Recent research suggests that designing a syllabus using learner-centered principles may increase students' perceptions of their instructor on the characteristics of rapport, caring, helpfulness, willingness to seek help from the instructor, and student motivation. Typically, a learner-centered syllabus is one that presents a positive tone at the…

We propose that a brief take-home syllabus quiz can be a catalyst for students to read and refer to their syllabus as a source of essential information about the class. In this article, we detail the development of such a quiz and provide evidence that students who complete a syllabus quiz have a better understanding of course policies than…

A course option in abnormal psychology involves students in interviewing and observing the activities of individuals in the off-campus community who are concerned with some aspect of abnormal psychology. The technique generates student interest in the field when they interview people about topics such as drug abuse, transsexualism, and abuse of…

A college level psychology course is described in which students were trained by both traditional and experimental methods to administer individual intelligence tests. Comparative analysis of performance by each group indicates that student motivation and performance is not greatly influenced by teaching method and that videotape demonstrations…

Described is a course in which college senior psychology majors provide counseling for freshmen majors. The course was positively evaluated by freshmen for encouraging motivation and involvement and by seniors for allowing them to serve as paraprofessional psychologists. (Author/DB)

Described is an introductory social psychology course which incorporates motivation arousing elements. Findings indicate that the motivation oriented course was perceived by students as equal or superior to large introductory information oriented courses. (Author/DB)

An issue-oriented approach to the teaching of personality involved students from one class in formal debates with students from another class. Evaluation of student attitudes and achievement in the course showed that high motivation and sharpened critical thinking resulted from the course design. (Author/AV)

How the topic of intrinsic motivation can be used as the theoretical framework to guide an undergraduate educational psychology course within the teacher education curriculum is described. Three motivation exercises, developed using the concepts of R. deCharms, are included. A preliminary assessment of the technique showed favorable results. (RM)