Best Practices for Teaching Beginnings and Endings in the Psychology Major: Research, Cases, and Recommendations

by Dana S. Dunn, Bernard B. Beins, Maureen A. McCarthy, G. William Hill, IV, James Goodwin

Overview

Introductory and capstone experiences in the undergraduate psychology program are crucial ways to engage students in their major and psychology department, impart realistic expectations, and prepare them for life beyond college. Providing the right orientation and capstone courses in psychology education is increasingly a concern of instructors, department chairs, program directors, and deans, and both types of courses have become important sources for gathering pre- and post-coursework assessment data for degree learning outcomes.

The strategies presented here have been designed to help educators examine issues around teaching the introductory or careers course and developing a psychology-specific orientation program. The authors also provide concrete suggestions for building capstone experiences designed to fit the needs of a department, its pedagogical philosophy, or the educational agenda of the college or university. Undergraduate psychology curriculum designers and instructors can benefit from learning innovative and effective strategies for introducing the major to first-year students and, at graduation, for bringing closure, reinforcing the overall departmental learning outcomes, and helping students apply their disciplinary knowledge in capstone experiences and post-graduate life.

In this collection of articles, psychology instructors involved in the improvement of teaching and learning review the research and share their own successes and challenges in the classroom. Discussions include effective practices for helping students become acclimated to and engaged in the psychology major, application of developmental knowledge and learning communities to course design, and use of quality benchmarks to improve introductory and capstone courses. Other chapters describe innovations in the design of stand-alone courses and offer concrete advice on counseling psychology graduates about how to use what they have learned beyond their higher education experiences.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195378214
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/12/2010
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Dana S. Dunn is President-Elect of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. Professor of Psychology and Director, Learning in Common Curriculum at Moravian College. Dana Dunn is winner of the 2013 Charles L. Brewer Award for Distinguished Teaching of Psychology from the American Psychological Foundation (of the APA).

Bernard C. Beins is Professor of Psychology and Chair at Ithaca College.

Maureen A. McCarthy is Professor of Psychology at Kennesaw State University.

G. William Hill, IV is Professor of Psychology and Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning at Kennesaw State University. Beins, McCarthy, and Hill are all past presidents of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology.

Table of Contents

Contributor List xv

About the Editors xxi

Preface xxv

Acknowledgments xxxi

1 Undergraduate Education in Psychology: All's Well That Begins and Ends Well Dana S. Dunn Bernard C. Beins Maureen A. McCarthy G. William Hill, IV 3

Part I Beginnings

2 Addressing the Multiple Demands of Teaching Introductory Psychology Michael L. Stoloff 15

3 Reading From the Same Page: Building an Integrated Curriculum Brian T. Loher Karri B. Verno Francis W. Craig Peter A. Keller 31

4 Advising in the Classroom: A Career Exploration Class for Psychology Majors Drew C. Appleby 49

5 Building a Psychology Orientation Course: Common Themes and Exercises Brian T. Loher R. Eric Landrum 69

6 Engaging Students in Psychology: Building on First-Year Programs and Seminars Regan A. R. Gurung Georjeanna Wilson-Doenges 93

7 Learning Communities as an Innovative Beginning to the Psychology Major: A Tale of Two Campuses Kenneth B. Barron Kim K. Buch Jeffrey T. Andre Sue Spaulding 107

8 Displacing Wikipedia: Information Literacy for First-Year Students Charles M. Harris S. Lynn Cameron 125

9 Crafting and Implementing a Career Development Course in Psychology Eric A. Goedereis Stanley H. Cohen 137

Part II Endings

10 The Capstone Course in Psychology as Liberal Education Opportunity Dana S. Dunn Maureen A. McCarthy 155

11 History of Psychology as a Capstone Course Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr 171

12 Research Teams: Developing a Capstone Experience With Programmatic Research Bernard C. Beins Phil D. Wann 187

13 Honors Thesis as a Capstone: A Possible Perfect Ending Sherry L. Serdikoff 205

14 The Capstone Research Course: A Case Study in the Evolution of Educational Efficacy Wayne S. Messer David B. Porter 217

15 Ten Things I Hate About My Capstone Course—And a Few Ways to Fix Them Tracy E. Zinn Monica J. Reis-Bergan Suzanne C. Baker 237

16 Writing for Psychology Majors as a Developmental Process Bernard C. Beins Randolph A. Smith Dana S. Dunn 253

17 Capping the Undergraduate Experience: Making Learning Come Alive Through Fieldwork Joann H. Grayson 279

18 Helping Undergraduates Transition to the Workplace: Four Discussion Starters Paul Hettich 299

19 Helping Undergraduates Make the Transition to Graduate School Brennan D. Cox Kristin L. Cullen William Buskist Victor A. Benassi 319

20 Teaching Psychology's Endings: The Simple Gifts of a Reflective Close Neil Lutsky 331

Part III Coda

21 Developing Scientific Reasoning Skills in Beginning and Ending Students Suzanne C. Baker Maureen A. McCarthy Jane S. Halonen Dana S. Dunn G. William Hill, IV 349

Name Index 365

Subject Index 37

Editorial Reviews

"Given the practical approach, readers may be surprised at how enjoyable the book can be to read...This book is an excellent resource not because it explains how to teach orientation and capstone courses. The value of Best Practices for Teaching Beginnings and Endings in the Psychology Major is that it provides food for thought on how beginnings and endings can improve the psychology major."—PsycCRITIQUES

From the Publisher