Electronic discussion sections can create a learning environment that will elicit quality student discussions in classes with large enrollment (i.e., 100 to 150 students). Redressing problems encountered during the first year using electronic discussions, I made changes such as establishing grading criteria for evaluating each student contribution…

A course for teaching an advanced undergraduate course on the psychology of adult development and aging is described and evaluated. Course goals, content, and format are discussed. Students generally viewed the course favorably. (RM)

Discusses how changes in teaching conditions, student characteristics, and career needs affect undergraduate psychology programs. The author suggests that the objectives of undergraduate psychology programs can combine a liberal arts orientation with practicality by training students in methods of inquiry and increasing their competence in problem…

Describes problems undergraduate psychology faculty members encounter as they are forced to adapt to the increasingly diverse needs of their students. Faculty members must learn to be flexible and open to the idea of personal growth and professional development. (AM)

Reviews major areas of interest in the future of undergraduate psychology education. Educators will be concerned with the increasingly diverse student needs, the value of a liberal arts education, and the need for personal and professional growth. The debate over educational objectives and program course content will continue. (AM)

Presents the results of two studies that evaluated the academic skill exposure of individual students who completed the psychology major. Uses a skills-experience inventory: (1) a skills-experience comparison of seniors and freshmen psychology majors; and (2) a skills-experience comparison among academic areas. (CMK)

Presents a study that reviewed introductory psychology textbooks to examine the perception of extensive similarity. Focuses on six dimensions: (1) chapter topics, organization, and extent of topic coverage; (2) core concepts and key terms; (3) pedagogical aids and data graphs; (4) critical-thinking programs; (5) reference citations; and (6) level…

Discusses the guidelines for two class projects used in an undergraduate cognitive psychology class: (1) Museum of the Mind, where students created interactive museum-like displays; and (2) the Cognition Book, an edited book about cognition. Finds that students enjoyed the former activity but learned more from the latter. (CMK)

Examines the use of computerized quizzes in a life span human development class that included 29 sophomores and juniors. States that students who use the quizzes as a way to learn the materials, as opposed to using the strategy of prepare-gather feedback-restudy, would not be as successful. (CMK)

Discusses the use of focused interactive learning (FIL), in which students participate in focused discussions with their peers to learn about psychological concepts. Evaluates the use of FIL at Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, Florida). Addresses student benefits resulting from this technique. (CMK)

Considers the treatment of family causation of schizophrenia in undergraduate abnormal psychology textbooks. Reviews texts published only after 1986. Points out a number of implications for psychologists which arise from the inclusion in these texts of the idea that parents cause schizophrenia, not the least of which is the potential for…

Surveys psychology majors who graduated between 1967 and 1986 to investigate gender and cohort differences in current perceptions of undergraduate course usefulness, postbaccalaureate education, and occupational achievements. Results provide evidence for the male flight from, and the resulting feminization of, the undergraduate psychology major.…

Describes a classroom procedure that induces cognitive dissonance in students by pointing out inconsistencies between their behavior and attitudes. Argues that this technique makes teaching about cognitive dissonance easier. Reports that students positively evaluated the effectiveness of the activity. (CFR)

Describes a matrix that depicts the relationships between desired perspectives, skills, knowledge, and attitudes and an undergraduate psychology curriculum. Expounds that the curriculum matrix is a useful tool for representing the coverage of specific material in the individual courses offered within the overall curriculum. Provides a blank…

Reviews the course, Psychology of Ethnic Groups in the United States (University of San Francisco). Explains that the goals of the course are to educate, sensitize, and stimulate critical thinking about the role of culture and ethnicity in human social behavior. Addresses course content and issues, the class project, and student evaluation of the…