Laura

Course: General Psychology Course Description: This course is designed to give students an overview of the field of Psychology. Topics covered include: research methods; brain & behavior; human development; sensation & perception; states of consciousness; conditioning; learning & memory; cognition & intelligence; motivation & emotion; personality; psychologyical disorders & therapies; stress managment; and social behavior.

STEP ONE

Specifc Context of the Teaching and Learning Situation: How many students are in the class? Between 15 and 29 students Is the course lower division, upper division or graduate level? Lower division How long and frequent are the class meetings? students can log on to angel and work at their own pace How will the course be delivered? Solely online through angel

Expectations of External Groups: What does society at large need and expect, in terms of the education of these students, in general or with regard to this particular subject? Societal expectations range from a basic understanding of human psychology to a working knowledge of the course content in real world situations. Does the state or related professional societies have professional accreditation requirements that affect the goals ofthis learning experience? Not at the lower division level. If these students go on to study the field of psychology, they'll have multiple accrediations to contend with. What curricular goals does the institution or department have that affect this course or program? Employment upon graduation

Nature of the Subject: Is this subject matter convergent or divergent? Both, some of the subject matter is specific with only one "right" interpretation while other subjects within the field are open to many valid interpretations. Is this subject primarily cognitive? Yes The field of psychology is relatively stable.

Characteristics of the Learners: ~Students range from running start high school students, to full-time students, part-time students, students right out of high school to older students returning to school for retraining. There are single parents and students with families. Wide range of students from all walks of life. ~Professional goals of most psychology students include the medical field (nursing, vet. tech, radiology, dental asst.) ~Students enroll in psychology because it is a required course for their fields of study. ~Students have little prior knowledge about the subject and attitudes range from suspicious to extremely interested. ~Learning styles are extremely varied.

Characteristics of the Teachers: ~I have a B.S. in Psychology, a M.Ed. in Educational Psychology and an Ed.S. in Mental health Counseling. I worked in the mental health field for eight years. I LOVE the field of psychology. I knew from very early on that my calling was in the mental health field. ~This is the first time I've taught psychology. ~I will teach this course again-hopefully many times! ~Currently, I feel like the subject matter is on the margins of my zone of competence. We're starting with research, heredity and the brain-not my forte! I feel confident in two quarters, I'll feel like I'm on top of the subject. ~This is my second quarter teaching, although I feel like a teacher at heart. I've run groups, facilitated meetings and taught classes in the past.

Special Pedagogical Challenge: No one in this course is planning on going into the field of psychology. This course is just a stepping stone for the students to reach other goals. The focus for the students is getting a passing grade in the class. My challenge is to link the course material to the students' daily lives in a way that is interesting and help them see how knowledge of psychology can improve interactions at work and home.

STEP TWO:

Foundational Knowledge: Conducting basic research; scientific reasoning, critical thinking, and the fundamental elements of the field of psychology.

Application: Application of knowledge to "real world" situations. Students should be able to discern between objectively gathered data, opinions and strongly held personal beliefs.

Integration: Students see the concepts of psychology permeate through all areas of their lives. From using critical thinking skills on the job to using behavioral modification techniques to changing habits, the knowledge and skills they obtain in a psychology class is useful information at work or in their personal lives.

Human Dimension: My hope is that as we study human behavior students will recognize the ideas and concepts we discuss in themselves. Self-awareness is the first step to change. Opening their eyes to the how and why they are the way they are is life changing. What they do with that information is up to them! In regards to student interactions with others, I hope this course makes every interaction a better one. With a little knowledge of psychology, people can be more patient, understanding and compassionate with others.

Caring: Again, what I'd like to see is a more compassionate group of students entering the work force. For instance, after a dental technician has studied anxiety in psychology, perhaps she/he will see patients in a more understanding light.

Learning How to Learn: I want the students to become life long learners. On the first day of class we talk about the characteristics of successful students, what good study habits look like and the students share study habits that work for them. I try to stress that they need to try different manners of learning until they find what works best for them. Again, I push self awareness. Learning what makes learning "easy" for each and everyone of them will keep them coming back for more.

**III. FEEDBACK & ASSESSMENT **

** 1. FORWARD-LOOKING ASSESSMENT **
 * As the result of having learned the fundamental elements of the field of psychology, the student is ready to conduct basic psychological research and communicate findings in oral and written formats.

**2. CRITERIA & STANDARDS**

3 = Presentation flows smoothly; the parts fit together well; c lear effort put into an activity, learning aid or exercise; f requent eye contact; engages and interacts with audience; holds attention of audience; open posture; animated; no ‘filler’ words; comfortable and confident; s ources used are reliable, the majority of which are //scholarly;// at least 5 sources listed in APA format 2 = Fairly well organized; s ome minimal learning aides: Use of board or informational handouts; r egular eye contact; expresses self clearly most of the time; open posture; few ‘filler’ words; generally confident; s ources range in quality; reference list incomplete or not in APA format 1 = Presentation jumps around; is hard to follow; the intent of the presentation is unclear; s traight report/presentation; no learning aides; only reading PowerPoint slides; r eads from notes; little eye contact with audience; mumbles or speaks too quietly for class to hear; difficulty expressing self; inappropriate behavior or goes off on tangents; closed or guarded posture; Ffequent ‘filler’ words; lacks confidence 3 = Hypothesis or rationale for topic choice clearly stated; content is well organized, with high quality of information; and report meets all aspects of APA formating 2 = Hypothesis or rationale for topic choice is reasonable explained; content is organized, with good quality of information; and report meets most aspects of APA formating 1 = Hypothesis or rationale for topic choice is unclear; content is disorganized, with poor quality of information; and report meets few aspects of APA formating
 * Criteria or Desired Trait: Effectively communicate findings in oral and written formats
 * Standards: Oral
 * Standards: Written


 * 3. SELF-ASSESSMENT**

· Students evaluate their own presentation and written report based on the above criteria (I give them the scoring rubric when I explain the assignment). Student writes a brief synapsis of their findings and presents it in a small group discussion. · Students evaluate others work acting as a peer from a peer-reviewed journal. Student writes a brief synapsis of their findings and presents it in a small group discussion.

**4. ****FIDeLity FEEDBACK **


 * Each class session, I'll dedicate a few moments at the end to review positive and negative events of the day. We'll make a point of celebrating the positive parts of the class session.
 * This will be a collaborative process; all students will be encouraged to share feedback with each other as well as me.
 * I do make a point of paraphrasing student comments as they occur, provide feedback and encourage comments from other students.

<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">**IV. (ACTIVE) TEACHING & LEARNING ACTIVITIES**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">**1. EXPERIENCES**


 * Observe staff librarian conducting online research, narrowing search fields, finding scientific or trade journals.
 * Using laptop computers in the classroom, conduct their own online research.
 * On their own, students conduct online research and use information for assignments.
 * As a team, students review class topic and "teach" their unit to the class.
 * While studying theories of intelligence, students go to an online site that offers free intellegence testing. Students take several of the tests and implications are discussed.


 * 2. INFORMATION & IDEAS**
 * Students read the text book on their own and fill out a "main concepts" sheet on the reading.
 * Students listen to lectures in the class room and take notes.
 * Videos are shown in class on topics discussed in lecture.
 * Students go to angel site on their own time for more information.
 * Students watch a film on angel site and fill out a guided questionaire.


 * 3. REFLECTING**
 * Throughout the course, students keep track of classroom participation and attendance and answer three questions about their learning experience before turning in their student assessment on the last day.
 * As students turn in an assignment, I ask them to answer three questions about what the learning process was like for them. They write down and turn in their answers.
 * After a lecture and small group discussios on a topic/unit, we come together as a larger group and discuss what questions they may still have and what they learned.

<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">**V. COMPONENT PARTS INTERGRATION**

Conducting basic research; scientific reasoning,critical thinking, and the fundamental elements of the field of psychology. ||< * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As the result of having learned the fundamental elements of the field of psychology, the student is ready to conduct basic psychological research and communicate findings in oral and written formats. Application of knowledge to "real world" situations. Students should be able to discern between objectively gathered data, opinions and strongly held personal beliefs. ||< Students complete a research analysis paper in which they read a scholarly article and utilize skills and knowledge from class to gleen relavent data from the article. ||< On their own, students conduct online research and use information for assignments. || Students see the concepts of psychology permeate through all areas of their lives. From using critical thinking skills on the job to using behavioral modification techniques to changing habits, the knowledge and skills they obtain in a psychology class is useful information at work or in their personal lives. ||< Students complete a behavioral modification extra credit assignment in which they integrate skills and knowledge acquired in class to change a specific behavior in their daily life. ||< As a team, students review class topic and "teach" their unit to the class. || My hope is that as we study human behavior, students will recognize the ideas and concepts we discuss in themselves. Self-awareness is the first step to change. Opening their eyes to the how and why they are the way they are is life changing. What they do with that information is up to them! In regards to student interactions with others, I hope this course makes every interaction a better one. With a little knowledge of psychology, people can be more patient, understanding and compassionate with others. ||< <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Students evaluate their own presentation and written report based on the scoring rubric. Student writes a brief synapsis of their findings and presents it in a small group discussion. ||< While studying theories of intelligence, students go to an online site that offers free intellegence testing. Students take several of the tests and implications are discussed. || What I'd like to see is a more compassionate group of students entering the work force. For instance, after a dental technician has studied anxiety in psychology, perhaps she/he will see patients in a more understanding light. ||< <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Students evaluate others work acting as a peer from a peer-reviewed journal. Student writes a brief synapsis of their findings and presents it in a small group discussion. ||< Students utilize journaling to connect class topics to real life situations. || I want the students to become life long learners. On the first day of class we talk about the characteristics of successful students, what good study habits look like and the students share study habits that work for them. I try to stress that they need to try different manners of learning until they find what works best for them. Again, I push self awareness. Learning what makes learning "easy" for each and everyone of them will keep them coming back for more. ||< * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Each class session, I'll dedicate a few moments at the end to review positive and negative events of the day. We'll make a point of celebrating the positive parts of the class session.
 * < **Learning Goals** ||< **Feedback and Assessment** ||< **Teaching and Learning Activities** ||
 * < **Foundational Knowledge**
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Students complete a research report.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Students participate in teams to present findings in an oral report. ||< * Observe staff librarian conducting online research, narrowing search fields, finding scientific or trade journals.
 * Using laptop computers in the classroom, conduct their own online research.
 * Students read the text book on their own and fill out a "main concepts" sheet on the reading.
 * Students listen to lectures in the class room and take notes.
 * Videos are shown in class on topics discussed in lecture.
 * Students go to angel site on their own time for more information.
 * Students watch a film on angel site and fill out a guided questionaire. ||
 * < **Application**
 * < **Integration**
 * < **Human Dimension**
 * < **Caring**
 * < **Learning How to Learn**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This will be a collaborative process; all students will be encouraged to share feedback with each other as well as me.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I do make a point of paraphrasing student comments as they occur, provide feedback and encourage comments from other students ||< * Throughout the course, students keep track of classroom participation and attendance and answer three questions about their learning experience before turning in their student assessment on the last day.
 * As students turn in an assignment, I ask them to answer three questions about what the learning process was like for them. They write down and turn in their answers.
 * After a lecture and small group discussions on a topic/unit, we come together as a larger group and discuss what questions they may still have and what they learned. ||