Describes the Course Expectations Survey, used to discern the student's interests and expectations in a course on adult development and aging. Student attributes, the instructor's orientation and area of specialization, and college and departmental characteristics influenced student expectations. (CS)

Tara L. Kuther, the author of this article, is an associate professor of psychology at Western Connecticut State University, where she teaches courses in child, adolescent, and adult development. She is chair of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology's Instructional Resource Awards Task Force and the author of "The Psychology Major's…

Argues that including study of family relationships in adult development and aging courses is desirable because family members are key sources of support throughout adulthood. Includes suggestions for course activities, and instructor and student resources related to family gerontology. (DSK)

Outlines two projects that highlight the multidimensionality of aging processes for adult development and aging courses: (1) students design an age-appropriate retirement community using buildings on the local college campus; and (2) students present products they design to remedy specific age-related problems. (DSK)

Describes an interactive method for teaching a course in the psychology of aging based on a multidisciplinary approach. Argues that it allows incorporation of a wide range of age-related topics, and provides students with practical applications. Allows students to identify and challenge perceptions of age and understand aging from multiple…

Presents an interview with Susan Krauss Whitbourne in which she discusses issues such as the challenge in teaching a course on the psychology of aging; types of assignments and active learning she uses in her course; resources she recommends; and how her research influences the adult development courses she has taught. (CMK)

A course for teaching an advanced undergraduate course on the psychology of adult development and aging is described and evaluated. Course goals, content, and format are discussed. Students generally viewed the course favorably. (RM)

Examines a class project for the study of development across the life span that requires students to interview individuals from different phases of the life cycle and write a paper discussing their subjects' lives in terms of major developmental psychology concepts. Describes student preparation and project evaluation, discussing some potential…

Describes a freshman liberal arts honors course on adult development and aging. Contains suggestions for selecting and using readings, films, music, and television shows. Provides examples of how to make connections between these materials and the scientific literature. (DSK)

Describes two exercises that convey the ways in which social biases influence adult development and aging: (1) involves sorting pictures of people by age illustrating the diversity of opinions about how to divide the life span; and (2) demonstrates how physical and social factors shape individual well-being in old age. (DSK)

Describes an exercise where students examine their perceptions of normative developmental patterns in life domains across an adult life span. Explains that the activity aims at eliminating the myth of a single prime of life. Discusses the post-exercise discussion and student evaluations of the exercise. (CMK)

Describes an undergraduate course project where students helped mentally alert senior citizens write their life stories. By assisting senior citizens to organize memories and interpret life decisions, the students experienced stages they had not yet lived through. Students evaluated the course project as a positive learning and personal growth…

Assesses students' concepts of aging at the beginning, middle, and end of a psychology of aging course. Results show students' knowledge reflected stereotypes in the beginning, but during the course, new concepts appeared. Claims instructors can benefit from using this technique to plan and assess success of course goals. (Author/NL)