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…

Group projects are often used in psychology courses to prepare students for future collaborative work. However, psychology alumni report that their education did not adequately prepare them for collaborative work. To better understand these perceptions, this study examined how instructor contributions (involvement and evaluation techniques)…

To help students overcome difficulties completing research projects (including limited feedback, lack of deadlines, press of more immediate activities, etc.), the article suggests a behavioral research supervisory system. The goal of the system is to ensure that undergraduate students steadily perform all activities needed for completing research…

Suggests ways in which universities can improve the quality of the educational experience, including keeping the size of classes small, encouraging better teacher/student ratios, supporting team teaching, and attracting and retaining better students. (Author/DB)

Reveals strengths and weaknesses encountered by a psychology teacher involved in the overseas graduate counseling program for Ball State University. Problems included lack of proper teaching and counseling facilities, long teaching hours, and civilian teachers' ignorance of military protocol. Advantages included helping military personnel obtain a…

Demonstrates two projects used to create a connected classroom. Acting as a facilitator rather than an authority, the instructor encourages students to use their own experiences and ideas. Data show these strategies lead to more student involvement and higher course ratings. (Author/NL)

Describes the experience of teaching psychology at Tartu University and Tallinn Pedagogical University in Estonia. Discusses the lessons learned by teaching in Estonia and applies those lessons to teaching psychology in the United States, focusing on the benefits teachers reap when they become more aware of themselves and their audiences. (CMK)

Presents 2 lists of 10 rules each summarizing considerations for effective and ineffective teaching. Recommends lists of rules as manageable amounts of information that provide retrieval cues for the information on which the lists are based. Suggests that the generation of lists can be an educational exercise. (DK)

The achievement of educational goals requires the psychology teacher to display a special kind of courage. Challenges to that courage are discussed. These challenges are involved in lecturing, questioning, and discussion; in teaching historical perspectives and controversial issues; and in working with student and teacher values and attitudes. (RM)