There have been few studies assessing students' use and perception of traditional teacher-centered syllabi versus learner-centered syllabi. Therefore, we compared students' perceptions of both teacher-centered and learner-centered syllabi using an experimental design. In the present study, 90 students were randomly assigned to either learner-or teacher-centered syllabi; they rated the faculty authors using well-validated measures of teaching behaviors. Student perceptions of faculty using a learner-centered syllabus were markedly more positive; they rated faculty as more creative, caring, happy, receptive, reliable, and enthusiastic as well as having more student engagement in their class than faculty using a teacher-centered syllabus. Implications for student engagement and learning are discussed.
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 of learning experiences; and the assessment process. Specifically, the model encompasses six broad areas, namely training, instructional methods, assessment process, syllabi, content, and student evaluations of teaching. As a developmental tool, the model can serve as a self-guided course for self-assessment of educational practices and can help identify areas of potential development. It can prompt reflection about teaching strengths and weaknesses. The model can also be useful as a guiding structure for tenure and promotion.
The Society for the Teaching of Psychology has produced a broad definition of teaching quality called Model Teaching Criteria, but the model has not yet been studied empirically. To fill this gap, college teachers (n ϭ 208) from across the United States self-reported their ability to document the practices represented in the criteria. Teachers, on average, reported meeting the model's 6 general criteria 77% of the time. Teachers reported meeting criteria related to syllabus construction most frequently (91%) and the instructional methods criteria least frequently (69%). The criteria shared positive correlations among themselves even when controlling for separate measures of teaching quality and personality. These results suggest that the Model Teaching Criteria have potential for use in psychology teachers' professional development.
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