Dr. Jane S Halonen

In this article, we explore how the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major 3.0 can facilitate department efforts to use the academic program evaluation process to provide the best possible educational experience. We discuss the purpose and nature of academic program reviews in higher education. We explain how the use of Guidelines 3.0 can promote appropriate scrutiny of departmental strengths and weaknesses in psychology. Guidelines 3.0 “calls to action” offer specific discussion targets to assist program enhancement. We offer specific strategies departments can deploy to achieve the best outcomes from an academic program review. In conclusion, we make some suggestions to help academic program reviewers support programs in their quest to improve. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

In this introduction to the special issue, Moving Forward With APA Guidelines 3.0, we provide an overview of the genesis of previous versions of APA’s Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major, including its roots in the assessment movement and the process of developing and obtaining approval of the first two versions of the document. We then comment on the development of the latest version of the Guidelines and provide an overview of contributions to the special issue. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Greater attention to active and collaborative learning makes inclusion of all students worth examining in the changing higher education landscape. The overarching goal of the present study was to identify specific sensory stimulation patterns in the college classroom that may present obstacles for students with sensory processing challenges, particularly when students are faced with taxing sensory environments. We explored the links between sensory processing thresholds in a sample of college students enrolled in General Psychology courses and the number of reported classroom challenges related to their sensory thresholds and executive functioning. In classroom contexts, students who were very sensitive to environmental stimuli were most negatively influenced by participation in small group discussions, listening to side chatter in the classroom that distracted from the main discussion, and speaking in front of others when unprepared. This was also accompanied by decreases in attention and emotional regulation. In light of these findings, we recommend using principles of universal design to create a more inclusive and supportive atmosphere. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Clearly this lopsided power relationship entails plenty of potential quagmires for your career. A short-sighted leader can eject the bearer of bad news without making any fundamental changes that would benefit the institution and make the campus a more pleasant place to work. An injured animal may experience mobbing, a collective effort to drive the maimed creature away from the herd or flock. What if your boss has taken management advice from Lewis Carroll’s Queen of Hearts?

A visiting professorship is the go-to Plan B for many a job candidate whose hopes are dashed on the tough tenure-track market. With this year’s faculty-hiring cycle underway, candidates will know in a few months if they should start seeking a visiting post. No, it’s not your dream job, but it is a reasonable way to keep building your CV until the next hiring cycle. This article offers some advice from senior professors on how to thrive, even in temporary positions.

Psychological science will be recognized as a high-impact undergraduate major that empowers people from all backgrounds to make a difference in their lives and communities.
To provide a comprehensive revision of the national recommendations regarding the knowledge and skills that undergraduate psychology majors should acquire at the associate and baccalaureate levels of study in undergraduate psychological science programs. The APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major 3.0 (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines 3.0) is designed to foster collaborative discussions in psychological science programs based on recommendations that reflect state-of-the-science curricular and assessment planning in psychology. Our charge from the American Psychological Association’s Board of Educational Affairs was to anticipate the ways that the Guidelines 3.0 revision needed to reflect changes in culture and context to prepare undergraduates who will function optimally prepared for contemporary life.

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)