[tips] Intro Psychology course(s): Request for Info

[Maxwell Gwynn]

List members:   Please forgive the cross-posting, as I'm posting this message on both the TIPS and PSYCHTEACH lists.   Our department is considering switching our current two-term (26-week) Intro Psych course into two one-term (13-week) courses. We would greatly appreciate hearing from list members about their intro course, particularly those who may have undergone (or considered) such a change in the recent past.   There are a number of questions that our curriculum committee will need to address, and we'd like to know how other institutions handle their intro course. If you could take a few minutes to answer the following questions, it would be very informative for our discussions.   1) Is your intro psych course one or two terms in length?   2a) Do you feel students are adequately prepared to handle courses at the next level (i.e., 2nd year or 200-level courses)? 2b) How many hours of instruction do students get in this course? (e.g., 13 weeks of three hours per week)   3) If two terms, is it a single course or divided into two?   4a) If divided into two courses, is one course a prerequisite for the second course? 4b) Are both courses required for any upper-year  psych courses, or does one (half) intro course serve as a prereq for some upper-year courses and the other (half) intro course for other upper year courses (e.g., PSYC101 is a prereq for upper year cognitive/bio/physio courses, while PSYCH102 is a prereq for upper year developmental/social/applied courses)?   5) If divided into two courses, what topics are covered in each course? (feel free to provide links to your courses' descriptions) 6) Are you satisfied with the current structure of your intro psych course(s)?   Thank you in advance for passing along this valuable information! I'd be happy to share a summary of replies with any interested parties.   -Max Gwynn, Chair, Departmental Undergraduate Curriculum Committee   Maxwell Gwynn, PhD Psychology Department Wilfrid Laurier University 519-884-0710 ext 3854 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])