Background: Incorporating professional development into undergraduate psychology coursework is an ongoing area of improvement for educators. Objective: We present a novel activity encouraging students to explore various professional skills and roles for which their psychology major prepares them through application to real-world issues. Method:…

Using a surplus of older laboratory instruments, 48 students in a learning and behavior course completed an assignment designed to provide an introduction to the history and use of some instruments in psychology. Students worked in pairs, were assigned one instrument, and created labels in which they identified several keys characteristics of an…

A capstone experience serves as a culminating exercise for students to assimilate the information learned in a course and to realize how to use the material and skills in different contexts. Both majors and nonmajors benefit from having the material in the introductory course consolidated in such a way, for later study in the field and to more…

Described is an attention-getting assignment in a college level developmental psychology course in which students were given a list of 24 library research questions on the first day of class to be completed and discussed on the third day. Student reaction to the assignment is discussed. (Author/DB)

Asserts the importance of empathy as a necessary condition for health service professionals. Describes classroom techniques and assignments that teach and assess empathic-listening skills. Includes students' ratings of 14 learning activities designed to enhance listening skills and empathy. (CFR)

Describes an exercise that helps graduate students understand countertransference, a concept involving a therapist's conscious and unconscious reactions to clients and reflects the therapist's values, biases, and past experiences. Explains that the students write a paper discussing their interpersonal reactions in an interview designed as a…

Investigates the efficiency of a novel addition to the routine of note taking, writing brief summaries of the lecture material during four-minute breaks within the lecture. A group of students wrote three sets of summaries during a 21-minute lecture and showed significant improvement in understanding over other groups. (MJP)

Discusses writing techniques and assessment methods used in an interdisciplinary writing course. Recommends freewriting, small-group writing assignments, and peer tutoring. Supports assessment by more than one faculty evaluator, peer feedback, and optional versus mandatory rewriting. (CFR)