I loved Professor Givvin! She is so knowledgeable and so sweet. I will say that she mentions she won't try to trick you on the midterms... but there have been many times where that's not true. She assigns articles to read before each class and participation is only answering clicker questions. Overall, I think if she made her exams a little less tricky and more straightforward I would 100% recommend her. But, she is a great professor and genuinely wants her students to do well. I found the articles we read very applicable and interesting as well. If you are debating taking her, take her!

As one of my friends commented earlier this year, isn't it interesting how the teachers who teach about education end up being the best educators?

Professor Givvin is no different. I don't think she could have been more clear in her delivery of class content. There really isn't much I can complain about. Participation in the class requires an iClicker Reef account, which she uses to assess attendance via quiz questions (not graded on accuracy). There is no homework except for readings that need to be completed before the beginning of each class. Exams are clearly not trying to trick you; if you attend lectures, you will get an A. Slides aren't posted, so either watching the lectures live or reviewing them on BruinCast is important.

She has a cool dog, too.

Professor Givvin genuinely cares about her students and is passionate about her field of study. The lectures are engaging and the assigned articles are extremely applicable to life. Her exams were always straightforward and taken straight from the lecture or clicker questions. As long as you take good notes and review clicker questions before an exam, you will do well. I learned so much in this class. I would definitely take her class again.

I absolutely love Professor Givvin! She is one of the sweetest, most caring professors I've had and the course material is super interesting! The course content mainly just consists of 2-3 journal articles per class, but she goes over them during class time. I know some people didn't read the articles, but I did and I definitely found that it helped me do well on the exams. I managed to get 100% on the tests, which were overall really straightforward. I would recommend reading (or at least skimming) the articles and annotating the main findings/methods. Attendance via Zoom is mandatory (she takes participation using iClicker questions), but you have 2 absences that won't count against your grade. I can't speak to how this class is in-person (I took it during COVID so it was online), but I absolutely loved it and I HIGHLY recommend!

Professor Givvin is what every professor should be like. She’s: easy to understand, compassionate about what she’s teaching, actively engaging with students’ questions and most importantly cares about what her students have to say. There are no tricky questions on her exams. Personally, I found all the articles we talked about very interesting, so I did not have to study much for both the 2 midterms and final. I was always excited for lecture. She has been one of my favorite professors in my three years at UCLA so far. Can’t recommend this class enough, please take it! You’ll learn something useful that you can apply to your life as a college student.

if ur looking for an upperdiv i highly recommend taking this class. ur grade is solely based on 2 midterms and the final (+ ec if u do 2 hrs of sona) BUT the exams are sooooo doable. all you really need to do is keep up with the readings and attend lecture (recorded, attendance not taken). actually going to class helped me absorb the material better than watching the recordings so i recommend going to class. the exams are fully on the readings that you do which makes studying for it super easy cus yk exactly what to expect. i would def take this class again if i could :)

This class means so much to me and I encourage everyone to take it! First of all, Dr Givvin was very empathetic, kind, and upbeat during every class. Her passion for educational psychology in sport really comes through and it's a pleasure to talk with her and discuss topics in class. Secondly, the class itself taught me a lot about Wooden's ideologies and how they are simple but effective. His small ideas like being intentional with your actions and working hard really resonated with me.

There were 3 components to the class: discussion posts before each class based on our reactions to a reading, a short research paper, and a group video project. All assignments allowed us to be creative and thoughtful. There were some guidelines, but I felt I took liberties in my assignments and expressed my true opinions. Dr. Givvin expressed from the beginning that if our efforts shone through in our work (regardless of how articulate or insightful something was) that our grade would always reflect that. Also, the group project assignment was very balanced and collaborative (I know group projects can sometimes be annoying).

I also wanted to say that I'm not the type of person to speak up often in class or be very social, but Dr. Givvin and the rest of the class were very welcoming and friendly. I never felt I wasn't a part of the discussion or that my inputs were invalid.

This class was my favorite and most practical of my fall quarter. I love the fact that she relies on studies rather than a textbook to conduct her teaching. She speaks clearly and explains concepts easily. She provides enough time for students to ask questions, and she is very sweet! It also shows that she cares about this subject, which makes me respect her even more. To pass the class, I attended every lecture or watched the Bruin Cast lectures, quickly skimmed each study, and hand-wrote all my notes. Before every exam, I briefly re-read and re-annotated my notes. I focused on the main concepts of each study, such as methodology and research questions, as well as the main findings. You don’t necessarily have to dissect and read every study. Attending lecture is enough, but studying the day before or hours before will get you a decent grade. It is mainly about memorization. Overall, she had 2 midterm exams, which were non-cumulative, and a final exam that was cumulative, but not difficult. So, the downside is that the grade is weighted heavily on the exams, but she does offer extra credit (like 1 point) if you participate in studies through SONA. I would definitely take future classes with her.

Easy class, but reads from the slides no new info is given from the readings other than a chart that is in the first midterm. Also your grade is based on how well you do on exams there are 2 midterms and one final. Exams are not curved at all so definitely try to remember everything from the readings. For the final there will be questions on there from weeks 1-7 so definitely remember that information. The exams are all multiple choice. Sometimes the answers can be a bit confusing. She says no trick questions, but tbh half of the class left confused after each exam.