Undergraduate curricula in psychology: Report of the Michigan conference supported by the National Science Foundation.

McKeachie, Wilbert J.; Milholland, John E.; Cole, Lawrence E.; Hunt, William; Leeper, Robert R.; Ray, Wilbert; Isaacson, Robert L.; McConnell, James V.; Walker, Edward T.

doi:10.1037/11176-000

Cited by 11 publications

(24 citation statements)

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“…Scholars of our profession have discussed best-practices recommendations for the undergraduate psychology major for some time. Buxton et al (1952), along with McKeachie and Milholland (1961), suggested that any psychology degree should begin with an introductory course and should contain a common core of content courses from the subdisciplines and courses that are applied in nature. Brewer et al (1993) maintained that the undergraduate degree in psychology is fundamentally a liberal arts degree with an emphasis on psychology as a scientific discipline.…”

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confidence: 99%

Characteristics of Successful Undergraduate Psychology Programs

Stoloff

Curtis

Rodgers

et al. 2012

Teaching of Psychology

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Scholarly writings provide guidance for delivery of an undergraduate program in psychology (e.g., APA, 2007;Halpern, 2010). Much of the emphasis in this literature has been on examination of the curriculum (e.g., McGovern, 1993;Stoloff et al., 2010), yet minimal research has been conducted to empirically link the overall undergraduate psychology major experience with outcomes. This article relates program characteristics (including curriculum, resources, and faculty engagement) to student success and satisfaction among students completing psychology major programs at 110 institutions in North America. It provides evidence that important factors that correlate with student success are an institutional focus on undergraduates, frequent experiential learning, and faculty engagement outside of the classroom. Students are more satisfied with programs in which they have more laboratory experiences and where they interact with faculty at student events. Adequate staffing of the psychology major program is important; beneficial activities may suffer when faculty are overwhelmed with too many students or competing obligations.Keywords undergraduate psychology curriculum, student satisfaction, experiential learning, faculty engagement Are the experiences that faculty provide to psychology majors leading to successful and satisfied students? If so, which experiences are the most valuable? Scholars of our profession have discussed best-practices recommendations for the undergraduate psychology major for some time. Buxton et al. (1952), along with McKeachie and Milholland (1961), suggested that any psychology degree should begin with an introductory course and should contain a common core of content courses from the subdisciplines and courses that are applied in nature. Brewer et al. (1993) maintained that the undergraduate degree in psychology is fundamentally a liberal arts degree with an emphasis on psychology as a scientific discipline. Courses should be sequenced to promote critical thinking and scientific understanding of the discipline and to sequentially move students from elementary to advanced topics. Brewer and colleagues specified that the curriculum should include an introductory course, a methodology course, and content courses, and it should conclude with an integrative capstone experience.Two recent documents offer additional support for psychology as a liberal arts degree that is grounded in the scientific foundations of the discipline, but they go further by suggesting that programs include active and experiential learning; develop co-curricular activities, such as advising, that enhance student learning; and have high expectations for student performance. The APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major (American Psychological Association [APA], 2007) provides general guidance for quality programs in undergraduate psychology. Unlike previous documents, the Guidelines are less focused on what students should do during the major and more focused on what students should achieve as a result of completi...

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of Successful Undergraduate Psychology Programs

Stoloff

Curtis

Rodgers

et al. 2012

Teaching of Psychology

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“…The importance attached to a course in the history and/or systems of psychology is evident in the recommendations of two reports (McKeachie & Milholland, 1961; Wolfle, 1952) that supported offering a course in the history of psychology as a necessary part of undergraduate preparation for graduate work in psychology. The authors of these reports recommended that a course in the history and/or systems of psychology be offered as an advanced integrative course as part of a psychology major, a view reiterated by Raphelson (1982); more recently, the course has been proposed as a cornerstone for the major (Milar, 1987).…”

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confidence: 99%

The course in the history of psychology: Present status and future concerns.

Fuchs¹,

Viney²

2002

History of Psychology

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The present study provides a turn-of-the-century status report on the teaching of the history of psychology in colleges and universities in the United States. The data indicate that the course is offered regularly in most departments of psychology and is frequently required of majors; these findings are consistent with earlier research. Most instructors teach the course largely out of personal interest and self-taught expertise with their primary teaching and research commitments to other areas of psychology. Few instructors engage in publication of research and scholarship in the history of psychology, although there are 2 journals in the field that provide an outlet for scholarship. The few positions that allow for primary commitment to teaching and research in the history of psychology is a possible cause of concern for the future of the course and for its place in the education of psychologists in the 21st century.

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“…One project in which he participated was a 115-page study of Undergraduate Curricula in Psychology (McKeachie et al, 1961), funded by the National Science Foundation, of which Ed was a coauthor. In this study, the group considered existing curricula, pressures on curriculum development, the beginning course, professional−vocational training, the experimental−statistical area, and the general nature of the major.…”

Section: The Life Of Edward L Walkermentioning

confidence: 99%

The Fate of the Generalist: Edward L. Walker (1914−1997) as a Case Study

Dewsbury

2012

Review of General Psychology

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Psychology has become a field for specialists. I explore the fate of a generalist who did not fit this image, Edward L. Walker. Walker was president of both a regional society and a division of the American Psychological Association, author of 11 books, counselor to many graduate students, and a mainstay in a top psychology department. He received a Career Research Award from the National Institute of Mental Health. He contributed to the study of learning and motivation, aesthetics, the science of psychiatry, social psychology, and more. Yet, on his death, there appeared no obituaries in the psychology national media. One reason may be the very breadth of his interests.

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Undergraduate curricula in psychology: Report of the Michigan conference supported by the National Science Foundation.

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

Characteristics of Successful Undergraduate Psychology Programs

Characteristics of Successful Undergraduate Psychology Programs

The course in the history of psychology: Present status and future concerns.

The Fate of the Generalist: Edward L. Walker (1914−1997) as a Case Study

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