Introduction: Instructors assign grades to communicate to students how well they are learning the course content. However, students and instructors are often displeased with the process and outcome of grading. Statement of the Problem: We contend that conventional grading inadvertently detracts from student learning and simultaneously replicates…

Background: With in-person instruction, many undergraduates look at screens during lectures. Because screens can distract, attempts to curb this behavior through screen policies are increasingly common but understudied. Objective and Method: Two quasi-experimental studies (Study 1: N = 412; Study 2: N = 179) in the same Psychology class explore…

Background: Textbooks shape the content and structure of most introductory psychology courses. It is important to compare the content of textbooks to assist educators in making the best textbook choice. Objective: The purpose of this study was to conduct an analysis of five commonly used introductory psychology textbooks and examine the extent of…

Background: Student evaluations of teaching (SETs) are used to assess faculty performance, but prior research has identified sources of bias in the completion and interpretation of SETs. Objective: We investigated how SET ratings and comments about quizzes are interpreted by faculty and undergraduates. Method: Participants made judgments about…

Although many psychology departments and instructors are aware of the "American Psychological Association Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major Version 2.0," they are often less aware of the means by which to assess student mastery of the recommended goals. Our purpose is to discuss general principles for assessment, offer a…

Background: Prior research suggests that the teaching of abstract concepts can be enhanced by the use of concrete examples, but there are few controlled studies. Objective: To replicate key findings from experiment one from Rawson et al. (2015). Method: Experiment participants studied definitions of abstract concepts from psychology, either with…

Introduction: Assessing teaching effectiveness is relevant for improving one's teaching and for moving through the tenure process; however, the validity of assessment methods, such as Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET), have been heavily criticized. Statement of the Problem: Using a one-group pretest-posttest design and assessing learning over…

Goal 2 of the "APA Goals for Undergraduate Major in Psychology," Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking, addresses the development of scientific reasoning and problem-solving, including effective research methods, in undergraduate psychology students. These skills serve as the foundation of not only introductory courses but also the…

Background: Professor-student rapport is associated with various important student success outcomes, highlighting the need for a good measure of this construct. Objective: The current study attempted to replicate the components of the Professor-Student Rapport Scale (PSRS) reported in Wilson and Ryan (2013). Method: 760 undergraduate students…

Goal 3 of the "APA Goals for Undergraduate Major in Psychology" specifies three dimensions of character development deemed central to the major. The purpose of this article is to review the current state of practice that addresses how we measure student learning in ethical reasoning, interpersonal relationship-building, and…

The challenge of teaching communication skills outlined in Goal 4 of the "APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major" is that it occurs in many contexts and the communicator must adapt the form to match both context and purpose. We created a taxonomy of dimensions and kinds of communication that represents the various contexts…

Background: Understanding students' naive conceptions about the norms that guide scientific best practice is important so that teachers can adapt to students' existing understandings. Objective: We examined what incoming undergraduate students of psychology believe about reproducibility and open science practices. Method: We conducted an online…

Introduction: Psychology instructors face decisions about adopting new approaches to lectures, readings, and assessment in their courses. Statement of the Problem: These choices about course structure can be both intimidating and confusing in terms of the costs and benefits for different options. Literature Review: As framed by anecdotal and…

Introduction: Class participation is a common component of many college classes and is typically defined as involving students' active, oral engagement in class. Statement of the Problem: Class participation is often an under-utilized pedagogical tool for skill-building and development. Literature Review: We present an evidence-based framework…

Background: Findings from the testing effect literature suggest several ways to achieve testing effects in an authentic classroom, but few consider instructor workload, equity, and resources that determine feasibility and sustainability of testing effect methods in practice. Objective: To determine elements and procedures from the testing effect…