Describes an exercise named CARDS that was used in two sections of an introduction to psychology course. After a concept was presented in lecture, students were asked to respond to a question written on an index card and discuss their answers in groups. Presents the results of the assessment of student learning. (CMK)

Describes a technique that uses short stories about individuals to reinforce students' knowledge of developmental theories. Indicates that these case study presentations may have improved the students' understanding of theories, as illustrated by higher quiz scores. Discusses the uses and benefits of the case study method. (CMK)

Provides a way to introduce students to the philosophical roots of psychology by surveying their assumptions on the nature of mind, emotions, and behavior. Describes and gives examples of a 50-item Likert-scale questionnaire concerning positions of the philosophers, biologists, and psychologists discussed in the class. (MJP)

Promotes the use of presentation software in psychology courses to teach students technological skills that prepare them for the future. Explains that many graduates in psychology are employed in other fields after graduation. Discusses the use of presentation software with a focus on poster preparation using Microsoft PowerPoint software. (CMK)

Investigates the benefits of using a single personal computer and a projection system to teach undergraduate statistics. Identifies the required hardware and software, as well as the educational objectives and methods. Maintains that this method allows for immediate assessment and feedback. (MJP)

Describes the use of the writing-across-the-curriculum approach in a college psychology course. Reports on a study of the effect of summary writing exercises on 16 students. Finds that participating student scores on the final examination were eight percent higher than nonparticipating students. (CFR)

Describes techniques for clarifying goals, improving organization, and evaluating students in research courses that are typically unstructured. Includes methods for assisting students in designing experiments, creating evaluation tools, and monitoring student progress throughout the course. These simple methods are appropriate for courses with an…

Outlines and discusses four unique and major challenges facing the undergraduate statistics instructor. These are motivating students to study material they think is uninteresting, handling mathematics anxiety, dealing with performance extremes, and making the learning memorable. Offers solutions for each challenge. (MJP)

Presents an integrated model for teaching students to write psychology literature reviews. Outlines a series of five writing tasks incorporating meta-analytical techniques. Describes a series of writing problems and provides solutions. Argues that such instruction, presented early in undergraduates' training, prepares them to write formal papers…

Outlines a laboratory group program for engaging large numbers of undergraduate psychology students in faculty research at small liberal arts colleges with limited research resources. Participating in the group enhances the students' interest in and understanding of research and improves their chances of being accepted into a graduate program.…

Reports on a study that contrasted learning outcomes of students in a class that incorporated computer assisted instruction (CAI) exercises with those of a lecture-only class. Students in the lecture-plus CAI class scored higher than those in the lecture-only class, specifically regarding material covered in the class. (MJP)

Provides an overview of the recent research concerning the application, benefits, and deficiencies regarding critical-reading skills and college instruction. Discusses how reading skills support cognitive processes necessary for acquiring psychological knowledge. Delineates the differences between narrative (story-like, believable) reading and…

Reports on the impact of extra-credit assignments on the academic performance of marginal college-level students. Finds that those who attempted the assignments improved their test performance, were less likely to drop out of the class than a control group, and evaluated the experience positively. (CFR)

Maintains that time constraints and lack of supervisory support often result in truncated and derivative research projects in experimental psychology. Focusing on a research proposal can provide insight into the research process and require relevant data collection while avoiding the pitfalls of longer projects. (MJP)

Discusses a class project where students use content analysis techniques to examine societal trends of stereotyping in the media. Outlines the steps involved in this research methodology and indicates criteria that instructors could use for evaluation. Includes a table identifying tasks and research skills associated with each stage of the…