Current instructor

Catherine Marler

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

Raw average: 3.15/5 from 20 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.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

PSYCH 449
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
Lecture is fast paced, so take notes and study well. Dr. Marler frequently asked if we had questions and clarified confusion well. However, there was a lot of content, so we did not get to cover everything because of how often we reviewed questions. But I do appreciate how much she cares about students' understanding. **textbook not required**
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PSYCH 449
Quality 3/5Difficulty 2/5
i took her animal behavior class as a psych major... i think this class is a little more geared towards those with an interest in ecology/bio, not a critique, just an FYI. slides are often directly taken from the textbook, i found her lectures to be very boring and long, with no engagement/required attendance or recorded lectures. exams were fair.
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PSYCH 449
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
I really enjoyed her animal behavior class, the material was super interesting and she really cares bout her students. Its a pretty easy class as long as you go to lecture and go over the review slides, her exams are very fair.
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PSYCH 449
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
As long as you attend lecture and halfheartedly pay attention, you will be fine. Her tests are fair, just pay attention to the examples she uses.
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PSYCH 449
Quality 3/5Difficulty 3/5
Pretty average professor/course. Dr. Marler cares for students and answers all questions before moving on. Three exams determine 75% of your grade, so be sure to study and watch the review session, as it can be helpful. Lectures contain a lot of examples, which can make things more boring/complicated, but most of the material is pretty interesting.
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PSYCH 449
Quality 2/5Difficulty 4/5
The reviews for the exams have little to do with what is actually on the exams. Despite the constant studying, (reading the textbook, taking notes on every lecture, and doing the review) I still did not do well. The exams were difficult. She is passionate about her work, but the exams could be graded differently.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Catherine Marler

PSYCH 449

Animal Behavior

3–4 credits

Covers evolutionary and physiological mechanisms of animal behavior, including aggressive, reproductive, communicative, and social behaviors, and behavioral development.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Catherine Marler is praised for engaging lectures and student care, though exams are often difficult and require attendance. Recent reviews highlight fast-paced content and specific testing.

Catherine MarlerJiaxuan Li

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2023–Fall 2025
PSYCH 621

Mentored Research and Seminar

1–6 credits

PSYCH 621 is a mentored research and seminar course where students design and conduct research to extend current understanding in a topic area.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=8 letter grades); Fall 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=13 letter grades); Spring 2026: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=14 letter grades).

C. Shawn GreenJenny Saffran+36 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026
PSYCH 691

Undergraduate Thesis

2–3 credits

PSYCH 691 is an undergraduate thesis course focused on conducting research and completing a thesis, recommended for students intending to pursue graduate work in psychology.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

C. Shawn GreenSeth Pollak+38 more

No recorded grade history

PSYCH 692

Undergraduate Thesis

2–3 credits

PSYCH 692 is an undergraduate thesis course focused on completing research in psychology.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

C. Shawn GreenAnthony Auger+11 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
PSYCH 699

Directed Study

1–3 credits

PSYCH 699 is a directed study course involving independent mentored study with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 3.93 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=7 letter grades); Spring 2023: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades); Fall 2024: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=7 letter grades).

C. Shawn GreenSeth Pollak+32 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026
PSYCH 990

Research

1–12 credits

PSYCH 990 is an independent research course involving experimental, observational, or statistical investigation under faculty supervision.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

C. Shawn GreenSeth Pollak+37 more

No recorded grade history

ZOOLOGY 682

Senior Honors Thesis

1–4 credits

ZOOLOGY 682 is a mentored individual research and study course for students completing a thesis in an Honors program.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Scott HartmanJeff Hardin+31 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
ZOOLOGY 691

Senior Thesis

1–6 credits

ZOOLOGY 691 is a mentored individual research and study course for students completing a senior thesis.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Scott HartmanKaren Strier+34 more

No recorded grade history

ZOOLOGY 692

Senior Thesis

1–4 credits

ZOOLOGY 692 is a mentored individual research and study course for students completing a senior thesis.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Karen StrierDavid Abbott+21 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
ZOOLOGY 699

Directed Studies in Zoology

1–6 credits

ZOOLOGY 699 offers selected research projects for junior and senior students.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2008: 3.92 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades); Fall 2008: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=8 letter grades); Spring 2009: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=8 letter grades).

Scott HartmanKaren Strier+46 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026
ZOOLOGY 990

Research

1–9 credits

ZOOLOGY 990 is a graduate research course where students conduct advanced biological research under faculty mentorship to fulfill program requirements.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Karen StrierJeff Hardin+40 more

No recorded grade history

Recorded teaching history

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Fall 2026NTP 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2026PSYCH 449Animal Behavior
Fall 2026PSYCH 621Mentored Research and Seminar
Fall 2026PSYCH 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026PSYCH 691Undergraduate Thesis
Fall 2026PSYCH 692Undergraduate Thesis
Fall 2026PSYCH 699Directed Study
Fall 2026PSYCH 990Research
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 691Senior Thesis
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 692Senior Thesis
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 699Directed Studies in Zoology
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 990Research

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance 
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