Background: Faculty tout the value of undergraduate internships and research experience, but the long-term benefits are unclear for students pursuing different careers. Objective: We assessed the self-perceived benefits of internships and research experiences for alumni pursuing different careers, as well as how enduring these perceived benefits…

This article discusses how assessment tools can be used to improve student learning in undergraduate bachelors (BA/BS) in psychology programs. The article first reviews particular advantages associated with using curricular and cocurricular maps for performing systematic program assessment. After identifying various assessment tools created by the…

Background: Although undergraduate psychology curriculum should cultivate performance-based skills to prepare students for helping professions, little work to date has addressed this standard. Objective: This research replicates the methods used in a previous study by examining pre-post changes in empathic communication skills and perceived…

Despite the popularity of the psychology major, complaints regularly arise about the value of majoring in psychology. This article reviews the workforce advantages that accrue to successful psychology students and encourages new strategies for emphasizing the professional development goal in the American Psychological Association's…

The purpose of this study was to describe the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) undergraduate psychology students were able to articulate while engaging in a career preparation seminar with an embedded service-learning internship. Results from the students' reflective journals indicated students were able to describe a wide range of…

Urges community psychologists to act as behavioral ecological matchmakers--a role entailing identifying individuals or groups desiring behavioral change and linking the target participants with networks of settings analyzed previously as facilitating the specified changes. (Author/DB)

Two experienced intern supervisors discuss aspects of the management of undergraduate psychology intern programs. Included are concerns about credit and grades, selection procedures, faculty supervisors, and liability and malpractice insurance problems. (Author/AV)

Discusses the value of training clinical psychologists in consultation-liaison roles for hospital patients in nonpsychiatric wards. Training would involve communication with hospital staff, the medical chart, case presentation, approach to the patient, differential diagnosis, and psychotropic medication. (KC)

A field work, internship, or practicum course, by virtue of its emphasis on practical decisions and interventions, is perhaps more directly concerned with values and ethical issues than any other course in the undergraduate psychology curriculum. Methods and resources for facilitating discussion of ethical issues are discussed. (RM)

A method for evaluating undergraduate field experiences in psychology that takes into account attainment of individual goals and quality of supervision is evaluated. Results showed that the most satisfactory field placements are those in which there is a well-organized, explicitly structured training program. (RM)

Presents a program that combines a summer psychology internship with study abroad experiences. Discusses the development of the course, including its history and funding, and the selection of student participants. Describes the orientations, the internship activities, the social activities, and the Enrichment Seminar, which is required for Honors…

Discusses a developmental model for supervising internships for undergraduate students in psychology programs. Provides some context on the nature of both the undergraduate students being supervised and the supervision itself. Evaluates the effectiveness of this model of supervision stating that the interns are generally satisfied with the…

Professors describe their experiences with the undergraduate psychology practicum course that has been in operation for over 10 years at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Specifically discussed are planning and implementation, special problems of industrial placements, administrative issues, and the perspective of a placement agency…

Describes a college-level course in psychology in which students study community issues and problems. Outlines how students work in community program internships and participate in individual and group research projects. Includes course objectives, recommended instructional resources, and evaluation strategies. (CFR)