Constructing Undergraduate Psychology Curricula: Promoting Authentic Learning and Assessment in the Teaching of Psychology

In teaching undergraduate psychology, both new and experienced instructors are eager to find ways to engage students in learning and generate excitement for the subject matter. At the same time, instructors must balance these objectives with the need to: align course content with APA-approved guidelines; integrate instructional strategies with authentic or \u27real-world\u27 learning and assessment; and assess students\u27 mastery of course content. This valuable instructional resource presents a framework for constructing undergraduate psychology curricula to meet all of these objectives, while ensuring maximum flexibility across faculty, student, and institutional differences. Promoting active and enduring learning within a constructivist educational context, this book links successful teaching practices to five APA-approved learning goals - knowledge base of psychology, research methods, critical thinking skills, application of psychology, and values - and the behaviorally stated outcomes associated with each. Notably, this book demonstrates how to effectively gauge students\u27 academic progress from the introductory psychology course through completion of the baccalaureate degree. This authoritative volume will appeal widely to psychology educators - including high school teachers and undergraduate faculty from 2-year, 4-year, and university settings - who are committed to instructional innovation and improvement. Educators and their students will benefit from this systematic approach to course and program evaluation that integrates teaching, learning, and assessment in clearly identified and measurable terms