Assessing Teaching and Learning in Psychology: Current and Future Perspectives

Abstract

ASSESSING TEACHING AND LEARNING IN PSYCHOLOGY: CURRENT AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES is designed to be a helpful response to the assessment needs of psychology teachers, department heads, and program administrators in 2-year and 4-year institutions--one that builds on the momentum found in the wider assessment movement. Chapters of this professional reference explore assessment options and opportunities at all levels in the undergraduate psychology curriculum, offering practical guidance to educators who want to improve teaching and learning through assessment practices. Readers learn about pragmatic practices for designing and implementing assessments of student performance within introductory, intermediate, and advanced (including capstone) courses, and about how assessment can inform the internal and external evaluation of a psychology department or program. Department chairs acquire practical advice about how best to work with reluctant faculty members so that assessment practices can become normative rather than marginalized within the classroom. In addition to learning how assessment can inform the quality of their teaching, faculty members can use assessment concepts and tools found in the book to properly interpret--and advocate for--the appropriate use of students’ evaluations of teaching effectiveness.