Fall 2026

Research Methods

PSYCH 225 teaches the scientific method and research designs in psychological science.

offering recorded4 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Allyson Bennett3.6/5Andrea Donovan3.4/5Julia Greenberg3.3/5 +9 more

Summary

1 / 7

The course features a heavy workload, particularly the semester-long research proposal and tedious labs. Reviews describe the work as manageable with extensions or chunking, but others find the grading strict and the volume of information overwhelming.

Grade history

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average GPA
letter grades
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All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Satisfied Communications A, grade of C inPSYCH 202, and grade of C in (PSYCH 210,STAT 324,STAT 340, or STAT 371)

PSYCH 225 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree

Professors

Fall 2026

Allyson Bennett

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.50/5 from 12 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 4.0/5 raw quality · 3.5/5 difficulty · 8 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Allyson Bennett is praised for being caring, accessible, and ensuring student understanding through review sessions. She is described as well-organized and flexible with extensions, making the course manageable despite heavy homework loads.

Some reviewers found the class extremely difficult, citing harsh grading on major assignments and unclear directions. These students reported that the teaching team was unhelpful and the workload was overwhelming, particularly regarding the IRP project.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2020: 3.53 GPA, 70.1% A/AB (n=87 letter grades); Fall 2020: 3.49 GPA, 67.9% A/AB (n=109 letter grades); Fall 2021: 3.48 GPA, 66.3% A/AB (n=83 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 1.00/5 from 2 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Andrea Donovan receives criticism for unclear instructions and poor explanation of course material, with one student dropping the class due to lack of support. Reviewers describe the lectures as boring and the assignments as confusing, despite the class being easy.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.17 GPA, 56.5% A/AB (n=69 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.31 GPA, 66.9% A/AB (n=133 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.20 GPA, 57.0% A/AB (n=135 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.03/5 from 30 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 3.1/5 raw quality · 3.5/5 difficulty · 28 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Julia Greenberg is described as caring, engaging, and approachable, with one reviewer recommending her as the best option for this course. These reviewers note she structures the heavy research paper to be manageable and ensures students understand concepts.

Other reviewers describe Greenberg as unaccommodating and boring, with rigid labs that feel like busy work. These students report strict, nit-picky grading where minor errors result in significant point deductions, and find TAs often unhelpful.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.53 GPA, 77.3% A/AB (n=132 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.44 GPA, 75.6% A/AB (n=135 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.35 GPA, 66.9% A/AB (n=133 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.32 GPA, 65.2% A/AB (n=66 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.23 GPA, 58.2% A/AB (n=67 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2026: 3.28 GPA, 62.7% A/AB (n=67 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

No course-specific feedback yet.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2026: 3.28 GPA, 62.7% A/AB (n=67 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.31 GPA, 68.7% A/AB (n=67 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2026: 3.23 GPA, 58.2% A/AB (n=67 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews of Jonathan Gallimore: Jonathan Gallimore's course features weekly quizzes, labs, and a major paper with no exams. Reviewers note he is accessible and relatable, though one criticizes his inflexibility and disorganized materials.

ALLYSON BENNETT is recorded teaching in Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

ANDREA DONOVAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

DIYA JAIN is recorded teaching in Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JIAWAN BEYEA is recorded teaching in Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JONATHAN GALLIMORE is recorded teaching in Fall 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JULIA GREENBERG is recorded teaching in Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

KARL ROSENGREN is recorded teaching in Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

RANDY LEE is recorded teaching in Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

REBECCA ADDINGTON is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2017. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

ROBERT QUINTANA is recorded teaching in Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

SOPHIA KOMOSA is recorded teaching in Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

TINA WINSTON is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Fall 2026

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction70 / 7219
LAB 301Classroom Instruction17 / 175
LAB 302Classroom Instruction17 / 184
LAB 303Classroom Instruction18 / 185
LAB 304Classroom Instruction18 / 185
LEC 002Classroom Instruction70 / 7214
LAB 305Classroom Instruction18 / 183
LAB 306Classroom Instruction18 / 182
LAB 307Classroom Instruction17 / 185
LAB 308Classroom Instruction17 / 184
LAB 309Classroom Instruction18 / 185
LEC 003Classroom Instruction71 / 729
LAB 310Classroom Instruction18 / 182
LAB 311Classroom Instruction17 / 182
LEC 004Classroom Instruction71 / 728
LAB 312Classroom Instruction18 / 180
LAB 313Classroom Instruction17 / 180
LAB 314Classroom Instruction18 / 182
LAB 315Classroom Instruction18 / 183
LAB 316Classroom Instruction18 / 183

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
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Student experience

the class

Allyson Bennett and Julia Greenberg are both highly recommended for their caring, accessible nature and ability to make the course manageable. Bennett motivates students and reviews material, while Greenberg structures the heavy workload effectively, though some find her lectures dry.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.40 GPA, 68.5% A/AB (n=257 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.38 GPA, 71.3% A/AB (n=268 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.27 GPA, 61.9% A/AB (n=268 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The course features a heavy workload, particularly the semester-long research proposal and tedious labs. Reviews describe the work as manageable with extensions or chunking, but others find the grading strict and the volume of information overwhelming.

Students report frustration with unclear assignment directions, rigid labs, and unhelpful TAs. While Bennett is praised for flexibility, Greenberg and Donovan face criticism for poor communication, boring lectures, and nit-picky grading that makes the class feel tedious.

Topics

  • Research designs: experimental, observational, and correlational.
  • Core issues in research methods across psychology areas.
  • Lecture, demonstration, and experiments.

Skills

  • Designing experimental, observational, and correlational studies.
  • Applying the scientific method in psychological science.
  • Illustrating core research issues across psychology areas.

Grades

Historical instructor

Fall 2026 · Projected

Before grades are released

– average GPA

Approximate 80% prediction interval

About this estimate

The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 5 same-season terms, weighted toward recent results.

The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.

8 earlier forecasts · 0.15 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Fall 2026

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1283 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

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Selected offering source records
PSYCH 225 · Fall 2026

Research Methods

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
[
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:820:016368",
    "course_id": "PSYCH 225",
    "course_uid": "course_1177b5ab16c01f6a0eef7a2b",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "016368",
    "source_subject_id": "820",
    "title": "Research Methods",
    "credits_min": 4,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
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Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-09-07

Download the original dataset
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1
Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "aaafc567f2e5b7b682526b1390e437c55c270456ca4ef595282af750b6ce088a",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}