Desired outcomes of an undergraduate education in psychology from departmental, student, and societal perspectives.

Abstract

What are the desired outcomes of an undergraduate education in psychology? It is vital to identify the desired outcomes that benefit departments, students, and society, because the pursuit of these goals helps psychology educators achieve the best possible learning experience for their students. When psychology educators meet their instructional and educational goals in a high school, community college, college or university setting, knowledge of psychology and human behavior adds richness to the fabric of society. Psychology educators invest daily in the development of intellectual capital and professional abilities of their students while simultaneously fostering personal development through enrichment and growth. Their current knowledge of human behavior places them in a formidable position to harness psychology to anticipate and resolve problems for the greater good of all. Psy-145

Measuring What Students Know: SNAP’s Guidelines and Suggestions for Assessing Goal 1 Content in Psychology

“…The psychology assessment evaluation rubric focused primarily on content, but we also wanted an instrument that would align to other outcomes in the Guidelines 2.0 (Bernstein et al, 2010; Fulks, 2004; Landrum et al, 2010; Richmond et al, 2016). The working group wanted the rubric to reflect universal designs for learning (CAST, 2018); in that, it had to allow for the evaluation of various types of student engagement, mode of response, and student abilities.…”

2017 Teaching Excellence Award Winners

“…She coauthored a text (Carducci & Van Kirk, 2011), The Psychology Major Career Preparation Workbook: Planning Your Career Success , which highlights the soft skill sets acquired from being psychology majors. She was an attendee at the University of Puget Sound for the National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology working with others on making clear the desired outcomes of an undergraduate education in psychology (Landrum et al, 2010).…”

Cultural Diversity in Introductory Psychology Textbook Selection: The Case for Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCUs)

“…Introductory psychology is the second most popular course in many college curricula serving as both the foundation for the major and a prerequisite for a liberal arts undergraduate education (Gurung et al, 2016). In addition, Landrum et al (2010) wrote, Psychology educators need to ensure that students are acquiring sensitivity for and appreciation of sociocultural and international diversity for interpersonal success and possess the ability to function effectively in a global society. Psychology students need to know that, regardless of the boundaries between countries and cultures, exposure to different perspectives helps individuals to understand multiple approaches to investigating and explaining behavior, sometimes depending on cultural context.…”

“…The relevance of culture is particularly important for universities with populations that are predominantly students of color. As pointed out by Landrum et al (2010), the cultural context may help individuals understand multiple approaches to investigating and explaining human behavior. We believe this to be true for teachers of psychology as well as their students.…”