In 2011, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology commissioned a presidential task force to document teaching criteria for model psychology teachers in undergraduate education. The resulting list of criteria reflects activities related to face-to-face course interaction and online teaching, training, and education; course design; implementation…

Most psychology curricula require the completion of coursework on the physiological bases of behavior. However, delivery of this critical content in a laboratory format is somewhat rare at the undergraduate level. To fill this gap, this article describes the design and implementation of an undergraduate laboratory course in psychophysiology at a…

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)…

Minimal research to date has evaluated the impact of Survey-Question-Read-Recite-Review (SQ3R) implementation (i.e., surveying prior to reading, generating questions, reading to answer said questions, reciting, and reviewing information) on content retention and student performance. Existing research is anecdotal or lacks ecological validity. The…

The perceived relation between assigned student grades and instructor evaluations of teaching has been the subject of much debate, though few laboratory studies have been conducted with adequate controls. Marsh and Roche suggested that experimental field studies may be a particularly promising avenue for further analyses of this relation. The…

This study addressed how trait levels of classroom shyness can influence conformity when students answer opinion questions in different ways. "We recruited 128 introductory psychology students to indicate their opinion on 50 controversial questions by raising their hand or anonymously pressing a button on a keypad ("clicker")". Compared to…

Teaching experts suggest that establishing clear expectations and a supportive environment at the beginning of a college course has a lasting impact on student attitudes. However, minimal empirical evidence exists to support these suggestions. Consequently, we randomly assigned instructors to either begin their course with a reciprocal interview…

Developing students who can apply their knowledge of empirical research is a key outcome of the undergraduate psychology major. This learning outcome was assessed in two research methods courses by having students read and analyze a condensed empirical journal article. At the start and end of the semester, students in multiple sections of an…

In this study, I examined the effectiveness of a group exam review activity on students' long-term retention of concepts and satisfaction. As part of a formative summative assessment activity (FSA; Wininger, 2005), students worked either individually or collaboratively on an exam review activity in the class periods following the 2 unit exams.…

Researchers rarely mention statistical power in "Teaching of Psychology" teaching activity studies. Insufficiently powered tests promote uncertainty in the decision to accept or reject the tested null hypothesis and influence the interpretation of results. We analyzed the a priori power of statistical tests from 197 teaching activity effectiveness…

Students in an introductory psychology course took a quiz a week over each textbook chapter, followed by a cumulative final exam. Students missing a quiz in class could make up a quiz at any time during the semester, and answers to quiz items were available to students prior to the cumulative final exam. The cumulative final exam consisted of half…

British psychologists, who have taught in both the United States and Great Britain, compare the teaching of psychology in British and U.S. universities. Discussing similarities and differences in course structure, curriculum, teaching methods, and evaluation procedures, they suggest ways in which each system could benefit from some of the other's…

Reports on a classroom project in which college-level psychology students developed a institutionwide course ratings questionnaire. Describes the data gathering, item development, and pilot testing phases of the project. Concludes that the students learned about tests and measurements by doing the project and that the institution benefited from…

Describes an in-class exercise designed to teach basic principles of survey methodology and to educate students about the pervasiveness and problems associated with shyness in college students. Students complete a brief survey on shyness and the instructor summarizes the results for the class as part of a lecture on survey methodology. (MJP)

Defines and discusses a definition of critical thinking. Maintains that college students improve their learning effectiveness when they are engaged actively and invested personally. Describes student evaluation techniques used to enhance thinking skills. (CFR)