this accommodating to students? Obviously, this course does not cater to the student and especially not to those with learning problems.

I've never felt so voiceless and unheard in a class before. We're taught about how students thrive when there's open dialogue and their voice is heard, and how it's best to approach education with personalized, accommodating interventions. It's like we're told exactly what a class should be like. And then, we're given the exact opposite. Here's two exams and if you can't memorize and include everything we want, you'll get a bad grade in the class. This course doesn't care about the individual, and that's so sad.

I wish I never took this class. I really wanted to love it but unfortunately I ultimately feel neglected as a student.

So I came into this class thinking it would be an easy elective and I definitely underestimated it. It is a class that is composed of a midterm and a final (both essays), nothing more, so it is an extremely light workload. However, I would advise anyone taking this to be really meticulous about your essays because I was surprised with how strictly they were graded! Professor Adelman is a really sweet guy and very helpful, but his exams are definitely graded a little strict. If you take this class, just make sure to spend a lot of time really making sure you understand the information because you will not do well in the class if you don't. But overall I think Professor Adelman is a very caring professor and the class is doable if you work hard.

I did not like this class at all. For a class all about accomodating students' needs and focusing on individualized teaching, it is ironic how this class did the opposite. This class consists of a midterm and a final. The midterm is two essay questions (40%) and the final is three essay questions (60%). So each essay is worth 20% of your grade. You are not given a rubric beforehand, and only vague guidelines to keep in mind when taking the test. When my midterm essays were handed back, there were no notes or rubric attached, just a letter grade, not even a percentage. Very frustrating because I had no idea why I got the grade I did.
Also, the classes are not recorded, and not all the slides are posted on bruinlearn. However, after the midterm, I attended about two classes and still ended up with an A-. Lectures are confusing and unstructured, it's more helpful to just read the textbook or get notes from your friends than wasting your time in class. I never paid attention in class anyway, the lectures were dull and just straight up boring. I would not recommend this class at all.

I enrolled in this class, thinking that it'd be interesting to learn about learning disabilities and the school policies around them. However, this became a class that I strongly disliked and do not recommend to anyone. Professor Adelman is very sweet and kind-hearted, but does not offer any assistance to learning the material. I emailed him several questions, which he replied by sending me a link to his textbook. He also encourages people to ask questions during class, but answers them very vaguely so you're left feeling even more confused than before. I often found my peers just saying "Oh okay, thank you," without sounding like they truly understood his answers. Now, for the exams, your entire grade is made up of a midterm exam (40%) and a final exam (60%). You can do extra credit, but you must notify professor that you'll do the assignment by the end of week 2. If you don't decide by week 2, you won't be able to do any extra credit. In terms of exam grading, professor is VERY harsh. The exams are in-person essays and you basically have to memorize every little thing that he mentions in class. His grading rubric is highly specific and unreasonable. I would advise you to not take this class if you can, but if you decide to, I'd recommend that you attend office hours to make sure you're on the right track for your essay planning beforehand. That is, if professor will even explain what he expects clearly...

Professor Adelman was one of my favorite professors at UCLA. To be honest, I did not expect to enjoy the course. It was the only elective available, and I had to take it to graduate. However, his course ended up being my favorite class during Spring Quarter. He is great at explaining things, and he offers many resources to succeed, like giving possible exam questions. Every question he gave ended up on the exam in some form, like making two questions into one or changing up the wording a bit. He also strongly encourages study groups and discussion, which I found to be extremely helpful. The grade is just a midterm and final, but if you do poorly on the MT, he allows you to retake it. I would also recommend going to office hours, as he had a lot of helpful information and wisdom that helped me on the test. Overall, I would highly recommend him. Thank you, Professor Adelman!

Adelman is a fantastic but harder than usual teacher, every lecture was engaging and fun and I enjoyed going to this class every week. I will say that in-class essay midterms and finals arent for everyone, but he gives out the prompts for possible essays and makes sure you have the tools to succeed. he truly cares about his students.

Psych 132A was the first Psych upper-div I took at UCLA, and honestly I really enjoyed it! I don't even remember if we were supposed to do readings or anything because I definitely didn't do any, but I know there wasn't a textbook for the class which was really nice. The biggest thing for this class is showing up to lecture and participating in class. Even though its a big lecture, Professor Adelman really emphasizes talking with your classmates during lecture. He'll stop to ask questions and has everyone take several minutes to discuss in small groups with the people around them. I really liked this aspect because I got to know some of the people in my class instead of just sitting next to strangers who I never talk to all quarter. During lecture he also stops a lot to ask us questions and he'd have students give their thoughts/answers in his little microphone thing which was kinda fun. Overall, I really liked Professor Adelman as a teacher, and I think he has a lot of really good understanding of education and how to promote learning in schools!
Also, there's no homework or anything really. You just have to pay attention and learn the content for the Midterm and Final exam because those are pretty much your whole grade. I know that sounds kinda scary, but they really weren't that bad. Both are entirely essay based and he'll give the class like 5 possible prompts and choose 3 for the exam or something like that. I've taken a bunch of psych classes now, and I still think fondly of this one! The content is really interesting to learn about and it's not too hard. I'd definitely recommend taking this course!