Dr. Jane S Halonen

Summative assessment practices reveal whether students ultimately are successful in learning what we teach. In this chapter, we explore current insights about what summative practices reveal about effective teaching and learning in psychology’s international contexts. We define summative practices and distinguish summative strategies from formative approaches, followed by discussing administrative concerns that help determine summative design choices. We offer exemplars at both the course and program levels to optimize gains from assessment for students and teachers alike. We identify the psychometric factors that influence the quality and success of summative designs. We close with an exploration of emerging contemporary issues and some “lessons learned” to optimize gains using summative assessment in psychology contexts.

The promise of introductory psychology as a high-impact experience can weigh heavily on an instructor, leaving us with two essential questions: Because the course entails a daunting amount of information about psychological science, where and how should we focus? This chapter provides some background about the role of student learning outcomes (SLOs) and assessment, specifically as those concepts apply to the introductory psychology course. The chapter begins with a brief discussion of the national push toward SLOs to set the stage for the main purpose of this chapter: to outline an overarching set of SLOs that can be broadly useful for designing and scaffolding the introductory psychology course. The task force carefully considered what types of content, skills, and values should cut across contexts. The chapter provides a rationale for the selection of specific SLOs and key themes that emerged from those discussions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: create)

Academic program reviews (APRs) provide an opportunity for departments to engage in systematic self-reflection regarding what they do and do not do well, followed by careful scrutiny from experts in the field—external program reviewers. This chapter highlights what the authors have learned about effective and ineffective assessment practices revealed by the APR process. Well-conceived and well-executed APRs encourage faculty members to reflect critically on what they are doing (or not doing) to advance quality teaching and learning. In contrast, ineffective processes may ultimately signify nothing. The chapter advocates for the need for the metaculture to embrace the potential of assessment to make real and meaningful changes for the benefit of all stakeholders. It summarizes what elements may be useful to producing the best outcomes from the process, including the important advantages of involving students in the APR process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

Nearly every institution of higher learning embraces critical thinking as its most cherished objective and learning outcome, but mission statements tend to gloss over the details of what their professors mean when they embrace critical thinking improvement as a primary educational objective. No one perspective of critical thinking in higher education has emerged as definitive; however, critical thinking definitions tend to Involve both explicit gods for Improving cognitive skills (e.g., problem-solving, reasoning, self-reflection) as well as enhanced motivation to dig more deeply to produce satisfying conclusions. One believes that a chief problem is the number of paradoxes that surround critical thinking. By 'paradox' in this arena, one refers to an assortment of incongruities or puzzles that hamper the progress one can make in helping students achieve this important outcome. This chapter identifies ten paradoxes that contribute to the challenge of promoting critical thinking in and outside the classroom. After discussing, it suggests ways for psychology educators to point them out and helps would-be critical thinkers-primarily but not exclusively students-overcome them.

Administration is not the professional activity for which most clinical psychologists were attracted to graduate school. Rather, most clinical psychologists entered their graduate training because they wanted a professional career helping people in need of care and treatment to live a healthy and happier life. Yet, by the end of the average clinical psychologist’s career, the majority will have spent a considerable amount of professional time doing administrative tasks or being an administrator. In this chapter, we explore the many facets of clinicians as administrators. First, we describe and define the professional activity of consultation and its knowledge base. We then examine the reasons that prompt clinical psychologists to follow the unseen path and track their core activities as administrators, exploring the characteristics that make them effective in that role. We also look at the predictable tensions that clinical managers face in executing their roles along with the blind spots that clinical training can induce. The chapter concludes with future directions, including the notion that doctoral programs in clinical psychology should incorporate formal attention to administrative functions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

The purpose of this chapter is to focus on quality initiatives undertaken by the teaching community in psychology. First, we will look at formal articulation of learning expectations in guidelines for undergraduate student performance proposed by the American Psychological Association (APA). Second, we will look at the contributions of national summits dedicated to enhancing undergraduate quality. We then examine other disciplinary initiatives from both the APA and the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP) that support success in developing and executing high quality undergraduate psychology curricula. The chapter concludes with some speculation about what developments may lie ahead that will influence future departmental success in striving for excellence.

In sound undergraduate curricular design, psychology students should gain substantial communication experience. Although instructors have paid more attention to students’ writing development, speaking also plays a prominent role in professional skill development. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss preferred practice opportunities for incorporating speaking assignments in courses throughout the psychology curriculum and to offer suggestions about meaningful strategies for assessment of student achievement. Several examples of rubrics designed to measure speaking competence are included in the paper.

The authors provide a rationale for academic program reviews (APRs), highlighting their role in improving teaching, learning, and program quality in psychology departments. Following a brief history of accreditation in higher education, they introduce the purpose and scope of quality benchmarking in psychology program. Specific guidelines for organizing an APR for a psychology department include writing and organizing a self-study document, selecting an external reviewer(s) to lead the program evaluation, and planning for and scheduling activities for a reviewer’s visit. The essay concludes by considering the future of the APR in psychology education, especially at the undergraduate level.