Integrating a Psycholgy Curriculum Through the Incremental Building of Computer Skills

心理学(73)这个项目正在重新设计专业的核心心理学课程，作为一个综合的硬件-软件基础设施，旨在随着学生进入高级课程，逐步建立复杂的技术实验技能。学生技能是通过设置在二年级和三年级的核心实验室课程获得的，也是通过在课程中附带课程中开发的练习来获得的。在他们四年级的时候，学生们会在他们为期一年的顶峰论文项目中应用这些获得的技能。在操作上，该项目逐步培养使用E-Prime和Biopac技术的技能。培训开始于学生学习将E-Prime编程练习整合到顺序实验室课程中，从“研究方法和分析”开始--这是本项目包括的所有课程的先决条件。在评估和社会心理学的二年级和三年级的核心实验室中，学生们还可以学习如何设计利用Biopac生理记录技术的项目。在为认知、变态心理学和行为神经科学课程开发的练习中，提供了使用这些技术的其他经验。因此，当学生开始他们的顶峰研究项目时，他们至少接受了两门核心实验室课程的技术培训，很可能还接受了其他几门课程的额外培训。由于该项目提供了更多的技能驱动而不是内容驱动的课程，学生的智力成果可能会转移到各种STEM职业中，并产生批判性思维和综合技能。该项目正在通过项目涉及的所有课程中使用的事前/事后评估工具进行评估，该计划对基于PCAT工具(心理学领域集中成就测试)的正在进行的部门评估的影响，以及由外部评估者对我们的顶尖论文项目的质量和技术成熟度进行的前后评估。除出版物和会议介绍外，项目成果和文件还在该部网站(www.mental.westminster.edu)上散发。它提供了所开发的材料和学生项目的详细描述，包括编程协议和在线手册。

Psychology (73)This project is redesigning the core psychology curricula for majors as an integrated hardware - software infrastructure designed to progressively build technologically sophisticated experimentation skills as students advance to upper division courses. Student skills are acquired through core laboratory courses positioned in the sophomore and junior years and also through exercises developed in collateral courses within the curriculum. In their senior year, students apply these acquired skills in their yearlong capstone thesis projects. Operationally, the project incrementally builds skills in use of E-Prime and BioPac technology. The training commences as students learn to integrate E-Prime programming exercises into sequenced laboratory courses, beginning with "Research Methods and Analysis" - a prerequisite for all courses included in this project. More advanced E-Prime skills are acquired in the sophomore-junior level core laboratories of Assessment and Social Psychology where students also learn how to design projects that make use of BioPac physiological recording technology. Additional experiences with these technologies are provided in exercises developed for courses in Cognition, Abnormal Psychology, and Behavioral Neuroscience. Thus, when students begin their capstone research projects, they have had technological training in at least two core laboratory courses and are likely to have had additional training in several other courses. Because the project provides a more skill driven rather than content driven curriculum, the intellectual gains of students are likely to be transferable to a variety of STEM careers and also engender critical thinking and synthesis skills.The project is being evaluated through a pre/post assessment tool used in all courses involved in the project, the impact of the program on an on-going departmental assessment based on the PCAT Instrument (Psychology Area Concentration Achievement Test), and a before/after assessment of the quality and technological sophistication of our capstone thesis projects performed by outside evaluators. In addition to publications and conference presentations, the project outcomes and documentation are being disseminated on the departmental website (www.psych.westminster.edu). It provides detailed descriptions of the materials and student projects developed, including programming protocols and on-line manuals.