Objectives:

1. To present a working picture of modern psychology, its corpus of knowledge and its methods. Emphasis is placed on a core curriculum of basic, broad courses rather than on many specialized ones.
2. To prepare students whether to secure employment immediately following MWSU or to continue on to pursue graduate studies. It should be emphasized that a psychology major at the undergraduate level does not make one a psychologist. Entry into professional psychology is limited to the masters level and , in the many cases, the doctoral level. What one does obtain at MWSU, however, it a liberal arts education first and foremost, with secondary special expertise in psychological science and methods.
3. To present the body of psychology to persons who have a genuine, but limited interest in the field. Much is to be gained from adding a minor in psychology to a major concentration in another field. We attempt to coordinate psychology courses with courses in other departments; we try to accommodate students from other departments; and we try to provide knowledge to students who have only a personal interest in psychological matters.

Goals:

Knowledge base.

The goal is to help students develop a conceptual framework embracing relevant facts and concepts rather than isolated bits of knowledge, a basis for lifelong learning and not static, encyclopedic knowledge of the current state of the field.

Thinking skills.

We want our students to develop skills in learning, critical thinking and reasoning. They should be able to refine and enhance their curiosity about human behavior and experience, becoming amiable skeptics about most of what they encounter. This includes the capacity to think critically about themselves and their differences from and similarities to others who differ from themselves in gender, race, ethnicity, culture or class.

Language skills.

We believe that the psychology major should be able to comprehend the discourse of the discipline and to write effectively in the language of the discipline.

Information-gathering and synthesis skills.

The undergraduate should be able to gather information from many sources to present a persuasive argument on many topics.

Research methods and statistical skills.

Through learning quantitative and qualitative methods of the discipline, students should become increasingly independent in posing questions and pursuing answers through several research strategies.

Interpersonal skills.

Interpersonal awareness, sensitivity and expanding self-knowledge should accompany the traditional cognitive outcomes of the study in the major.

History of psychology.

Through history, students may better appreciate the evolution of our methods, the discipline's theoretical conflicts, its sociopolitical issues and its place within the broader intellectual traditions of the sciences and humanities.

Ethics and values.

Through study in our discipline, students should learn the ethical principles of psychologists, use them to understand conflicts and to generate alternative responses, and be able to act on their judgements.

Teaching Strategies:

1. Quality undergraduate programs set clear and high standards for their students, promote their active learning, and give students systematic assessment and feedback on their progress.
2. Quality undergraduate programs recognize that students learn about psychology in multiple settings--classroom, laboratory, field experiences, co-curricular programs (e.g., psychology clubs and science fairs), and through formal and informal contacts with faculty, student, and peers.
3. Quality undergraduate programs are enriched by the diverse characteristics of their students, drawing on and responding to their differences in age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and socioeconomic status.
4. Quality undergraduate programs foster effective student advising which goes beyond providing information about institutional procedures and policies by motivating students.
   • to explore and develop their values, interests, abilities, career and life goals;
   • to become increasingly independent in their decision making;
   • to play an active role in shaping advising policies and procedures.
5. Quality undergraduate programs support effective student advising providing faculty.
   • unequivocal administrative support for the activity;
   • continuing education opportunities in innovative advising methods;
   • tangible rewards for those who are excellent advisors.
6. In quality education programs, the curriculum is based on clear and rigorous goals, including:
   • to synthesize the natural science and social science aspects of the discipline, requiring students to take courses in both knowledge bases;
   • to evaluate research methods (quantitative, qualitative, archival), research designs (experimental, correlational, archival), research designs (experimental, correlational, case study), statistics, and psychometric principles;
   • to appreciate the ethical practice of scientific inquiry;
   • to think scientifically, distinguishing observations from conclusions and distinguishing theories and findings based on evidence from those without such support;
   • to speak and to write effectively in the discourse of the discipline;
   • to respect the diversity of human behavior and experience and to appreciate the rich opportunities for science and social relationships that such differences provide;
   • to understand how the study of psychology enables individuals to contribute to making their community a better place.
7. In quality undergraduate programs, faculty determine the essential elements of a curriculum to achieve the goals they identify. A structure for the baccalaureate curriculum includes:
   • required introductory courses;
   • methodology courses;
   • advanced content courses;
   • integrating capstone experience.
8. In quality undergraduate programs, faculty determine the essential elements of a curriculum to achieve the goals they identify. Common elements of a curriculum include:
   • multiple opportunities for students to be active and collaborative learners;
   • research projects to learn the science of psychology;
   • fieldwork, practicums, and community service experiences to learn the applications of psychology;
   • learning across the curriculum about ethical issues and values;
   • multiple courses emphasizing the diversity of human behavior.
9. In quality undergraduate programs, faculty establish mechanisms to assess the curriculum. Essential elements of an assessment program include:
   • clearly stated and achievable outcomes for the curriculum and other program related experiences;
   • multiple measures of student's learning;
   • planned opportunities for systematic feedback to students on their progress;
   • specific plan to use the data from assessment to improve individual course instruction and the overall curriculum;
   • opportunities to communicate assessment results to the multiple constituencies of undergraduate psychology.
   Modified from those objectives outlined in the Hanover College Psychology Student Handbook.

   Extracted from the outcomes of the APA National Conference on Enhancing the Quality of Undergraduate Education Psychology at St. Mary's College of Maryland, June 18-23, 1991.

   Bell, James (1994). "Teaching Students to Think Critically." Paper presented at the first annual Institute on the Teaching of Psychology, American Psychological Society, Washington, D.C. Reprinted with permission of the author.