"Golden oldies" in a laboratory course in the experimental analysis of behavior

A common problem in teaching undergraduate courses in the experimental analysis of behavior (EAB) is that the contemporary research literature is largely not comprehensible to most undergraduates. A suggested solution is the use of research articles from the early days of EAB. These are not only easy to understand but provide additional educational benefits. A reading list and an organizational structure for an undergraduate laboratory course in EAB are suggested.     

A computer-driven undergraduate laboratory curriculum and related support logistics

A psychology department in a teaching university solved problems in the existing undergraduate laboratory courses by setting up a computer laboratory and developing its own software. The logistical support that allowed a small department to offer many laboratory experiences came in part from an undergraduate apprenticeship program, which is described.     

Student MEL software support for instructors and teaching assistants in research methods course

A number of common problems plague the teaching of the undergraduate research methods course, from the training of teaching assistants to providing meaningful experimental materials to handling data acquisition and analysis. The Student Micro Experimental Laboratory (MEL) offers a systematic approach to the management of a computerized research methods laboratory course by combining high-quality experiments in many areas of psychology with background materials to help the instructor and teaching assistant. The software presents and collects data from 28 experiments. The data can be analyzed for single subjects and for classes as a whole. Students can rapidly implement new experiments in a variety of paradigms. An expanding library of experiments created by students and instructors should provide an expanding environment for teaching experimental research methods. Instructor’s materials provide background information, discussion questions, and data analysis for all experiments. The student workbook provides discussion of the background of the experiment, details of the methodology, and questions addressing various aspects of experimental design and interpretation of data.     

Using on-line and CD-ROM database archives as an adjunct to teaching survey research methods

Many undergraduate courses in research methods include a section on surveys. A number of practical issues can interfere with the design and implementation of student survey research and often preclude the completion of well-designed survey studies. This paper examines the use of on-line and CD-ROM databases as an alternative to student-designed survey instruments. Problems faced by student survey researchers can often be addressed by the use of such databases, rather than by “live” surveys. Data from experimental research collected on line are also available and downloadable for analysis, providing even greater flexibility for analysis. Advantages and problems of using archival databases in the teaching of survey research are considered. A brief list of databases that may be suitable for student research is provided, and a list of URLs, including where and how to obtain archives, is given.     

MODELR—Model building and model modification for instruction

An integrated set of three computer programs that enable the implementation and student investigation of computer models of behavioral phenomena is described. These models are intended as tools for aiding in the instruction of undergraduate social science courses in research methods. Each program provides for natural language interaction with one of three classes of users: A “Modeler,” who implements a model of some behavioral phenomenon; an “Instructor,” who tailors his own or others’ models for his course of instruction; and a “Student Experimenter,” who applies an experimental design to the model and receives synthetic data in return. None of these users need have any prior computer expertise nor do they depend on external documentation on how to use the programs.     

Using behavioral skills training with preservice teachers in the university classroom

Preservice and novice teachers often identify behavior management as an area of weakness that they attribute to a lack of sufficient instruction during their teacher preparation. Behavioral skills training (BST) is an evidence‐based teaching methodology based on the principles of applied behavior analysis used to teach new skills. This study investigated the use of BST in the university setting to teach undergraduate preservice teachers enrolled in a field‐based special education course to implement a token economy during small group instruction with children. A single‐case research design was used to assess the effectiveness of using BST by evaluating accuracy of implementation before and after BST. Results showed BST was an effective teaching procedure and social validity measures collected from the preservice teachers indicated BST was acceptable to all participants. Limitations and needs for future research are discussed.     

Research Methods Tutor: Evaluation of a dialogue-based tutoring system in the classroom

Research Methods Tutor (RMT) is a dialogue-based intelligent tutoring system for use in conjunction with undergraduate psychology research methods courses. RMT includes five topics that correspond to the curriculum of introductory research methods courses: ethics, variables, reliability, validity, and experimental design. We evaluated the effectiveness of the RMT system in the classroom using a nonequivalent control group design. Students in three classes (n = 83) used RMT, and students in two classes (n = 53) did not use RMT. Results indicated that the use of RMT yielded strong learning gains of 0.75 standard deviations above classroom instruction alone. Further, the dialogue-based tutoring condition of the system resulted in higher gains than did the textbook-style condition (CAI version) of the system. Future directions for RMT include the addition of new topics and tutoring elements.     

The effects of mindfulness-based interventions for health and social care undergraduate students – a systematic review of the literature

Health and social care undergraduate students experience stress due to high workloads and pressure to perform. Consequences include depression and burnout. Mindfulness may be a suitable way to reduce stress in health and social care degree courses. The objective of this systematic review is to identify and critically appraise the literature on the effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for health and social care undergraduate students. PubMed, EMBASE, Psych Info, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library and Academic Search Complete were searched from inception to 21st November 2016. Studies that delivered Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, or an intervention modelled closely on these, to health or social care undergraduate students were included. Eleven studies, representing medicine, nursing and psychology students met the inclusion criteria. The most commonly used measurement tools were; the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire. Short term benefits relating to stress and mood were reported, despite all but one study condensing the curriculum. Gender and personality emerged as factors likely to affect intervention results. Further research with long-term follow-up is required to definitively conclude that mindfulness is an appropriate intervention to mentally prepare health and social care undergraduate students for their future careers.     

Effects of cooperative learning strategy on undergraduate kinesiology students' learning styles

A growing body of research supports cooperative learning as an effective teaching strategy. A specific cooperative learning strategy, Team-based Learning, was applied to a convenience sample of four undergraduate sophomore-level motor behavior courses over four semesters from Fall 2002 to Spring 2004 to examine whether this strategy would affect students' learning styles. The data from the Grasha-Reichmann Student Learning Style Scales indicated that this teaching strategy was associated with a significant decrease in the negative Avoidant and Dependent learning styles and an improvement in the positive Participant learning style.     

What is happening in psychology of learning courses?

Current practices in the undergraduate Psychology of Learning course were assessed through a survey in which a questionnaire probing the teaching of the course was sent to 238 4-year colleges and universities in the United States. Fifty-four percent of the questionnaires were returned. Learning courses were taught at all but 10 of the schools that responded. The course typically is one of several that can be selected to fulfill requirements for the major in psychology. The course orientation and content varied widely from cognitive to eclectic to behavioral, and laboratory requirements existed in less than half of the courses. The effects of these practices on behavior analysis are considered and several suggestions are made for teaching behavior analysis in the Learning course and elsewhere to undergraduates.     

Undergraduate Education in Political Psychology

This article describes ways in which political psychology can be incorporated into undergraduate course curricula. The challenges of teaching political psychology to undergraduate students are discussed, and possibilities for the content and structure of undergraduate courses in political psychology are examined in the context of active learning. Suggestions for the development of an undergraduate major in political psychology are offered.     

Online Primary Sources in Religious Studies: Active Learning Exercises for Information Literacy Instruction

Online primary sources are a valuable resource for undergraduate students in religious studies courses. They provide firsthand, factual information about the beliefs and practices of religious traditions, movements, cults, and so on. In addition, they are readily and freely accessible online. Given their value as an information resource, undergraduate students need to be able to identify primary sources and understand how to use them in academic research. The purpose of this article is to describe activities for information literacy instruction that focus on primary sources in religious studies. These activities are intended as a resource for academic librarians who are teaching—or who plan to teach—undergraduate students how to identify and use primary sources.     

Computer-based methodology laboratories: 1. An undergraduate course in experimental psychology

At West Virginia University, microcomputers are used in the laboratory sections of a conventional undergraduate course on research methods in psychology. IBM-compatible computers and QuickBasic programs are used to duplicate the functions of equipment that is less reliable and, taken collectively, more expensive—equipment such as stimulus projectors, pursuit rotors, timers, and mirror tracing stands. The computer systems increase the speed and efficiency of data collection, reduce errors of procedure and measurement, and implement numerous steps to standardize procedures and limit extraneous influences. As a consequence, uncontrolled variability is minimized, and the opportunity for meaningful research outcomes is maximized. The laboratory can be expanded with software alone, without the expense of additional hardware.     

Access to psychoanalytic ideas in American undergraduate institutions

To determine the prevalence of teaching about psychoanalytic ideas in the undergraduate curricula of 150 highly ranked colleges and universities, a software-based search was conducted to find references to psychoanalytic content in published course catalogues. Results showed that psychoanalytic ideas were represented somewhere in the curricula of most (though not all) of these schools, and that overall there were many times more courses featuring psychoanalytic ideas outside psychology departments than within them. The data also suggest that there are regional differences in the likelihood an undergraduate will encounter psychoanalytic ideas at these schools. Though psychoanalytic ideas are available in some form in most of these schools' psychology departments, the average number of courses per school is small. At the same time, psychoanalytic ideas have found applications in many areas of the humanities and social sciences. The nature of the presentation of psychoanalytic ideas in these areas, however, may often be unfamiliar to clinically oriented analysts, as seen in examples of the courses that were found. Challenges and opportunities of the current academic climate vis-à-vis organized psychoanalysis are described and various suggestions made regarding how analysts can engage the academic world to its benefit.     

Principles for Effective Asynchronous Online Instruction in Religious Studies

Asynchronous online instruction has become increasingly popular in the field of religious studies. However, despite voluminous research on online learning in general and numerous articles on online theological instruction, there has been little discussion of how to effectively design and deliver online undergraduate courses in religious studies. Drawing on recent research, experiences teaching and learning online, and interviews with colleagues, this paper discusses key principles of effective online instruction. It recommends instructors focus on humanizing their course website, “chunking” their course content, making their approach to the study of religion clear, structuring and monitoring online discussions, prioritizing prompt and constructive feedback, and making course material relevant to learners.     

Kierkegaard,Despair and the Possibility of Education: Teaching Existentialism Existentially

Written collaboratively by two undergraduate students and one professor, this article explores what it would mean to teach existentialism “existentially.” We conducted a survey of how Existentialism is currently taught in universities across North America, concluding that, while existentialism courses tend to resemble other undergraduate philosophy courses, existentialist texts challenge us to rethink conventional teaching practices. Looking to thinkers like Kierkegaard, Beauvoir and Arendt for insights into the nature of pedagogy, as well as recent work by Gert Biesta, we lay out the four qualities that we propose characterize “existentialist” teaching practices: an emphasis on teaching over learning and on the “how” over the what; the cultivation of newness as well as capacities for resistance. Reflecting on the significance of existentialism for classroom dynamics, we conclude by examining the tensions between existentialist commitments to freedom and prevailing trends in higher education. This essay raises questions about the emancipatory potential of existentialist philosophies, especially in the context of undergraduate classrooms.     

Can virtue be learned? An exploration of student learning experiences in ethics courses and their implications for influencing moral character

What does it mean to teach virtue, or to learn it? We consider this question through an institutional review board (IRB) supported research study attending to student learning experiences in undergraduate ethics courses at a Catholic university with an explicit commitment to social justice. This essay draws on and interprets qualitative data concerning the outcomes of select pedagogical approaches that involve exposing students to the experiences of others: the use of narratives; participation in structured experiential learning activities; and community engagement through deep listening and facilitated dialogue. We focus our interpretation around the implications of these pedagogies in relation to student understanding of and attitudes regarding three character traits identified as “other‐regarding” virtues in theological and philosophical scholarship – altruism, compassion, and solidarity. This paper considers the implications of these pedagogies and the practical effects of different sorts of teaching strategies on students' self‐understanding as moral agents.     

VIZ: the visualization assessment and training web site.

The VIZ Website (http://viz.bd.psu.edu/viz/) was developed as a free and open portal for assessment and training of spatial skills. Using Macromedia Authorware, it allows the collection of response times and accuracies from four spatial tasks: mental rotation, paper folding, water level judgments, and spatial working memory. Additional tasks are under development. The site has been used for a variety of teaching and research purposes. For example, incoming engineering students have completed the tasks to assess their spatial skills before beginning their graphics courses. Those with poorer skills can then receive the appropriate remedial instruction. The VIZ site has also been used to teach about spatial cognition and to do research outside the laboratory setting. Finally, we are using the site to conduct basic research on spatial cognition, including an examination of the factors that may reduce gender differences in performance.     

A psychological model that integrates ethics in engineering education

Ethics has become an increasingly important issue within engineering as the profession has become progressively more complex. The need to integrate ethics into an engineering curriculum is well documented, as education does not often sufficiently prepare engineers for the ethical conflicts they experience. Recent research indicates that there is great diversity in the way institutions approach the problem of teaching ethics to undergraduate engineering students; some schools require students to take general ethics courses from philosophical or religious perspectives, while others integrate ethics in existing engineering courses. The purpose of this paper is to propose a method to implement the integration of ethics in engineering education that is pedagogically based on Kohlberg’s stage theory of moral development.