Undergraduate-Taught “Minicourses” in Conjunction with an Introductory Lecture Course

Wortman, Camille B.; Hillis, Jay W.

doi:10.1207/s15328023top0302_6

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…This literature generally rates performance of student teach--ers quite highly. (For some of the variations using undergraduate TAs in psychology courses, see Gnagey, 1979;Kohn & Brill, 1981;Mendenhall & Burr, 1983;White & Kolber, 1978;Wortman & Hillis, 1976. ) Some colleges and universities use so many TAs that they divide large classes into small groups of 5 to 7.…”

Section: A mentioning

confidence: 99%

Personalization and Active Learning in the Large Introductory Psychology Class

Benjamin

1991

Teaching of Psychology

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Section: A mentioning

confidence: 99%

Personalization and Active Learning in the Large Introductory Psychology Class

Benjamin

1991

Teaching of Psychology

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“…Others have noted that undergraduate TAs can be very effective (Mendenhall & Burr, 1983;White & Kolber, 1978;Wortman & Hillis, 1976). The TAs lecture, grade homework, hold review sessions, and tutor.…”

Section: Description Of the Approachmentioning

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A Rotational Format for Team Teaching Introductory Psychology

Morlock

Gaeddert

McCormick

et al. 1988

Teaching of Psychology

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This article describes a method for team teaching introductory psychology in which the instructors rotate from section to section, repeating a series of lectures in their areas of expertise. Evaluations indicated that most students liked the format and that the variations in order of topic coverage from section to section were not related to course grades or approval. W e provide several suggestions for departments that may wish to adopt this approach.Introductory psychology at the State University College at Plattsburgh is a one-semester survey of the major areas of contemporary psychology. Until recently, the chairperson drafted seven or eight instructors to teach sections of 60 to 80 students. Students in the different sections received quite different introductions. We developed the method described in this article to decrease heterogeneity, facilitate the inclusion of current perspectives, and attract faculty to teach the course.O n e approach to team teaching consists of having instructors teach all sections but only during one portion of the term (Ware, Gardner, & Murphy, 1978). Another approach is having all instructors participate throughout the term (Flanagan & Ralston, 1983;Levine, 1977). Our version uses some aspects of both. Description of the ApproachInstructors lectuce o n their areas of expertise to one section of the course. After giving an exam, they move to another section, where they repeat their presentations. Usually the semester is divided into quarters with four instructors repeating their parts four times.Presently, instructors in our rotating form (RF) of team teaching represent the following areas in psychology: biological, social, developmental, and clinical. They are responsible for covering material in their areas of expertise.Topical units for the semester are: (a) basic processes, (b) social and methods, (c) cognition and development, and (d) personality and abnormal. Topic order is the same across sections, but sections begin at different points in the order.

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“…There is also substantial evidence to suggest that the TAs benefit from their involvement in the introductory course. In the evaluation we conducted (Wortman 6 Hillis, 1976), undergraduate TAs were asked to indicate whether they were glad they had served as TAs. On a scale ranging from 1 (not at allglad) to 5 (extremelyglud), the mean rating made by the 33 TAs was 4.76.…”

Section: Evaluation Of Undergraduate Teaching Assistantsmentioning

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Using one's own passion and undergraduate TAs to transform the large-lecture introductory psychology course.

Wortman¹,

Smyth²

Teaching Introductory Psychology: Survival Tips From the Experts.

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Using One? Own Passion and Undergraduate TAs to Transform the large-lecture Introductory Psychology Course y first experience teaching introductory psychology occurred nearly 25 years ago. I was a new faculty member at Northwestern University, and I was asked to teach the introductory course during the winter quarter. I was told that the enrollment would be between 300 and 500 students and that I would have one graduate student teaching assistant (TA). I had virtually no teaching experience while in graduate school. During the fall term, I had struggled with an 80-person introductory social psychology course and was barely able to keep my head above water. The prospect of coming up with an entirely new set of lectures and study materials for the introductory course was daunting. I knew that I was supposed to be getting my research program off the ground, but the teaching was so all-consuming that there was little time for anything else.The Northwestern approach to covering introductory psychology-having a teacher with a microphone confront several hundred students in a lecture hall-is the norm at most schools. Indeed, because of enrollment pressures and constrained resources, it is hard for departments to offer this course any other way. Although I understood the reasons for this pedagogical approach, I nonetheless felt straitjacketed by it. I guess this was because I hoped to accomplish more through my teaching than conveying factual M This chapter represents an active collaboration between Camille B. Wortman and Joshua M. Smyth. Because much of it draws heavily on the personal experiences of Camille B. Wortman, however, sections are written in the first person.

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Undergraduate-Taught “Minicourses” in Conjunction with an Introductory Lecture Course

Cited by 8 publications

References 4 publications

Personalization and Active Learning in the Large Introductory Psychology Class

Personalization and Active Learning in the Large Introductory Psychology Class

A Rotational Format for Team Teaching Introductory Psychology

Using one's own passion and undergraduate TAs to transform the large-lecture introductory psychology course.

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