Internationalizing Your Psychology Course

Abstract

Before considering strategies, it is wise to know the relevant objectives for internationalizing a psychology course. I suggest reading the report from the APA Working Group on Internationalizing the Psychology Curriculum (APA Task Force on Internationalization the Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum, 2005) as a useful beginning framework. The authors of the report recommended five goals and associated learning outcomes. The five goals address psychological knowledge in international perspective, methodological issues in international research, the discipline of psychology in the international perspective (i.e., awareness of how the discipline of psychology is developed, studied, and applied in and across cultures), psychology and interpersonal understanding, and psychology and global issues. The report also provides suggested student learning outcomes for each goal to assist with course design and for use as a checklist to assess the effectiveness of the strategies at the end of the course. Simple strategies are presented for instructors can use to internationalize a psychology course.

Full text

Essays from E-xcellence in Teaching
Volume X
A collection of essays originally published on the
PsychTeacher™ Electronic Discussion List
Edited by
Jeffrey Holmes
Suzanne C. Baker
Jeffrey R. Stowell
Society for the Teaching of Psychology
2011

2
Copyright and Other Legal Notices
The individual essays and chapters contained within this collection are Copyright © 2011 by
their respective authors. This collection of essays and chapters as a compendium is Copyright
© 2011 Society for the Teaching of Psychology.
You may print multiple copies of these materials for your own personal use, including use
in your classes and/or sharing with individual colleagues as long as the author's name and
institution, and a notice that the materials were obtained from the website of the Society for
the Teaching of Psychology (STP) <http://teachpsych.org/> appear on the copied
document. For research and archival purposes, public libraries and libraries at schools,
colleges, universities and similar educational institutions may print and store in their research
or lending collections multiple copies of this compendium as a whole without seeking further
permission of STP (the editors would appreciate receiving a pro forma notice of any such library
use). No other permission is granted to you to print, copy, reproduce, or distribute additional
copies of these materials. Anyone who wishes to print, copy, reproduce, or distribute copies
for other purposes must obtain the permission of the individual copyright owners. Particular
care should be taken to seek permission from the respective copyright holder(s) for any
commercial or "for profit" use of these materials.
PsychTeacher™ and its associated graphics are trademarks of APA Division 2, Society for
the Teaching of Psychology, for the distribution of educational, instructional, and other
information by all means of printed, electronic and/or digital encoding, storage, retrieval, and
transmission.
Suggested Reference Format
We suggest that the overall text be referenced in this fashion:
Holmes, J., Baker, S.C., & Stowell, J. R. (2011). Essays from e-xcellence in teaching (Vol.
10). Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology Web site:
http://teachpsych.org/resources/e-books/eit2010/index.php
Individual chapters may be referenced in this fashion, for example:
Miller, R.L. (2011). Teaching by doing: Making research methods active and engaging. In
J. Holmes, S.C. Baker, & J. R. Stowell (Eds.), Essays from e-xcellence in teaching (Vol. 10,
pp. 6-9). Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology Web site:
http://teachpsych.org/resources/e-books/eit2010/index.php
These essays may also be retrieved from the site of their original posting, the PsychTeacher™
Electronic Discussion List, archived at
http://list.kennesaw.edu/archives/psychteacher.html.

3
Table of Contents
Title Page ........................................................................................................................... 1
Copyright and Other Legal Notices .................................................................................. 2
Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. 3
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 4
Reflections on a Lifetime of Teaching and Learning
Richard L. Miller
............................................................................................................... 6
Incivility, Inattention, and Multitasking! Oh My! Creating Effective Learning
Environments for Millennial Learners
Christy Price
.................................................................................................................... 10
A Blueprint for the Future: From Puget Sound to Your Campus
Karen Brakke and Barney Beins
.................................................................................... 15
Technology for Educators
Sue Franz
......................................................................................................................... 20
Internationalizing Your Psychology Course
Richard S. Velayo
............................................................................................................ 25
Advising Dilemmas: Difficult Messages and Strategies for Delivering Them
Daniel T. Rogers and Monica J. Reis-Bergan
................................................................ 32
The Vacuity of Positive Thinking: A Century of Pop Psychology
Luis A. Cordón
............................................................................................................... 37
To Customize or Not to Customize? Benefits and Disadvantages
Teresa L. Davis and Mary Ellen Fromuth
..................................................................... 41
On Blogging about Teaching Psychology
Dana S. Dunn
.................................................................................................................. 45
About the Authors........................................................................................................... 48
About the Editors ............................................................................................................ 51

4
Introduction
The Society for the Teaching of Psychology’s PsychTeacher listserv, launched
in 1998, provides a forum for psychology teachers at all levels to share ideas, seek
advice, and discuss issues related to the teaching of psychology. Since the spring of
2000, the essay series
E-xcellence in Teaching
has been a feature of the listserv.
Authors were invited to contribute essays related to various aspects of teaching
psychology. This year’s essays range from advice on internationalizing psychology
courses, to thoughts on dealing with millennial students, to an introduction to the latest
in technological tools.
In Chapter 1, Carnegie award-winning professor Richard Miller reflects on the
joy and heart that distinguish great teachers. Miller maintains that scholarship and
teaching are intimately connected, as good teachers always challenge students to think,
to pose questions, and to seek answers to those questions.
Christy Price shares tips for dealing with so-called “Millennial” learners in
Chapter 2. These students are sometimes characterized asmulti-taskers with short
attention spans and an apparent lack of respect for learning. Price presents practical
tips for understanding these students’ needs and preventing or minimizing incivility in
the classroom and in student-faculty interactions.
In Chapter 3, Karen Brakke and Barney Beins summarize the
recommendations of the 2008 National Conference on Undergraduate Education in
Psychology. Participants at the NCUEP worked to create a blueprint for the future of
undergraduate psychology. Brakke and Beins highlight several themes that came out
of the conference, including the central role of science in the discipline of psychology,
the importance of psychological literacy, and the “changing landscape” of students and
technology.
Sue Franz’s contribution in Chapter 4 highlights several new technological
tools that can streamline the work of teachers. These include tools for sharing files
across multiple computers (Dropbox), managing your e-mail (Xobni), keeping up with
new information (Google Reader), and even writing that same comment over and over
again on student papers (PhraseExpress).
In Chapter 5, Richard Velayo introduces readers to International Psychology,
and provides advice for bringing an international perspective to psychology classes.
Velayo presents a range of options for introducing content such as lecture , class
activities, and targeted writing assignments.
Most college faculty serve as advisors as well as instructors. In Chapter 6,
Daniel Rogers and Monica Reis-Bergan discuss advising “dilemmas” that come with
the multi-faceted role of advising. How do we deal with students whose skill levels do
not match their goals? What about that less-than-stellar student who is expecting a
recommendation letter? Rogers and Reis-Bergan provide advice on asking ourselves
the tough questions about how to deliver less-than-welcome news to students.
“Pop psychology” is ubiquitous in our culture. In Chapter 7, Luis Cordon
examines the history of some of these ideas. Although the purveyors of pop

5
psychology often present their theories as the latest “big idea,” Cordon demonstrates
that simplistic ideas about achieving wealth and happiness have been with us for a
while.
In Chapter 8, Teresa Davis and Mary Ellen Fromuth provide a practical
discussion of the costs and benefits of producing a customized textbook. Custom
textbooks can be tailored to the specific needs of a course, and can often be less costly
for students. On the other hand, creating a custom textbook can take an extensive
amount of faculty effort. Davis and Fromuth’s essay can help faculty answer the
question of “Should we or shouldn’t we?” In addition, they provide a helpful outline
of the process involved in creating a customized text.
In our final essay in this volume (Chapter 9), Dana Dunn tells the tale of how
he went from “reluctant” blogger to an enthusiastic blogger on the teaching of
psychology for
Psychology Today.
Dunn provides advice for potential bloggers about
the rewards and challenges of this form of writing for the general public.
Together, these essays make up Volume X of
E-xcellence in Teaching.
We
thank all our contributors for sharing their thoughts and experiences with the readers
of PsychTeacher, and with the rest of the psychology teaching community.

6
Chapter 1
Reflections on a Lifetime of Teaching and Learning
Richard L. Miller
University of Nebraska at Kearney
would be willing to bet that most of us can think of at least one or two teachers
whose influence led us to where we are today. In fact, I would be surprised if most
college graduates didn’t have at least one professor who made a difference in the
direction their lives took. What makes one teacher more influential than another?
What qualities do highly effective and influential teachers possess? I find this question
interesting and to answer it I have done what academics always do - consulted the
literature. I have also observed other teachers, and most importantly, I have listened
to my students. Many of our more thoughtful colleagues have addressed this issue of
what makes a good teacher (see Buskist, in press). I make no claim that mine is any
better or more universal than anyone else's. I do claim that it is based on what works
for me.
For one thing, good teachers require students to think, to solve problems, to
pose questions, and to wonder about the why behind what we know. In his 1901 book
“American Traits,” Hugo Munsterberg contrasted the education received in high
school with that received at university. He pointed out that the high school distributes
knowledge that has been collected, whereas the university strives to teach students to
take a critical attitude toward all collected knowledge. The high school teaches facts
while the university should teach students the methods whereby they can uncover the
facts for themselves.
Now there are those who say, “this is scholarship, not teaching” and some folks
are pretty convinced that the two are different things. I am not. To me, they are
different words for a very similar process that is at the heart of teaching and learning -
the process by which we come to understand that which we didn't understand before.
D. W. Hamlyn (1996) in his commentary entitled “The Concept of a
University,” proposed that one of the enduring achievements of universities, dating
back to the Middle Ages, was the scholarship of discovery: “If learning is to be
pursued and if knowledge is to be enlarged there have to be institutions like
universities, which have the double role of pushing back the frontiers of knowledge
and of enabling future generations to carry on that process” (p. 216).
At today's university the commitment to both scholarship and teaching seems
incontrovertible. It is enshrined in mission statements, strategic plans, and promotion
and tenure guidelines. This recognition of the university's dual purpose has led to an
unfortunate division between teaching and research - a division recognized by the
meta-analysis of 58 studies conducted by Hattie and Marsh (1996) that found no
relationship between research productivity and teaching effectiveness. Their
I

7
recommendation was that universities should aim to increase the circumstances where
teaching and research meet. How can this be done?
Harry Kirke Wolfe is arguably one of the most important psychologists and
educators of the early 1900s. His impact on the education of a vast number of students
is probably matched only by his unfortunate obscurity. Because he did not train
graduate students, his legacy has been more indirect than that of some more famous
psychologists. Throughout his professional career, he labored diligently at the
University of Nebraska to enhance the education of his students, working with them
individually in the laboratory. His undergraduate lab ranked third in the nation in
producing students who would later attain doctorates. Three of his students who
became presidents of APA commented that Wolfe had influenced them more than
any other mentor (Benjamin, 1987, p.69). Wolfe received no teaching credit for his
lab work and neither did his students. Yet enrollments in his courses continued to
mushroom. A student of his once remarked that they were willing to “venture the
work for the sake of the zest” (Benjamin, 1999, p. 52).
Like Harry Kirke Wolfe, the greatest joy I have in teaching is the process of
mentoring undergraduate research. My earliest experience with undergraduate
research took place in 1966. I was the undergraduate student and my topic was
leadership and conformity. My motivation was to seek a way to actually resolve a long-
standing late night dispute within my circle of friends using something like evidence
instead of opinion. The thrill was to create new knowledge and to be the first to know
it, not to mention sharing it with others (see Miller, 1967), a thrill I try to encourage
with my own students.
For me, wisdom begins with wonder. As one of my students noted some time
ago: Professors teach in class, but teachers teach in and out of class. During my time at
UNK, I have mentored over 200 undergraduate research projects that have been
presented at regional or national conferences. My students and I have very similar
goals - to discover that which we did not know before. We tend to avoid replications
and extensions and often take risks in examining little known or at least little written
about phenomena. As a result, we have published over 20 articles together in
professional journals and they have published 27 articles as sole author, which brings
us back to the relationship between scholarship and teaching. At this point there are
very few topics that I teach about, but about which I can't bring in the results of a
student research project to expand my students’ knowledge. And don't think that this
doesn't get their attention – it’s pretty cool to realize that fellow students can contribute
to the knowledge base.
I would like to share some feedback from my students that captured some
things about good teaching that apply to many of us and certainly help illuminate what
it means to be a good teacher. Marci Rust, one of my students, once wrote: “I must
confess, having such a close relationship with an instructor and advisor as caring and
involved as you are has been demanding, and at times more than I thought I could
handle. I realize now that it was during those particularly demanding times that you
had more faith in my abilities than I did. You have never ceased to encourage and
drive me to excel beyond what I thought was possible.” I think communicating to

8
students that they can be more than they thought possible is an important characteristic
of good teaching.
Good teachers share their joy in being teachers. They are enthusiastic about
their subject matter, about teaching, and about their students. They make their passion
for teaching obvious to their students by taking an interest in the students themselves.
Good teachers develop positive rapport with their students, which makes it more likely
that students will attend class and participate in learning activities. One of my students
once wrote: “I was a disinterested, unmotivated sophomore, lacking direction in my
academic pursuits. You can probably imagine what a rude awakening to my
indifference you were. I had never experienced an instructor with such a passion for
teaching and knowledge; a passion you have never ceased to express over the past
three years.” Another student, Emily Balcetis, wrote, “it is not enough to just want to
teach others. The others have to want to be taught. You have the gift of encouraging
others to want to be taught. And you can see your influence throughout the
department in both the faculty and the students. That, to me, is what makes you a
good teacher.”
Wilfreed Grenfell once said: “Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from
the praise of men, but from doing something worthwhile.” James Barrie suggested that,
“Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.” Good
teachers teach because that is what we would 'rather' be doing. We in the academy are
incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to do what we love, with students who are
ready and eager to share our enthusiasm.
One of my favorite quotes that I think also captures what it means to be a good
teacher is by Charlene Szumilas [Principal, Holy Trinity High School, Chicago] who
said: “We hope that during their time with us, our students gain an understanding of
what it takes to live a worthy life. That they understand what injustice is and will work
to correct it. That when they see those less fortunate, they assist them. That they reach
out to others in need even when they themselves are struggling. That they give
generously of themselves and their talents. Above all, we hope that they help those
with whom they come into contact to see the value of an educated heart.”
Good teachers are those that assist their students in seeing the value of an
educated heart – a heart that doesn’t shy away from encouraging students to
thoughtfully grapple with life’s real challenges and controversies. It is perhaps the most
satisfying of the many rewards of being a good teacher.
References
Benjamin, L. T. (1987). A teacher is forever: The legacy of Harry Kirke Wolfe (1858-
1918),
Teaching of Psychology, 14,
68-74.
Benjamin, L. T. (1991).
Harry Kirke Wolfe: Pioneer in psychology
. Lincoln, NE:
University of Nebraska Press.
Buskist, W. (in press).
Effective college teaching: Fundamentals, strategies, and tactics
.
New York: Wiley/Blackwell.
Hamlyn, D. W. (1996). The concept of a university,
Philosophy, 71,
205-218.

9
Hattie, J., & Marsh, H. W. (1996). The relationship between research and teaching: A
meta-analysis.
Review of Educational Research, 66
(4), 507-542.
Miller, R. L. (1967, October).
Leadership, scholarship and conformity
. Paper
presented at the Utah Psychological Association Convention, Salt Lake City, UT.
Munsterberg, H. (1901).
American traits from the point of view of a German
. New
York: Houghton Mifflin.
Newman, J. H. (1990).
The idea of a university.
South Bend, IN: University of Notre
Dame Press. (Original work published in 1854).
Szumilas, C. (1997). Graduation speech. Presented at the graduation ceremony of
Holy Trinity High School, Chicago, IL.

10
Chapter 2
Incivility, Inattention, and Multitasking! Oh My!
Creating Effective Learning Environments
for Millennial Learners
Christy Price
Dalton State College
ecently, I have been traveling quite a bit, presenting conference keynotes and
faculty development workshops sharing my research on engaging Millennial
learners (i.e., students born between 1981 and 1999). What has surprised me
most is how frequently faculty interest turns to the discussion of student incivility. One
colleague relayed a story in which a visiting professor came to her class as part of a
series on diversity issues. At some point during the discussion, the focus turned to the
conflict in the Middle East. One student who disagreed with the speaker's views
jumped up from his chair, pointed his finger (thankfully his forefinger) at the visitor
and yelled, "You are full of ____!" The student then tore up his notes and stormed out
of the classroom, slamming the door behind him! A second colleague told of how she
met with a student regarding a paper the student had written. A good professor, she
was providing constructive feedback but the student rejected all criticism and
demanded a grade change. He left and promptly posted an angry diatribe on
ratemyprofessor.com which concluded with a very unproductive statement about the
professor's backside, specifically describing his professor as "a fat ___." Finally, in
gathering comments from official student evaluations of professors, I was surprised
when a third colleague shared the narrative section of his evaluation in which a student
simply wrote, "OMG! WTF!" If you are not familiar with these acronyms, you'll need
to consult Wikipedia as I am sure my editors would not appreciate an explanation
here. The bottom line is if you ask colleagues, I am confident you will get a consensus
on this: Student incivility seems to be on the rise.
Let's Be Frank
When my child began his formal educational training a couple of years ago, I
was told, "Pre-K is the new kindergarten, and kindergarten is definitely the new first
grade." Let's be frank: college is the new high school; everyone's going! In the must-
see PBS documentary
Declining by Degrees,
the filmmakers suggest that in order to
achieve a middle-class lifestyle in our society, college is no longer an option - it is a
necessity. This means the more elite and prepared student body of 15 years ago has
given way to a much broader mix of students who vary widely in their level of
preparedness, ability, and capacity for imbibing. As a result, we may see more
R

11
students exhibit the overtly uncivil behaviors described above. Some of these extreme
behaviors may result from an increase in the number of students with mental health
issues, while others may be a by-product of more open enrollment combined with the
well-known characteristics of Millennial generation culture such as
• helicopter parenting that has extended adolescence and delayed development
of independence;
• multimedia exposure that has shortened attention spans and heightened the
need for engagement;
• being fully raised within the technological age such that information and
everything else is available at the click of a mouse, resulting in a low tolerance
for delay;
• and a decline in adherence to social rules (Howe & Strauss, 2007; Twenge,
2006).
Add a dollop of educational consumerism, and we have the perfect recipe for student
incivility!
The Million Dollar Question
Now that I have won the award for stating the blatantly obvious, the million
dollar question is, in the eloquent verbiage of our Millennial students: WTF do we do
about it? Before I go any further, it is important to note this essay is not a personal
rant about students behaving badly. On the contrary, I have an extremely connected
and positive relationship with my students and I don't mean that in a creepy,
unprofessional way! In any given semester, I have approximately 200 students and I
find the vast majority of them to be extremely cooperative, conscientious, and excited
about their learning. In my 18 years of teaching, I have experienced what I would
describe as uncivil student behavior in class on only two occasions. On both occasions
we were discussing research cited in David Myers'
Exploring Psychology
text, which
describes the role of prenatal sex hormones in the development of sexual orientation.
Typically, I am not an uber-Freudophile who attributes behaviors to rigid toilet
training, but both of these self-proclaimed heterosexuals seemed to be exhibiting
reaction-formation or what is commonly known as "thou dost protest too much"
syndrome. The point of sharing this is perhaps in my many years of teaching I have
simply been lucky, but perhaps not? What if there were a formula for preventing or at
least minimizing student incivility? Well put away your Ouija board and pull out your
highlighter because, in gathering my research on Millennial learners, I think I may
have stumbled upon some answers.
Step 1: Shift your paradigm to prevention
The first tip for dealing with and responding to these behaviors is to not take
them personally. One of my colleagues has suggested the word incivility implies a
specific choice or intention on behalf of the student to be uncivil. Perhaps it would
behoove us to describe these behaviors as "unproductive to the learning environment,"

12
since students often cluelessly exhibit them without realizing how their behavior is
perceived and the negative impact they might have on the learning environment. In
addition, many faculty seem to have concerns about very specific student types such as
the belligerent student, the Neanderthal who makes offensive comments, the know-it-
all, the verbal dominator, the class-skipper, the perpetually late, the early leaver, the
talker, the texter, the sleeper, the newspaper reader, the web-surfer, the unprepared,
the student who demands special treatment, and the list goes on. We may find ways to
successfully respond to and alter each specific behavior, but if we really wish to create
an ideal learning environment, we need to focus on holistic measures of prevention as
opposed to fragmented reactions to specific infractions.
Step 2: Practice verbal judo - producing closeness, as opposed to distance
Recently a colleague relayed a story in which she asked her students to define
Multicultural Education. One student replied, "
It is a Marxist plot to undermine
public education
." Many of us might be quick to attack this perspective; however, as
professors interacting with students, we need to practice what is known as "verbal judo"
in which we use our body language, tone, and words as tools to send a message that
deescalates conflict. In conducting interviews with Millennial learners I have come
across countless students who have described antagonistic professorial responses to
what students perceive as accidental or minor infractions. One student described a
professor who angrily locked the door when class began such that those who were late
could not attend. Another relayed that his professor became irate when the battery
ran low on his criminal offender monitoring ankle bracelet and it began to beep. The
lesson to be learned here is,
it is never productive to be defensive, to be reactionary, or
to express a strongly negative emotional tone with a student
. Yet I frequently hear
professors describe with bravado interactions in which they criticize, humiliate, deride,
and belittle the very people they are charged to teach, develop, and inspire. It is
imperative to acknowledge that every interaction we have will typically produce either
closeness or distance. There is little neutrality in our dealings with students. The more
we engage in distance-producing interactions with students, the more we can expect
noncompliance and unproductive student behaviors in return. When we choose to
fight and even feel that we have won these small battles with students, we set ourselves
up for losing the war as we lessen our overall ability to assist them in achieving the
learning outcomes of the courses we teach. Conversely, each closeness-producing
interaction we have with students builds rapport, shows them we care, and prevents the
likelihood of resistance and incivility. Sadly, over the years, I have known many
professors whose typical mode of interaction with students comes from a place of
power and control, yet these professors are often the ones most frustrated with the
uncivil responses they are responsible for creating.

13
Step 3: Clearly communicate course policies and assignments with rationales and
consistently administer consequences
I regularly hear colleagues lament that their syllabi have gone from a few short
pages to massive tomes in which they attempt to anticipate every foreseeable student
excuse and infraction. Yet an ounce of prevention will avert a ton of student angst
when we provide rationales and consequences for assignments and policies. If we
don't want students to challenge our grading procedures, a detailed rubric along with a
rationale for each assignment will assist students in achieving learning outcomes and go
a long way toward preventing student grade challenges after the fact. For example, if
we have a policy that students will receive a reduction in points for late assignments, we
should provide a policy rationale such as the following: "In order to be fair to students
who work to turn in assignments on time, all late papers will lose 5% for each class day
they are late." This statement should be prominently displayed on both the course
syllabus and the rubric for the assignment. Still, we need to be prepared for students
who will approach us with extenuating circumstances and/or excuses. So far this
semester my students' hardships have ranged from, "
my husband rejected his kidney
transplant
" to "
I had to do my taxes
," and it is only February! Some professors may
prefer to make accommodations and exceptions on course policies for certain
students. However, no matter the situation and the accompanying level of student
angst, we should respond without negative emotion. We can extend sympathy and
concern without escalating conflict or compromising course policies.
Step 4: Design courses and utilize methods with the prevention of incivility in mind
I have encountered professors who exhibit a wide range of attitudes and
responses regarding specific student behaviors such as texting in class. On one end of
the spectrum are professors who don't care if students text in class and who ignore
such behaviors; on the other end are those who are so disturbed by student texting that
they respond with extremely punitive methods such as having an immediate closed
note quiz if they so much as see a cell phone in their classroom. That said, I fear
hundreds of you are simultaneously saying to yourselves, "A closed note quiz ... what a
great idea!” I want to reiterate: if we are troubled by student behaviors, we need to
create and clearly state a policy along with the rationale for the policy and follow
through with consequences for those who violate it. However, it has become painfully
apparent to me that our methods play a powerful role in contributing to or averting
unproductive student behaviors in the classroom. For example, I recently used my
i-
clicker
classroom response system to gather a bit of feedback from students regarding
their attitudes and texting behaviors. Of the 77 students polled, 18% said they never
text in their classes. This was a shockingly low number from my perspective because
of my approximately 200 students, I had seen fewer than 5 texting during class and had
only two "textaholic" students texting so regularly that I thought it might be disruptive to
their learning and those around them. If so many of my students were texting, why
weren't they texting in my classes? I found the answer among the remaining 63

14
students who did report that they texted in their classes. Of these 63 texters, 87%
strongly agreed or agreed with the following statement: "I text more in classes in which
the professor’s main method is lecture and less in those classes in which the professor
uses a variety of methods such as discussion, group work, cases, and video or
multimedia." Based on our discussions after the survey, it was very clear to me these
students were at risk for all types of inattentive behaviors such as texting, surfing,
talking, etc. when they were not engaged. In short, if we want to diminish behaviors
associated with inattention, our course design and methods matter.
Conclusion
If you peruse the literature on student incivility in the college classroom, you
will find a great deal of evidence in support of the recommendations provided here
(Boice, 2000; McKeachie, 2006; Meyers, 2003; Weimer, 2002). Communicating
clearly and providing a rationale for class policies, creating closeness as opposed to
distance when interacting with students, and using engaging methods will not only
lessen student incivility, but will help us work toward our ultimate goal of assisting
students in achieving learning outcomes as well.
References
Boice, R. (2000). Advice
for new faculty members
. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Brookfield, S. (2002).
The Skillfull Teacher.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Howe, N. & Strauss, W. (2007).
Millennials go to college
. Great Falls, VA:
LifeCourse Associates.
Meyers, S. (2003). Strategies to prevent and reduce conflict in the college classroom.
College Teaching
,
51
, 94-98.
McKeachie, W. (2006).
Teaching Tips
(12th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Myers, D. (2008).
Exploring Psychology
(7th ed.). New York: Worth.
PBS Home Video (2005).
Declining by degrees: Higher education at risk
. Public
Broadcasting Service, pbs.org.
Twenge, J.M. (2006).
Generation me: Why today’s young Americans are more
confident, assertive, entitled – and more miserable than ever before
. New
York: Free Press.
Weimer, M. (2002).
Learner-centered teaching: Five key changes to practice
. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

15
Chapter 3
A Blueprint for the Future:
From Puget Sound to Your Campus
Karen Brakke
Spelman College
Barney Beins
Ithaca College
The Puget Sound Conference
eaching and learning are difficult and complex tasks. Psychology exists in
overlapping social, cultural, political, and educational contexts that shape and
perhaps dictate its application. Outside of colleges and universities, life has
never been more complex, the foundation of society has never been more seriously
questioned, and the tension and conflict between people and between industrial,
religious, and racial groups have never been more intense than they are today.
Furthermore, there are now several trends emerging in American higher
education such as lower enrollments in many 4-year institutions, students with a wider
range of backgrounds and preparations who are demanding more relevant academic
curricula and more vocationally oriented training, and increased pressures for
monitoring teaching productivity in a time of budgetary restraint.
Wide individual differences can be found among members of a class in general
psychology, and it seems that many students have to be taught to read intelligently.
Important as the differences in intelligence may be, they are overshadowed by much
more important differences in maturity, preparation, interests, and religious, social,
and cultural backgrounds. Similarities among students were more common when a
college education was limited to a select few, and doubtless the standardized methods
of teaching are a relic of those days. There has been pressure in the classroom to
depart from standardized lecture formats, to keep the students doing things instead of
merely listening, reading, or seeing them done.
These issues complicate the teaching of psychology, but ours is not the first
generation to face them. In fact, the first three paragraphs of this essay comprise a set
of nearly direct quotations of psychologist teachers between 1910 and 1960 (Beins,
1992). The important issues from the past remain important. What must change is the
way we respond to them.
For the past two decades, the 1991 Saint Mary’s Conference has influenced the
teaching of psychology. The seminal
Handbook for Enhancing Undergraduate
Education in Psychology
(McGovern, 1993) from that conference has provided
T

16
guidance on a host of pedagogical issues. However, the landscape of higher education
has undergone a vast transformation since then.
So, after nearly 20 years and a lifetime of technological and pedagogical evolution,
the next generation of educators has charted a course for the 21st century. The
National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology took place in June
2008 at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. Funded by APA, NSF,
and other sponsors, a star-studded steering committee of educators led by Diane
Halpern issued a competitive call for conference participants. Of more than 200
applicants, the steering committee chose approximately 70 participants who
represented different subdisciplines and institution types. The participants formed
nine groups, each tasked with writing a book chapter addressing one of the following
questions:
• Why do we need to rethink undergraduate education?
• Who is teaching Psychology? (including Quality of Instruction, Staffing Patterns,
Rewards, and Training)
• What is being taught and learned in Psychology courses?
• Who are the students in undergraduate Psychology?
• When and where are students taking Psychology courses?
• What are the modes of instruction?
• How can we promote learning with new technologies?
• How are we using new knowledge about teaching and learning?
• What are the desired outcomes of undergraduate education in Psychology?
The final versions of the chapters, along with introductory and closing chapters
and associated Quality Principles, appeared in a volume edited by Diane Halpern and
published in 2010 by APA, entitled
Undergraduate Education in Psychology: A
Blueprint for the Future of the Discipline
. This volume is a guide for educators,
programs, departments, and institutions in addressing undergraduate education in
psychology in the 21st century. Because the conference and the book are so closely
tied, with the ideas discussed in the former put to paper in the latter, we will refer to
them jointly here as the
Blueprint
as we discuss some of its themes and context.
Educational Context in the 21st Century
The
Blueprint
was conceived and produced in the midst of a veritable sea change
in higher education. Recent and continuing technological developments have not only
opened up new options for pedagogies and information gathering, but have, many
claim, changed the nature of student learning in the current generation of ‘digital
natives’ (Prensky, 2001) - college students who have grown up with computers and
related technologies. At the same time, calls for accountability (e.g. U.S. Department
of Education, 2006) and integrated learning (e.g., Bok, 2006) have forced colleges to
re-examine their general education and major programs. The last decade has also
been fraught with economic, environmental, and political concerns that affect the very

17
core of our functioning as a society, highlighting the need for psychology as a discipline
to engage in broader participation in addressing these critical global issues.
Themes of the
Blueprint
As the week of the Puget Sound conference progressed, it became apparent that
there were several points of contact between the discussions of the different groups.
As with any dynamic system, the
Blueprint
began to self-organize and develop some
emergent properties, or themes, that wove throughout multiple chapters of the book
and are reflected in the Quality Principles. What follows is our interpretation of some
of these themes.
Facilitating psychological literacy is critical to our educational mission
The term
psychological literacy
represents a multifaceted skill set that allows
individuals to use their knowledge of psychology to function well in their personal,
professional, and civic lives. Such a skill set can benefit everyone, even those who are
not psychology majors. We must remember that many, if not most, of the students we
see in our classes will take only one or a few psychology courses while in college. If
these students are to become psychologically literate and able to apply the content of
psychology to the conduct of their own lives, we need to redouble our efforts to ensure
that introductory psychology courses prepare students for the relevant contexts and
decisions that they will face throughout their lives.
Science remains the core of psychology
Despite increasing popularity of applied and allied approaches to psychology, our
discipline remains firmly grounded in scientific methods and values. An
undergraduate degree in psychology should reflect this foundation, and should
moreover, according to the
Blueprint
, include training in research methods supported
by key areas of the discipline including biological bases, learning and cognition,
developmental, and sociocultural domains.
Furthermore, it is critical that students who encounter psychology in only one or
two courses recognize that what we know about behavior and mental processes is
empirically based. The importance of identifying our discipline as a science is
considered so important that the
Blueprint
includes a call for departments to adopt the
moniker of Psychological Science.
There is no such thing as one size fits all
Institutions of higher learning vary in their missions and in their structures. As
such, the curriculum of psychology can take diverse forms while remaining true to the
scientific grounding of the discipline. Programs can put their stamp on the
psychology curriculum to reflect the needs and interests of their students. In addition,

18
rather than advocating for particular pedagogical techniques, the
Blueprint
acknowledges that a myriad approaches can be efficacious and that educators should
use instructional techniques that best match the learning goals, student characteristics,
and content that apply to the learning context.
We are experiencing a changing landscape of students and technology
Our job in considering how best to engage our students is constantly changing.
With the ongoing demographic changes and the rapid technological developments of
the 21st century, the nature of our students and their expectations has undergone a
revolution. It has become especially important, then, that we adopt a scientist-
educator model within our profession.
As scientist-educators who engage in pedagogical scholarship, we can share best
practices with each other, reduce the ‘lag time’ in adopting new and effective
approaches, and improve student outcomes by finding effective matches between
teaching and learning. As teachers, we can use our own psychological literacy to
generate and evaluate pedagogical techniques.
Successful education in psychology requires commitment of stakeholders at multiple
levels
Although we clearly play a critical role in transforming education in psychology,
we cannot transform it on our own. But we can provide an overarching set of
principles that guide educators. Consequently, the
Blueprint
ends with a set of Quality
Principles that task students, faculty, programs, institutional administrators, and
policymakers with taking responsibility for their role in fostering optimal learning
outcomes. These Quality Principles further delineate steps that each of these
stakeholder groups can (and should) take in working together to achieve the goal of
excellence in undergraduate psychology education.
Putting the
Blueprint
to Work
The promise of the
Blueprint
is wasted if we do not heed its call. The conference
has concluded, the book is published, and now we must follow up with action.
Already, colleagues have reported that the
Blueprint
has been used to inform
curriculum development, support departmental advocacy for resources, prompt at
least one departmental name change, and develop policy-oriented assignments.
Undoubtedly, the
Blueprint
will continue to leave its mark as it supports creative
teaching professionals in a wide range of initiatives. We call on each of our colleagues
to use the
Blueprint
as a guide in developing best practices and improving student
learning in psychology during the coming years.

19
References
Beins, B. C. (1992). Constancy and change: Teaching depicted in psychology journals.
In A. E. Puente, J. R. Matthews, & C. L. Brewer (Eds.)
Teaching psychology in
America: A history
(pp. 525-551). Washington, DC: APA.
Bok, D. (2006).
Our Underachieving Colleges
. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University
Press.
Halpern, D. F. (Ed.). (2010).
Undergraduate education in
psychology: A blueprint for
the future of the discipline
. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.
U.S. Department of Education (2006)
A test of leadership: Charting the future of U.S.
higher education.
Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from
http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports/final-report.pdf.
Prensky, M. (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.
On the Horizon, 9(5),
1-6.
Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-
%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

20
Chapter 4
Technology for Educators
Sue Frantz
Highline Community College
echnology changes very quickly, and the signal to noise ratio is very high. As
faculty, we don’t have a lot of time to seek new ways of interacting with our
computer-based information, let alone learn how to use those new tools. This
essay introduces a few easy-to-use tools that can help teachers work more efficiently.
Dropbox:
Windows, Linux, Mac, iPhone/Droid apps with an app for Blackberry coming soon
Are you using a flashdrive to tote your files from your office to your classroom
and then home? Do you back up your flashdrive or send files to yourself via email?
Do you ever worry about losing your flash drive or losing track of which version of a
file is most current? Consider Dropbox (http://dropbox.com). Imagine having access
to your files wherever you are: At home, at work, on your laptop, at the public library,
on your smartphone, on a boat, with a goat, in the rain, on a train. You get the idea.
Dropbox adds a folder in the ‘My Documents’ folder called ‘My Dropbox.’
Treat it like you would any other folder. Whatever you put in that folder will
automatically be uploaded to Dropbox.com and then downloaded to any other
computer where you have installed Dropbox. For example, I have it installed on my
work computer and my personal laptop. I can also access it on my Droid using the
Dropbox app or my phone’s web browser. In my classroom, I can visit Dropbox.com
and log in to my account to access my files. Dropbox serves as a handy backup. Not
only are my files saved in three places (work, home, and on the Dropbox server),
Dropbox retains previous versions of files for 30 days.
Another advantage of Dropbox is that I can share individual folders with other
people. I have several folders inside my Dropbox folder. By right-clicking on the
folder and mousing over ‘Dropbox,’ I can select ‘Share this folder.’ This will open my
browser to the appropriate page on the Dropbox website. All I need to do is type in
the addresses of the people with whom I want to share the folder, and Dropbox will
send them invitations. A shared folder acts like a shared drive. Any change I make to a
file will automatically be updated on the computers of everyone with whom I’m
sharing that folder. When that person makes a change, the file is updated on my
computer.
T

21
A minor disadvantage of this resource is that only those who install Dropbox
are able to share files. While Dropbox makes it easy for others to join and set up
Dropbox, some users may resist being ‘forced’ to use a new program.
Xobni (Inbox spelled backwards):
Windows XP, Vista, or 7; Outlook 2003, 2007, or 2010
Xobni is an add-in for Outlook (http://xobni.com) that makes managing the
onslaught of email much easier. It can help you quickly find email messages,
attachments, and contact information for anyone with whom you have ever exchanged
emails (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Xobni occupies the fourth column on the screen.
To illustrate how it works, I sent a blank email to myself. When I click on that
email, I see the message in the reading pane (third column), and Xobni automatically
pulls in whatever information it has collected about me. If I were looking at an email
from you, I would see whatever information Xobni has collected about you. At the top
you see my work email address. Next are my work and mobile numbers. I can even
Skype directly from Xobni. I didn’t have to enter any of this information; Xobni
pulled it from emails that were sent to and from my Outlook. Where did the photo
come from? Facebook. Xobni will show photos for people who use this email for their
Facebook account and who have their Facebook photo set as publicly available.

22
Xobni’s true power lies in its indexing of email. If I’m looking at an email you
just sent me, I can also see the most recent email conversations we’ve had, the files
we’ve exchanged, and website URLs we’ve shared, all of which I can open directly
from Xobni. Xobni is also searchable. Typing “Jack” in the search box will locate
everyone I’ve corresponded with who has “Jack” as part of their name. I will also get
all the email messages that had “Jack” in the subject line or body of the message, all
files exchanged that contain “Jack” in the name of the file, and any appointment that
included someone named Jack. If ‘Jack’ is on the webpage of a URL that I and
another person exchanged in an email, Xobni will give me the URL.
When Xobni was first released, it was criticized for slowing down Outlook.
Xobni has largely resolved that issue. Outlook may initially take slightly longer to open
but then there is no difference in how the program performs and the benefits of
Xobni’s search capabilities can quickly outweigh this slight delay.
Other Outlook Add-ins
If you live in Outlook, you might also be interested in Simply File
(http://www.techhit.com/SimplyFile) for quickly filing email messages into folders,
EZDetach (http://www.techhit.com/ezdetach) for quickly pulling attachments off email
messages and saving them to your computer, and Bcc (http://www.bccthis.com) which
allows you to send one message to one or more people while letting you send an
additional comment to one or more additional people. Use bcc to keep someone in
the loop while adding additional information for context. It works with Outlook,
Gmail, and Blackberry.
Google Reader
How many websites do you visit each day? When do you find time to go into
your college library’s database to look at what’s new in your professional journals? Do
you keep checking in with your favorite bloggers to see if they have posted something
new? Wouldn’t it be nice if someone would just contact you to let you know when
there is new content on a web page? RSS feed readers do just that. When you use a
feed reader to ‘subscribe’ to a website, the reader periodically checks that website for
new content.
In fact, you probably already have a feed reader. Outlook and Firefox, for
instance, both can read RSS feeds. In Outlook, you can find “RSS Feeds” in your
“Mail Folders” pane, just above your “Sent Items” folder. In Firefox, they’re called
“live bookmarks.” Many web pages produce RSS feeds -
content that is readily readable by RSS feed readers. Many
post a sporty little orange icon. Your browser may also
display this icon in the address bar to tell you an RSS feed
is available. Click the icon to subscribe to the feed.
Google Reader (http://www.google.com/reader) is
popular because it’s web-based rather than residing on your
Figure 2. RSS feed icon.

23
computer; you can access your personal news feeds on any device that has internet
access. I’ll discuss how to use Google Reader, but all readers work basically the same
way: Subscribe to a news feed. Read the news feed. Here's a one-minute overview
courtesy of Google Reader: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSPZ2Uu_X3Y.
Figure 3. My Google Reader.
In the screenshot, on the left you can see some of the feeds to which I’m
subscribed. The ones in bold are the ones with unread content; the number in
parentheses tells me how many unread items are in that feed. On the right is content
from some of my unread feeds.
Did you know that your
library’s database has RSS feeds?
For instance in Figure 4, I have
an “APA” folder that has two
APA journals in it. Google
Reader retrieves each journal’s
table of contents giving the title,
author, and journal information.
Some journals even provide the
abstract. Clicking the article title
takes me directly to the article in
my library’s database. A database
search can also be an RSS feed.
Whenever new content arrives in
the database that matches your
search criteria, the articles will
Figure 4. Library databases provide RSS feeds.

24
appear in your feed reader. To subscribe, visit your library’s website, and open your
favorite database. Locate the journals, magazines, or newspapers you are interested in
and look for the orange RSS icon
In short, an RSS feed reader produces a personalized newspaper. Some
people feel compelled to read everything in their news feed and if they don’t, they feel
guilty. Truly, your RSS feed reader doesn’t care if you read it or not. Skim the
headlines like you would a newspaper, and read only what you’d like.
Phrase Express: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or 7
I spend a lot of time typing the same phrases over and over again. When
students send me an assignment via email, I reply with a ‘got it’ message. When I send
them their graded assignments, I write a ‘your assignment is attached’ message. When
I grade papers electronically, I find myself typing the same sorts of comments over and
over again such as, “Write out numbers that begin sentences.” Phrase Express
(http://www.phraseexpress.com) allows me to use keyboard shortcuts to make such
comments.
PhraseExpress works wherever you type text – in email, in Word, in Excel, in
your browser’s search box. Using whatever combination of key strokes you designate,
Phrase Express will automatically enter text, run a program, open a folder or file, do a
web search, access your clipboard cache, open a calendar, or enter today’s date. If you
can do it on your computer, Phrase Express can do it with a shortcut. One downside
of this application is that Phrase Express will sometimes behave strangely, such as
performing an action with just part of a keyboard shortcut. For example, CTRL-ALT-
V will produce a window that lists the last 20 copies I made. In Windows, CTRL-V
pastes just the last copy. Sometimes CTRL-V will be enough to cause Phrase Express
to show the last 20 copies. Closing and reopening Phrase Express usually resolves the
issue.
Conclusion
This essay introduced several computing resources that can help you more
easily manage files, email, and information, and can also provide you with shortcuts for
common tasks. Resources such as these can enhance your ability to collaborate with
colleagues, improve your access to information, and increase your efficiency as you
juggle professional responsibilities.

25
Chapter 5
Internationalizing Your Psychology Course
Richard S. Velayo
Pace University
International Psychology: What It Is and Its Relevance in Teaching Psychology
here are two definitions that I think adequately capture the most relevant
aspects of international psychology. First, international psychology is referred
to as “an emerging branch of psychology that focuses on the worldwide
enterprise of psychology in terms of communication and networking, cross-cultural
comparison, scholarship, practice, and pedagogy” (International psychology, 2010).
This definition suggests that it can be a distinct area within psychology that one can
specialize in, and that it promotes a more global orientation to understanding the
human psyche. The second definition describes international psychology as “a
science-informed domain that cuts across traditional fields and subsumes an array of
pressing global concerns and challenges, including but not limited to intergroup
conflict and peace building, environmental degradation and preservation, and risks for
and the prevention of physical, and mental illness” (Stevens, 2009, p. 42). This
definition illustrates the interdisciplinary and empirically-based nature of international
psychology and demonstrates that there are current topics relevant to understanding
human behavior and thinking from a global perspective.
Though there are a number of articles that offer ways to internationalize the
psychology curriculum (e.g., Bartolini, Gharib, & Phillips, 2009, Boenau, 2007;
Hogan, 1996; Marsella, 2007; Stevens & Wedding, 2004; Takooshian, 2004); this
essay has a more specific purpose: to offer simple ways for psychology instructors to
internationalize the courses they teach.
There are compelling reasons why a growing number of instructors have tried
to internationalize their courses in some way. Many aspects of human life continue to
become more globally influenced and there is increasing realization in the field that
the differences and commonalities in human behavior between cultures around the
world can be explained as a function of the contextual and historical variations
between nations as cultures evolve. Thus, psychologists have come to value the pursuit
of a more global perspective in understanding how individuals behave and think.
Internationalization is also reflected in the mission of many colleges and
universities. An international perspective, both in psychology and other disciplines,
has increased in recent years because people from all over the world have greater
connections with each other. This is the result of factors such as increased travel,
telecommunications, geopolitical collaborations and conflicts, cross-national business
dealings, environmental concerns, and humanitarian efforts that cross national
T

26
boundaries. Internationalization strategies within colleges and universities help
students become globally and culturally competent citizens, and provide them with the
kind of education that prepares them to function and compete in a more global
society. Since most students will likely not have the opportunity to study or work
abroad, internationalizing the curriculum through pedagogical strategies employed by
course instructors is a viable and potentially cost-effective alternative.
Unfortunately, there is evidence that the existing psychology curriculum in the
United States includes little on internationalization (Woolf, Hulsizer, & McCarthy,
2002a, 2002b). There is also an apparent lack of cross-national knowledge, research,
and awareness of perspectives about psychology among many of our majors.
Instructors tend to encounter roadblocks when they consider incorporating an
international perspective in terms of what and how they teach. These roadblocks
include but may not be limited to instructors’ lack of familiarity with the international
literature, lack of institutional financial support for internationalization, and instructors’
other work-related obligations. Thus, psychology instructors need specific guidance
concerning what they can do to add a more international perspective to their courses.
Before considering strategies, it is wise to know the relevant objectives for
internationalizing a psychology course. I suggest reading the report from the APA
Working Group on Internationalizing the Psychology Curriculum (APA Task Force
on Internationalization the Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum, 2005) as a useful
beginning framework. The authors of the report recommended five goals and
associated learning outcomes. The five goals address psychological knowledge in
international perspective, methodological issues in international research, the
discipline of psychology in the international perspective (i.e., awareness of how the
discipline of psychology is developed, studied, and applied in and across cultures),
psychology and interpersonal understanding, and psychology and global issues. The
report also provides suggested student learning outcomes for each goal to assist with
course design and for use as a checklist to assess the effectiveness of the strategies at
the end of the course.
Simple Strategies Instructors Can Use to Internationalize a Psychology Course
How may a psychology course be internationalized? There are a variety of
different ways to go about this, so I offer the following pedagogical strategies that you
may employ. Most of these strategies are based on a preliminary analysis of a recent
survey that APA Division 52’s Curriculum and Training Committee conducted asking
its members who teach psychology what have they done to internationalize their
courses.
Class Presentations and Lectures
• Have visiting scholars, international students, and study-abroad returnees (and
those who have simply traveled and stayed in another country) as classroom
resources.

27
• Show films/videos that enhance an international perspective and critical
thinking pertaining to psychological constructs (see Meiners, 2009).
• Adopt critical questioning and cross-national comparisons of psychology as a
means of helping students examine and challenge their own assumptions,
beliefs, values, and practices from international perspectives (e.g., Students
learn that the model they see in the U.S. is not the only possible model and
that basic assumptions about the scientific nature of psychology are questioned
in some parts of the world).
• Discuss world events and current issues whenever possible; recommend good
international news outlets.
Student Activities
• Emphasize active learning activities (e.g., small group discussion, debate, role
play, etc.) in teaching about global issues from a psychological perspective.
• Discuss faculty international experiences during class and informally during
advising sessions or office hours.
• Facilitate interaction between domestic and international students by providing
more opportunities for collaborative student projects and structured activities.
• Encourage students to attend international events (especially psychology
conferences) on and off campus. Provide extra credit to students who do
attend.
Writing Requirements
• Include contributions of non-U.S. authors on course reading lists and in-class
lectures. (e.g., in presenting and discussing the history of a subfield or content
area).
• Require students to include and cite international literature in the papers they
write. If you prefer this to be optional, give them extra credit but make sure all
students are informed of the opportunity.
Utilize the Internet
• Use social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, blogs, wikis, virtual worlds,
Blackboard, videoconferencing, etc.) in teaching/training and research work.
• Use internet-based technologies (e.g., e-mails, Websites, podcasts, YouTube
videos, videoconferencing, blogs, internet-based research technologies) that
promise to be particularly relevant and effective pedagogical devices in
internationalizing psychology curriculum (Velayo, Oliva, & Blank, 2008).
Presuming that your students are already very familiar with such technology
and may find it motivating if these resources are utilized in the course, this may
facilitate their readiness to communicate and collaborate with others across
geographical regions of the world. For example, a class of students from one
institution could “meet” a class of students from an institution in another
country via videoconferencing. Blackboard technology could be used to set up

28
a web-enhanced course that allows for discussions among students from
different institutions around the world.
You may even be interested in developing a course on International
Psychology. There have only been a handful of university-affiliated instructors that I
know of who have done so. I would recommend looking over the syllabus developed
by Dr. Michael Stevens of Illinois State University, which is available online at
http://www.psychology.ilstu.edu/mjsteven/PSY326.html. You will find certain topics he
covers to be useful to integrate into your own course. You will also notice that he has a
required textbook (Stevens & Gielen, 2007), as well as a set of reproduced book
chapters and journal articles drawn from various social science disciplines (e.g.,
political science, sociology).
Additional Resources
There are abundant resources that can be very useful in incorporating
international content into a psychology course but these are not generally available
through a single published resource. For those who wish to read more about
internationalizing the psychology curriculum, I offer my top 12 recommended
resources (listed alphabetically based on authorship) to help you gain more knowledge
and develop your own unique approach to internationalizing your courses.
1. APA Task Force on Internationalizing the Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum.
(2005).
Report and recommended learning outcomes for internationalizing the
undergraduate curriculum
. Retrieved on July 11, 2010 from
http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ProgramsServices/cii/current/past/AP
AFinalACEReportjtp.doc
[This document recommends five relevant goals and associated learning outcomes for
internationalizing the undergraduate psychology curriculum in the United States.]
2.
International Journal of Psychology
(2006, Volume 41, Issue 1).
This special issue of the journal published on behalf of the International Union of
Psychological Science (IUPsyS) features the topic on “International Practices in the
Teaching of Psychology” with guest editors, Victor Karandashev and Sherri McCarthy.
3.
International Psychology Information Clearinghouse.
Retrieved on July 11, 2010
from http://www.internationalpsychology.net/resources/
[This 100+ page comprehensive listing of relevant resources has been compiled by
Michael Stevens, PhD (Professor of Psychology at Illinois State University) and made
accessible on the website of APA’s Division of International Psychology. It contains
general resources - accessible via the web or in print form - including career
information, international psychology organizations, work opportunities for academic,
research, and clinical settings, potential funding sources for US and non-US instructors

29
and students, books, articles, syllabi, conference presentations, and many other
resources.]
4. McCarthy, S., Newstead, S., Karandashev, V., Prandini, C., Hutz, C., & Gomes, W.
(Eds.) (2007).
Teaching psychology around the world, Volume 1.
Newcastle upon
Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
[This book provides an overview of teaching psychology internationally by
incorporating research and perspectives from psychologists in more than 30 countries.
It also includes relevant information for secondary, undergraduate, and post-graduate
psychology programs.]
5. McCarthy, S., Karandashev, V., Stevens, M., Thatcher, A., Jaafar, J., Moore, K.,
Trapp, A., & Brewer, C. (Eds.) (2009).
Teaching psychology around the world,
Volume 2.
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
[This book includes current information on the teaching and practice of psychology
collected by experts in the field throughout the world. It is highly recommended by
prominent U.S. psychologists. One of the chapters from this book that you may find
useful is by Meiners (2009) titled “Viewing films to build ‘global competence’: A case
study.”]
6. Woolf, L. M., Hulsizer, M. R., & McCarthy, T. (2002a).
International psychology:
A compendium of textbooks for selected courses evaluated for international content.
Retrieved July 15, 2010 from
http://www.teachpsych.org/otrp/resources/resources.php?category=International%20Ps
ychology
[This electronic resource contains a compilation of information on textbooks in
introductory, social, and lifespan developmental psychology which have been
evaluated for international content. It includes comparative tables (amount of
international coverage per textbook and per chapter, total number of chapters,
number and gender of authors, etc.), plus narrative reviews of each of the textbooks
given these three content areas.]
7. Woolf, L. M., Hulsizer, M. R., & McCarthy, T. (2002b).
International psychology:
Annotated bibliography, relevant organizations, and course suggestions.
Retrieved July
15, 2010 from
http://www.teachpsych.org/otrp/resources/resources.php?category=International%20Ps
ychology
[This contains a diverse set of resources including sample syllabi, annotated
bibliographies, and video suggestions to help you incorporate international content
into selected existing courses. It may also be useful to those who wish to develop a
course on international psychology.]
8. Pawlik, K., & d’Ydewalle, G. (2006).
Psychological concepts: An international
historical perspective.
Hove, UK: Psychology Press.

30
[This book provides an international perspective on each of the core psychological
concepts, describing and analyzing them from a historical point of view. Authors from
11 countries and 4 continents, all distinguished in their respective research areas,
contributed to the 14 chapters.
9.
Stevens, M. J., & Wedding, D. (Eds.). (2004).
Handbook of International
Psychology
. New York: Brunner-Routledge.
[This book chronicles the evolution of psychology in different world regions for the
purpose of reducing the ethnocentric nature of the western psychology. Each chapter
follows a uniform outline, unifying the volume as a whole, but allowing for the cultural
diversity and status of psychology in each country.]
10. Stevens, M. J., & Gielen, U. P. (Eds.). (2007).
Toward a global psychology:
Theory, research, interventions, and pedagogy.
Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
[This book is a thorough review of the existing literature on international psychology
from around the world and provides the knowledge needed to successfully engage in
the science and practice of psychology in an increasingly globalized society. It provides
an overview of conceptual models, research methodologies, interventions, and
pedagogical approaches related to international psychology
11. Wedding, D. & Stevens, M. J. (2009).
Psychology: IUPsyS global resources
. [CD-
ROM (8th ed.)]. Hove, UK: Psychology Press.
[This resource contains a set of tools covering all aspects of psychology around the
world. New material is added to this CD-ROM and existing sections are updated
and/or expanded annually.]
References
APA Task Force on Internationalizing the Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum.
(2005).
Report and recommended learning outcomes for internationalizing the
undergraduate curriculum
. Retrieved on July 11, 2010 from
http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ProgramsServices/cii/current/
past/APAFinalACEReportjtp.doc
Bartolini, L., Gharib, A., & Phillips, W. (2009).
Internationalizing Psychology
Courses
. Retrieved 12:32 July 20, 2010, from
http://www.apa.org/international/pi/2009/07/courses.aspx.
Hogan, J. (1996). International psychology and the undergraduate curriculum: A
personal note.
Teaching of Psychology, 23
(1), 44-45.
International psychology. (2010, February 8). In
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
.
Retrieved 01:24, July 20, 2010, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=International_psychology&oldid=342
726874
Marsella, A. J. (2007). Education and training for a global psychology. In M. J. Stevens

31
& U. P. Gielen (Eds.),
Toward a Global Psychology: Theory, Research,
Intervention, and Pedagogy
(pp. 333–361). Mahwah, NJ.
Stevens, M. J. (2009). Education and Training of International Psychologists: The
Current Status of Internationalization of the Psychology Curriculum. In S.
McCarthy et al. (Eds.),
Teaching psychology around the world, Volume 2
(pp.
39-59). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Stevens, M. J., & Gielen, U. P. (Eds.). (2007).
Toward a global psychology: Theory,
Research,
Intervention, and Pedagogy
. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Stevens, M. J., & Wedding, D. (Eds.). (2004).
Handbook of International Psychology
.
New York: Brunner-Routledge.
Takooshian, H. (July 2004). Internationalizing the psychology curriculum: Looking
back and ahead. Paper presented at
the TOPSS (Teaching of Psychology in
Secondary Schools) Meeting at the APA Convention
, Honolulu, HI.
Velayo, R. S., Oliva, J., & Blank, D. (2008). Using the internet: A call to
internationalize the psychology curriculum.
International Psychology Bulletin,
12
(1), 22-26.
Woolf, L. M., Hulsizer, M. R., & McCarthy, T. (2002a). International psychology: A
compendium of textbooks for selected courses evaluated for international
content. OTRP-Online, published by Office of Teaching Resources in
Psychology, Society for the Teaching of Psychology (Division 2, APA).
Retrieved July 18, 2010 from
http://www.teachpsych.org/otrp/resources/resources.php?category=Internation
al%20Psychology
Woolf, L. M., Hulsizer, M. R., & McCarthy, T. (2002b). International psychology:
Annotated bibliography, relevant organizations, and course suggestions.
OTRP-Online, published by Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology,
Society for the Teaching of Psychology (Division 2, APA). Retrieved July 18,
2010 from
http://www.teachpsych.org/otrp/resources/resources.php?category=Internation
al%20Psychology

32
Chapter 6
Advising Dilemmas: Difficult Messages and
Strategies for Delivering Them
Daniel T. Rogers
Kennesaw State University
Monica J. Reis-Bergan
James Madison University
dvising interactions provide opportune teaching moments. Advisees arrive
with questions, goals, and uncertainties in hand. Although their investment in
the advice received will vary, there is great potential for advisees to receive new
information and to correct misinformation. Faculty interest in these teaching moments
also varies. Ware (1993) observed that “although theory, research, and practical
applications permeate the advising literature, most academic psychologists appear
relatively uninterested in advising-related activities and outcomes” (p. 47). This stems
in part from advising taking time away from classroom teaching, research endeavors,
and service activities. But we believe that advising dilemmas also impact such
attitudes. By “advising dilemmas,” we mean those moments when an advisee’s
question or situation requires a response that both parties are likely to experience as
undesirable or unpleasant. Often the advisor feels a pull to deliver bad news, provide
a reality check, or confront problematic behavior or thinking.
Our goal in this essay is to shed light on common advising dilemmas in an
attempt to normalize the difficulty faculty experience in confronting them and provide
action steps for advisors seeking to improve the outcomes. To accomplish this, we
first consider the culture of advising and several contextual factors for advising
interactions. We then examine three common advising dilemmas and offer practical
strategies for successfully addressing them. We conclude by attending to several
broad, department level issues that impact the specific advising dilemmas faculty
encounter.
Advising Culture and Context
Several elements of the advising culture parallel that of patients and providers
in the medical community. Prominent among these is advisees’ tendency to consult
multiple sources of information (e.g., websites, institution catalog, instructors, peers)
prior to meeting with an advisor. Although informed advisees are desirable, problems
emerge when they are more invested in the advisor confirming their self-assessments
and plans than offering expert, objective guidance.
A

33
Because faculty react to the advising situation in diverse ways, second opinions
are of value. Faculty differ in terms of their knowledge of issues critical to student
success (e.g., university policies, trends in a subfield) and approaches to advising. For
example, prescriptive advisors address the specific tasks and questions at hand whereas
developmental advisors are concerned with students’ broader growth (Crookston,
1972, reprinted 1994; Appleby 2001). The former “treats” the primary symptom
while the later “treats” the entire student.
Like physicians who avoid discussing diet, substance use, and exercise, some
faculty are so uncomfortable addressing students’ grades, study habits, and classroom
behavior that they simply fail to do it. Still others proceed by conceptualizing the task
as difficult in the moment but ultimately in the student’s best interest. Like patients
fearful of receiving bad news from a physician, many advisees avoid advising altogether
or skirt difficult topics. Others attempt to negotiate things beyond the advisor’s
control. They may argue that a particular course requirement in the major is
unjustified or that a graduate program of interest is being unfair in using its minimum
GRE requirement. Still other advisees deny the realities advisors present, such as the
impossibility of raising an established GPA beyond a certain point.
It is important that advisors also recognize key contextual factors in advising
dilemmas such as the dramatic changes to the employment situation for young college
graduates. In his article
The Lost Generation
, Coy (2009) identifies several troubling
trends. For example, in September of 2009 only 46% of 16-24 year olds had jobs –
the lowest percentage on record since WWII. Advisees’ fears related to
unemployment, lack of insurance, and homelessness are likely increasing. The tight
job market may also increase the number of alumni requesting advising. Students
whose employment or graduate school plans were thwarted may contact a previous
advisor for assistance.
Another contextual factor is highlighted by the attention recently given to the
for-profit education industry. Media coverage of some students’ negative experiences
and the profit margins of some institutions has helped spur congressional inquiries
into potential wastes of federal student aid (Field, 2010). As the number of graduate
degrees offered by such institutions grows, advisors will face the issue of how to best
help students evaluate the quality and costs of these programs independent from their
likelihood of acceptance and the program’s claims.
Common Dilemmas and Strategies for Responding
Faculty members face a variety of dilemmas when working with advisees. One
common advising dilemma arises when students’ math and writing skills are
inadequate. These advisees often express strong dislike for fundamental aspects of the
major. For example, Advisee X says he is taking the research methods course a third
time despite his disdain for numbers and writing. His transcript reflects poor grades in
related courses and low SAT scores. Despite his anguish, he repeatedly asserts that he
will pass the course this time. In this situation, it is incumbent upon the advisor to not
collude with the student in ignoring his skill deficits and instead commit to questioning

34
his past performance. Advisees often avoid this conversation by attributing previous
struggles to external factors, and too often advisors accept this in order to avoid direct
confrontation. This dilemma also demands a frank discussion about the nature of the
major and field. Such skills deficits have immediate relevance to success in courses
and long-term relevance to success in graduate school and careers (Appleby, 2001).
This dilemma is a proverbial fork in the road. Many advisees in this position would
be well served by an advisor who engages in an honest conversation about what other
majors might be better suited to the students’ skills and interests.
A second advising dilemma involves students who overestimate their chances
of getting into graduate school. For example, Advisee X says, “I know I have a 480
Verbal GRE score and a 3.2 GPA, but I’m positive I will get into X clinical Ph.D.
program.” In this situation, it is important that the advisor first question her reasons
for applying and the logic behind her confidence. Such advisees often need assistance
to separate desire, or motivation, to attend graduate school from the ability to
successfully complete it. Advisors are best equipped to address this dilemma when
they understand: 1) the different types of programs that exist (e.g., clinical scientist vs.
scientist practitioner), 2) the relative importance of application components, and 3)
recent admissions statistics (for example resources, see Lawson, 1995; Norcross,
Kohout, & Wicherski, 2005). Being armed with this information moves the advice
and guidance advisors provide outside of opinion or personal experience and into the
realm of empirical evidence. Advisors can also direct students to resources available
for navigating the application process (e.g., American Psychological Association, 2009;
Keith-Spiegel & Wiederman, 2000; Norcross, Sayette, & Mayne, 2008).
A third advising dilemma occurs when weak students request letters of
recommendation. These advisees often begin their request by acknowledging some
deficit they assume might normally prohibit a letter, such as inadequate qualifications
for graduate school, limited interactions with the advisor, and/or needing the letter on
short notice. Unlike other advising activities, this dilemma involves a request for the
advisor’s formal evaluation of the advisee. As a result, faculty should explore the costs
and rewards of their decision. The advisee’s welfare must be considered (e.g., Will he
or she be well served by attending the program?). The welfare of the graduate
program should also be considered (e.g., Would the advisee be an asset or liability to
the program when working with mentors, serving clients, or teaching students?). After
considering these issues, advisors should recognize they have multiple options for
responding to a student’s request. They can say “yes” knowing that the letter will be
strong, or they can say “yes” but explain to the advisee what limits them from writing a
strong letter. Advisors also can say “no” knowing the letter would not be strong
enough, or they can say “no” and talk with the student about how this situation can be
addressed to ensure a strong letter in the future.
Conclusion
Advising dilemmas like those discussed above may recur in part due to the
persistence and prevalence of certain advising cultural and contextual factors.

35
Individual advisors can do much to enhance their effectiveness at and comfort in
dealing with these dilemmas. Yet in addition to the expansion of advisors’ knowledge
and skills, it is important to attend to departmental-level concerns and decisions that
impact advisors and advisees. For example, as advisors and departments consider
advising dilemmas, decisions must be made regarding who is best equipped to address
these challenges and where the limited resources are best applied. Some departments
utilize advising specialists (faculty or staff) who have expertise and interest in working
with larger numbers of advisees. If faculty alone carry the responsibility for advising,
the time required must be evaluated in light of other responsibilities. How advising
resources are prioritized among prospective, current, and former students should also
be determined.
Some advising dilemmas can be reduced by clearly communicating to students
the identity of the major and expectations for those pursuing it. Departments could
offer a pre-major orientation or require a course on the psychology major and related
careers. Standards for entering and remaining in the major can also be established and
enforced. Struggling students can be more proactively engaged through intervention
advising designed to directly address their problems and devise remedies. Advanced
students can be assisted by offering workshops on preparing for post-degree plans or
having departmental policies on situations that are often handled inconsistently across
advisors (e.g., letters of recommendation, qualifications for research assistants).
Dilemmas contribute to perceptions that advising can be one of the most
challenging of a faculty members’ responsibilities. By developing an appreciation for
the normalcy of such impasses and utilizing strategies for addressing them, advisors
can begin to transform more of these dilemmas into teaching moments.
References
American Psychological Association. (2009).
Graduate study in psychology. 2010
.
Washington, DC: Author.
Appleby, D. C. (2001, March). The teaching-advising connection: Is there more than
one type of academic advising?
The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal,
3
(1)
.
Retrieved from http://www.psu.edu/dus/mentor
Coy, P. (2009, October 8). The lost generation: The continuing job crisis is hitting
young people especially hard-damaging both their future and the economy.
Business Week
. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com
Crookston, B. B. (1972). A developmental view of academic advising as teaching.
Journal of College Student Personnel, 13
, 12-17.
Field, K. (2010, June 4). Senators vow to crack down on 'bad actors' in the for-profit
sector.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
. Retrieved from
http://chronicle.com
Keith-Spiegel, P., & Wiederman, M. W. (2000).
The complete guide to graduate
school admission: Psychology, counseling, and related professions
(2nd ed.).
Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

36
Lawson, T. J. (1995). Gaining admission into graduate programs in Psychology: An
update.
Teaching of Psychology, 22
, 225–227.
Norcross, J. C., Kohout, J. L., & Wicherski, M. (2005). Graduate study in psychology:
1971 to 2004.
American Psychologist, 60
, 959–975. doi:10.1037/0003-
066X.60.9.959
Norcross, J. C., Sayette, M. A., & Mayne, T. J. (2008).
Insider’s guide to graduate
programs in clinical and counseling psychology: 2008/2009 Edition
. New
York, NY: Guilford.
Ware, M. E. (1993). Developing and improving advising: Challenges to prepare
students for life. In T. V. McGovern (Ed.),
Handbook for enhancing
undergraduate education in psychology
(pp. 47-70). Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association.

37
Chapter 7
The Vacuity of Positive Thinking:
A Century of Pop Psychology
Luis A. Cordón
Eastern Connecticut State University
n many of our classes we leave out entirely much of the stuff that students, prior to
arriving in our classrooms, thought was part of the field of psychology. However,
teaching students enough about the history of pop psychology to understand why
we don’t devote much attention to it is quite worth the effort. Perhaps it would be best
to begin with a definition: While books from actual psychological scientists frequently
do well in the marketplace, the term “pop psychology” is generally reserved for works
by academic outsiders submitting their ideas and advice directly to the public rather
than undergoing the peer-review process of academic journals. While the science of
psychology emphasizes replicable empirical evidence, much of pop psychology is
devoted to simplistic advice and the uncritical repetition of already widely-held beliefs,
common sense, and religious advice, retooled with psychological jargon to sound
contemporary and scientific.
Just as I structure my History and Systems course around a set of themes,
recurring ideas, and conflicts (free will vs. determinism, nativism vs. empiricism,
mental phenomena vs. behavior), I have also found a unifying theme for pop
psychology. The theme is that pop psychology has only ever really had one idea – an
idea best described, to borrow from Norman Vincent Peale, as
The Power of Positive
Thinking
(more on him later). There have been many variations on this theme but
like any good musical composition, pop psychology (and pop theology too, for that
matter) keeps restating the original theme.
The first successful and influential implementation of this idea in the modern
era occurred at the hands of Mary Baker Eddy, who established the Church of Christ,
Scientist in 1879 - the same year as the founding of Wundt’s laboratory. Eddy was a
pioneer of the approach of providing unsupported health advice and religious
guidance wrapped in the trappings of the new science of psychology. A foundational
principle of Christian Science is Eddy’s notion that all illness is ultimately an illusion.
The appearance of illness is actually caused by faulty beliefs, and the sick can therefore
be healed via prayer which works by replacing bad thoughts with good ones (which
almost
sounds like cognitive behavior therapy).
Baker’s basic text,
Science and Health: With a Key to the Scriptures
, was first
published in 1875. Based on Eddy’s writings, Christian Science practitioners work by
essentially arguing the patient out of being sick. In the modern version, these
I

38
consultations don’t always occur in person: Healing can ostensibly be accomplished
over the telephone, by mail, and possibly even via e-mail. Consultation with a
practitioner is not always necessary, as the sick person may also be able to self-heal
through prayer and concentration.
In a history and systems course, Eddy's story can be integrated with a
discussion of the early days of hypnosis, as her central insight can be traced to an 1862
visit to a doctor who used Mesmer’s ideas—he claimed to manipulate the flow of
magnetic fluid in her body using actual magnets along with his own animal magnetism.
Eddy decided, correctly, that the magnets had nothing to do with her recovery. She
instead credited Jesus Christ with the healing and decided that all illness could and
should be treated in this way.
Eddy’s book was so successful that she founded a church to promote her ideas,
which grew to a membership of nearly 270,000 by World War II. Over the years, the
church’s membership has declined precipitously (the most recent estimate I could find
places membership at around 30,000 as of 1991), probably due in part to the difficulty
of sustaining its basic teachings in the face of modern medicine. Ms. Eddy did have
one insight that modern psychology largely confirms: A patient’s mental status and
beliefs can influence the effectiveness of a treatment, though it isn’t the actual cause of
most illness.
In 1952, Norman Vincent Peale, a Protestant minister who oversaw a 5000-
member congregation in Manhattan, published one of pop psychology’s perennial
bestsellers:
The Power of Positive Thinking
– a book that remains in print today
having sold more than seven million
copies. Though it remains his best-known book,
it was actually the culminating event of a career in which he had already devoted
considerable attention to blending his ministry with psychological ideas. Peale’s basic
technique for overcoming any adversity in life involves repeating positive affirmations
over and over again until they sink into the unconscious mind and are internally
repeated automatically. The central idea is that if you repeat positive things about
yourself, you will come to believe them. The repetition is necessary in order to defeat
the conscious will, which Peale asserts is unreliable and troublesome. Peale teaches
that by giving up control to the unconscious, the individual gains access to the power of
God - a portion of which has been placed in all of us. The person who believes that
he or she possesses this power can proceed to do great things. In other words,
thinking positive things will cause
positive things to happen, and negative thoughts will
cause negative things to happen. This remarkably durable idea sustained Peale
through a long list of additional books, including:
•
The Power of Positive Thinking for Young People
(1954)
•
The Art of Real Happiness
(1956)
•
The Amazing Results of Positive Thinking
(1959)
• And (inevitably, given the publishing business)
Sin, Sex, and Self-Control
(1965).
The central idea of these books has cast a long shadow, with many (most?) other pop
psychology authors freely borrowing from Peale.

39
A similar philosophy, presented from a non-religious, business-friendly
perspective, was popularized by Dale Carnegie (1888-1955), author of the huge-selling
How to Win Friends and Influence People
(1936) which remains in print and is quite
popular today. He is best-known for teaching people to overcome their fear of public
speaking and other anxiety-provoking situations, along with (self-evidently) how to win
friends and influence people. Carnegie’s central principle is simply that it is possible
to change other people’s behavior by changing how we think about and react to them.
If that sounds familiar it’s because like those before him, he focused on the notion that
thinking positively will produce desired results. By the time of Carnegie’s death,
How
to Win Friends…
had sold a remarkable 5 million copies in at least 31 languages and it
continues to sell briskly today. This almost certainly makes him the all-time sales
champion among pop psychology authors.
To self-help guru Tony Robbins, sales like Dale Carnegie's are unimpressive
given the other ways Robbins has found to influence world events. Robbins has
become so widely-respected that he was actually invited to a secret meeting at Camp
David by U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1994. In his book
Awaken the Giant Within
,
Robbins recounts meetings with Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, François
Miterrand, and Nelson Mandela. Given the prominence of those who have listened,
the actual message is depressingly familiar: Think more positively about what you do,
and you will accomplish all your goals.
Tony Robbins has a gift for titles: He promises to help seminar
attendees/readers achieve
Unlimited Power
(1986). He also promises to
Awaken the
Giant Within
(1992), presumably in preparation for taking
Giant Steps
(1994). In his
Unleash the Power Within
seminar, participants learn to overcome their fears by
walking across hot coals after which they are presumably less afraid to try things they
previously believed impossible. Firewalking doesn’t actually require any special
training or preparation as long as it is done properly, but most participants do not
believe at first that they will be able to do it. The seminar focuses on learning to
overcome internal resistance to trying new things. In learning to expect that they will
accomplish more, via a process Robbins terms neuroassociative conditioning,
participants are assimilating a message that once again sounds remarkably like Peale’s
power of positive thinking.
The latest author to borrow and expand on Peale’s central idea is Rhonda
Byrne, Australian reality-TV producer and author of the 2006 pop-culture
phenomenon known as
The Secret
.
The Secret
is no mere book: It is actually
intended as a companion piece to the popular DVD by the same title. The book
presents nothing new. Once again, positive thoughts cause positive things to happen
and negative thoughts cause negative things to happen. Byrne does have a new name
for this, however: The Law of Attraction. Essentially the universe wants us to be
happy and if we think hard about the things we want, we attract them to ourselves.
Given that this is the central idea of a book published by Peale in 1952, Byrne’s title is
somewhat baffling—the strategy has hardly been a secret. Thanks to massive television
exposure however, more than half a million copies of the DVD had been sold as of
late 2007 and the book topped the
New York Times
bestseller list.

40
In both the movie and the book, the presentation of the law of attraction is
simplistic and sensational. In one segment a child who really wants a new bicycle cuts
out a picture of it, concentrates hard, and is subsequently rewarded for his efforts by
receiving a bicycle. Of course his attainment of his goal is presented as having nothing
to do with generous adults who are aware of his desire – he obtained it purely as a
result of his own positive thinking which is now labeled with new, improved jargon.
Positive thinking has now become “creative visualization.”
The book and film focus largely on the positive idea that people have control
over their own lives and can have whatever they want. There is a dark side to this
philosophy, however—some portions of the book appear to suggest, among other
things, that the only reason people are made ill by communicable diseases is that they
believe germs can make them sick and that only those who believe in cancer can be
harmed by it. This recycles old ideas in another way, sounding remarkably like
Christian Science with a twist: Maybe people (including children) who are dying of
terrible diseases have nobody to blame but themselves.
The history of scientific psychology has run in parallel with the far better-
publicized, bigger-selling world of pop psychology. Ironically, some of the central
ideas of pop psychology sound like stripped-down versions of well-established
scientific concepts. Central to cognitive-behavioral therapy, an effective evidence-
based treatment for such conditions as depression, is changing the patient's negative
thoughts to positive ones. There's more to the process than mere positive thinking
however, and effective treatment is usually attributed to the power of reinforcement
schedules rather than deities. Where genuine psychology offers explanations that as
products of science are complicated, tentative, and constantly subject to revision, pop
psychology has given people what they want: A simplistic, one-size-fits-all solution to
all of life's problems. The universe wants you to be happy and wealthy, and achieving
those ends requires only believing that you will. Small wonder that they sell many
more books than we do.
References
Baker Eddy, M. (1875).
Science and Health: With Key to the Scriptures
. Boston,
MA: First Church of Christ, Scientist.
Byrne, R. (2006).
The Secret.
New York: Atria Books.
Carnegie, D. (1936, 1981).
How to Win Friends and Influence People
. New York:
Simon and Schuster.
Peale, N. V. (1952).
The Power of Positive Thinking
. New York: Prentice-Hall.
Robbins, A. (1986).
Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement
.
New York: Simon and Schuster.

41
Chapter 8
To Customize or Not to Customize?
Benefits and Disadvantages
Teresa L. Davis and Mary Ellen Fromuth
Middle Tennessee State University
nstructors are frequently solicited through e-mails or sales representatives to
custom edit a textbook. There is little information available to instructors,
however, about this process. Based on our experiences custom editing a general
psychology textbook on three separate occasions, this essay discusses advantages and
disadvantages to custom editing, as well as factors to consider in making the decision.
Included are some practical suggestions for the process.
Benefits of a Custom Textbook
There are a number of major advantages to a custom text. First, there is the
potential to lower the cost to the student. In some cases, the cost of a custom text can
be less than half of a traditional book. Second, a custom text allows for the inclusion
of university and department specific material. A custom text also allows the instructor
to create a streamlined book more suitable for a one semester course without
sacrificing depth. (Frequently shorter books tend to sacrifice depth for breath.) For
our department, one of the most beneficial aspects of the custom text has been the
ability to add handouts and worksheets for the students. These handouts and
worksheets allow students to apply and practice concepts, and have been edited to
include local examples. The handouts also can include review sheets and material not
covered in the text, and can be incorporated into classes as either homework or in-
class activities. Having this information included in the text not only saves
considerable time in passing out material for large sections, but it also ensures that
students have the material whether they are in class or not.
Disadvantages of a Custom Textbook
Although there are significant advantages to a custom text, a major
disadvantage is the extensive time required in selecting and editing the book. The first
version of our custom text was done over an almost 2 year period. The actual editing
of the book is time consuming and done within a rigid timeline. The editing process
includes making many decisions about the custom text. The initial consideration is to
determine how much customizing is desired. Custom textbooks vary from those
which differ little from the original to those that are extensively edited and include new
I

42
material. At our university, general psychology is a “general education” requirement,
so that was one of the guiding principles in determining what information to include.
There also were decisions regarding the format of the book that had to be made. We
found having a price point for the cost of the book (e.g., keeping the book less than
$50) was helpful in making the decisions.
In addition to the time requirements, there are some practical disadvantages to
a custom text. Some of the university or department material can become dated. To
handle this problem, in the text, our students are directed to a website that can
frequently update links and instructions. Also, our custom book is meant to be a “one
time” use book, which results in the students not being able to sell their books back at
the university bookstore (this is one reason for our lower selected price point).
Students do buy second hand books, but the books are frequently missing required
material. Having a book on reserve at the library, however, and encouraging students
to copy the material they are missing has helped with this problem.
Factors to Consider
In deciding to do a custom text, there are a number of factors to consider.
First, it is important to determine your goals and your purposes for custom editing.
For example, is your goal to improve an existing text by including additional material?
Is your primary goal to edit an existing text to be more compatible with course and
university goals, or is your primary goal to reduce cost to students (if this is a goal, what
is the price point?). Having clear goals and purposes will help in making many of the
decisions that will follow.
A second factor to consider is whether you have the time and commitment to
work on a custom text. Depending upon how much editing is done, and how much
original material is added, custom editing can be a time consuming process. It is
important to consider whether you can meet the stated deadlines and whether you will
be available when the book needs to be proofed (final proofing may be in the
summer).
Third, it is important to take into account whether there is support for this
project. Is there going to be support from the department chair and the university
(e.g., release time, secretarial or graduate assistant support)? Are there university
policies and legal issues that need to be considered? Legal issues need to be
addressed at various stages of the process. Indeed, it is advisable to consider legal
issues before even beginning the process. It also is important to assess whether other
faculty members are willing to work on the book and use the book for the length of
the adoption.
A fourth factor to think about concerns royalty. Will there be a royalty
associated with the custom text (if yes, how much per book)? Once that decision is
made, the next set of decisions concerns who will receive the royalty (e.g., individuals,
department, or university). If the royalties go to the department, it is important to
consider how the funds will be used. In our department, a committee makes the

43
decision. Finally, it is important to explore whether there are relevant legal and
university policies concerning royalties.
A fifth factor to address involves how much customizing you want to do to the
book. Custom editing can range from very little change to almost rewriting a book. A
primary issue to consider is how much you want to change the basic text (e.g., keep all
chapters or delete some; edit the individual chapters themselves; add content
material). You next need to consider whether you want to add original/department
specific material. There are at least four different types of material that can be added.
First, there is material that is specific to your university and its policies. Second, there
is departmental material (e.g., information about the department, research pool,
faculty) that can be added. Third, there is discipline specific material (e.g.,
information about careers in psychology). Finally, there is course specific material
(e.g., homework assignments, handouts to be used in class).
A final factor to consider is how you want to format the book. For example, do
you want an E-book or a traditional book? If it is a traditional book, do you want a
hard or soft cover, bound or loose-leaf, one time or multiple use? If material is
removed from the original text, do you want it repaginated? Do you want the book in
black or white or in color? Having a clear goal for your custom text will help in
making these decisions. For example, if keeping cost down for the student is a goal,
you can explore the cost of these options.
Outline of Process
1. Initial exploratory meetings and work
a) Meet with other course instructors to discuss interest and concerns
b) Meet with department chair to gauge university support
c) Identify publishers with appropriate products and experience
d) Examine other custom textbooks
e) Establish a clear purpose and goals for the custom text
f) Decide how much and what to do with any royalty
g) Contact university legal department about issues and university policy
regarding a custom textbook
2. Selection of book to be customized
a) Narrow down books based on content and quality
b) Develop a list of questions for publishers to answer in written form (please
contact the authors for a list of questions)
c) Have publishers submit formal proposals
d) Set up presentations by publishers and their technology staff.
e) Check references (Contact other professors/departments who customized
with the potential editors)
f) Select the final book

44
3. Working on the custom text
a) Establish a timeline with editor
b) Meet with other instructors to decide what to include in the textbook and
who will do the work
c) If desired, develop original material for the book
d) If needed, publisher will have to obtain permission to include copyrighted
material
e) Edit the book to be consistent (e.g., if parts of a chapter were removed, the
introduction to chapter and end of the chapter material may need to be
revised)
f) Make final decisions about the book
g) Address legal issues: review of contract by university lawyers
4. Submit all edited material to custom editor
5. Proof copy and answer questions from editor
6. Monitor distribution and delivery dates
Lessons Learned
In going through this process, we learned a number of lessons. It is important
to allow plenty of time, especially for the initial custom project. We also learned that it
works best for this to be a collaborative effort, not only because of the amount of work
involved, but also because of the proofing, attention to detail and organizational skills
required. It is difficult for one person to “catch” everything and keep up with all the
details. We also learned important lessons on the “business” side of custom editing.
Get everything in writing ahead of time such as the cost of book, date of delivery, and
date of next revision. This will help prevent any later misunderstandings. Related to
this, it is important to be prepared with questions for publishers and book reps and to
request written answers to these questions. Because of the amount of time you will be
spending with the person, it is extremely important to select a custom editor who is
easy to work with as well as competent. On the positive side, we learned that some of
our initial fears about the custom text did not materialize. For example, we learned
that loose-leaf books work well. Students don’t usually lose the pages, and the format
works well for the use of handouts. Overall, despite the time and effort required, we
found the development of a custom text to be a worthwhile project.
Author Note
This essay was adapted from a poster presented at the annual convention of the
American Psychological Association, San Diego, CA (2010, August).

45
Chapter 9
On Blogging about Teaching Psychology
Dana S. Dunn
Moravian College
write a blog. This essay, which is written like most of my blogs (only longer--
sorry), is a short history of how and why I blog, as well as a bit of a user’s manual
for interested readers who might want to take to the ‘net to share their passion for
psychology with the world (wide web). I asked the editors to sanction the writing style
here, which is different than the other writing I do and distinct from the typical essays
that appear in the E-xcellence series. But we are talking about blogging here, so the
usual niceties don’t apply (as much).
I was a reluctant blogger. I never subscribed to a blog (and still don’t). I never
followed a blogger. I am old fashioned, content to read a daily newspaper at sunrise
rather than to prowl the Internet’s avenues for news. To be truthful, aside from being
amused by the blog-as-plot device in the book
Julie & Julia
(Powell, 2009), I never gave
blogs much thought. And when I did so, my reflections were probably accompanied
by an appropriate dose of doubt or derision because I am convinced our
contemporary culture (including the academic culture of psychology) is already rife
with a bit too much narcissism. Why encourage more, especially my own?
But, as we all know, life can be strange as well as complex. So perhaps it comes
as little surprise that a gentle slide into hypocrisy is inevitable when loosely formed
attitudes (mine) confront the opportunity to give a maligned thing a whirl (an invitation
to blog). Here’s how it all started: In early August 2009 a
Psychology Today
(PT)
magazine editor asked me if I would be willing to write a blog on teaching psychology.
I demurred and suggested others who might be better qualified as I was (truthfully and
always) overcommitted on several fronts. And anyway, I was also about to begin a
daunting year as President of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. Where and
when would I find the time to blog when I was already stressing about working my way
through a now-even-longer than usual to-do list? “Exactly why you will be perfect,” the
wily and hip young editor replied. “Just write a draft blog entry of 700 words or so and
see if you like doing it--it won’t take any time at all--you’ll see.”
And here we are. I’ve been writing a blog on the teaching of psychology (listed
as “
Head of the Class: How to Teach Psychology Well
”) for PT since late August
2009 (go to: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/head-the-class to view recent and
archived entries). I am one of PT’s many bloggers, and I submit a new entry every 3
weeks or so. I view my blogging as a way to bring teaching issues, new pedagogies, and
other related matters to the attention of people who probably have not been in a
classroom, let alone a psychology course, for quite some time. I write about topics that
occur to me when I am teaching, issues (often angst-ridden) my students raise in class
I

46
or their written work, select current events from the newspaper that cry out for
psychological comment, the occasional pedagogical triumph or insight (both all too
rare in my teaching life, alas), and, naturally, the occasional frustration associated with
some aspect of teaching or higher education more generally. In short, I get to write
about whatever I feel like writing about in my blog.
So, in spite of my initial trepidation, I do enjoy writing my teaching blog.
Besides pointing out the benefits, however, I need to be equally candid about the
accompanying challenges. I thought that I might spend the rest of this article outlining
both sets of issues so that would-be bloggers (i.e., you) can decide whether blogging on
teaching, psychology, or other matters has any appeal. Let’s begin with an obvious
challenge:
Time.
There is never enough and doing a blog on a regular schedule (I could
never commit to writing daily or even sporadic entries) takes time away from other
duties. So, unless you are currently under committed in your career, realize that this is
one more responsibility requiring attention. Certainly, a lone blogger in the wilds of
the web can register opinions when the spirit moves her, but where there is some
editorial oversight involved (however freewheeling it may be), entries should (must)
arrive on a reasonable schedule. I am routinely surprised at how quickly three weeks
passes and I need to produce an entry once more.
But on the up-side, it is a writing exercise.
I like to stretch my writing muscles
all the time, which is why I try to do different sorts of writing--everything from books
and articles to book reviews and, well, blogs. In my experience, trying different types of
writing allows you to be comfortable expressing your thoughts on a keyboard. Learning
to “write on demand” also means that you can learn to write quickly. Speed is a good
thing for doing a blog. I usually write a draft of my entry on a Tuesday morning and
then post it later the same day or early the next one. I was not quick when I began, but
experience led to comfort. I like to hope this form of writing will have a positive
impact on some of my other writing ventures.
You still need to edit what you say.
The spontaneity of blogging aside, I always
edit my blog for spelling and punctuation, as well as style and clarity. If you are writing
about teaching or other educational issues, you want to be taken seriously. If you are
not already a compulsive editor of your own work, developing this quality is a good
idea before you decide to post your wares (i.e., your ideas) on the Internet. Blogging is
not like regular publishing in psychology where an editor, peers, and usually a
copyeditor go over (let’s be honest—improve) your prose before it appears in print.
When blogging, you work without such safety nets so that any typos or other errors
loom larger than those you might make in, say, an entry on your
Facebook
page (as a
clumsy typist, I know whereof I speak).
What about writer’s block?
The blog must go on--at least that’s how I approach
my blogging. I stick to my three week schedule, which means that even if inspiration
does not strike I still have to log an entry on something. So, I ask my wife to suggest
possible topics, I ask friends and colleagues for leads, and I consult the running list of
ideas I keep for such emergencies (although what seemed like a good idea when
originally feverishly jotted down rarely seems interesting to me later). Eventually, I hit

47
on something I can write about and my worry about having nothing to say recedes until
the next entry has to be done.
Who are you writing for, anyway?
Ah, we’re back to narcissism: Ultimately,
you are writing for you (and possibly about you, too). By that I mean that the topic of a
blog entry is something that spurred you to reflection and commentary. Of course, you
are also writing for some other audience--in my case, I hope to speak to people who
are interested in teaching issues in psychology and psychology more generally--but you
never know who is going to read your entry. So, in a way, you are writing to please
yourself: Your message must be one that resonates with your interests, concerns, and
passions. Otherwise, why blog when there are other venues for sharing your ideas and
often in much greater detail?
The great unknowns.
One thing I really do like about writing a blog is that you
never who is going to read your work and respond to it. Sometimes entries that I
slaved over garner no reaction at all, while a few of those that I wrote quickly to meet
my deadline so that I could move on to some other pressing task triggered genuine
and friendly intellectual give and take. You just never know. And, in the interests of
candor, sometimes you receive less-than-friendly responses to what you share, a not
surprising reality that goes with territory of blogging.
Be brief and be gone.
Words to live and write by. My friend, the teacher and
sage, Charles Brewer, urges this adage on public speakers introducing others or simply
sharing their thoughts aloud in front of an audience. With a little adjustment it applies
beautifully to blogging; one big message per entry is ideal. Any more than that and you
have an essay, which is a more carefully crafted and less spontaneous message, not
what readers of blogs want. So, brevity is highly desirable trait of the blogger, one I
have violated a bit in this piece. I hope you will forgive me, just as I hope that my
observations on web logs (aka blogs) will be helpful to you.
References
Powell, J. (2009).
Julie & Julia: My year of cooking dangerously.
Boston: Little, Brown
and Company.

48
About the Authors
Bernard C. (Barney) Beins is Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department at
Ithaca College. He is a Fellow of APA, APS, and EPA. He was president of the
Society for the Teaching of Psychology in 2004 and secretary from 1992 to 1994. He
is author of
Research Methods: A Tool for Life,
co-author (with Agatha Beins) of
Effective Writing in Psychology: Papers, Posters, and Presentations
., and has written
(with Maureen McCarthy) a combined statistics-methods book. He has co-edited six
other traditional and electronic books and is co-editor of the
Gale Encyclopedia of
Psychology
. He is teaching editor for
History of Psychology
and is chair of the Test
Development Committee for the Psychology Advanced Placement program. In 2010,
he received the Charles L. Brewer Distinguished Teaching of Psychology award from
the American Psychological Foundation. He was also honored with a Faculty
Excellence Award at Ithaca College.
Karen Brakke is Associate Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department at
Spelman College. She has been a faculty member there since 1999, and has taught
several courses including introductory and advanced statistics, learning and cognition,
general psychology, and the senior capstone seminar. She was awarded the
Presidential Teaching Award for Senior Faculty at Spelman in 2008. She serves on
the Advisory Board for the Online Psychology Laboratory, and as Co-chair of the
Society for Research in Child Development's Teaching Committee. She has
contributed to multiple volumes on pedagogy within the discipline. In addition to her
work on teaching and learning, Brakke also conducts research on early childhood
motor skill development and mentors students in several undergraduate research
training programs.
Luis Cordon received his B.S. in psychology from Louisiana State University in 1986,
followed by his M.A. (1990) and Ph.D. (1994) in developmental psychology from the
University of Notre Dame. He has been a faculty member at Eastern Connecticut
State University since 1996. His areas of research interest include parent-child
instructional interactions, psychological testing issues, the history of psychology, the
popularization of science, and critical thinking about pseudoscience. His recent
scholarly work includes a reference book entitled
Popular Psychology: An
Encyclopedia
and an upcoming two-volume set called
All Things Freud
.
Teresa Davis is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Middle Tennessee
State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the
University of Florida. Dr. Davis teaches General Psychology and Developmental
Psychology, and is the Coordinator of General Psychology and the Chair of the
Custom Textbook Committee. Her research interests focus on children’s emotional
development.

49
Dana S. Dunn earned his B.A. in psychology from Carnegie Mellon University and
received his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Virginia. He chaired the
psychology department at Moravian in Bethlehem, PA for six years, and currently is
professor of psychology and director of the Learning in Common Curriculum at
Moravian. A Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Association
for Psychological Science, respectively, Dunn served as President of the Society for the
Teaching of Psychology in 2010. He frequently speaks at national and regional
disciplinary conferences. Dunn has written numerous articles, chapters, and book
reviews concerning his areas of research interest: the teaching of psychology, social
psychology, and rehabilitation psychology. He is the author or editor of many books,
the most recent of which is
Using Quality Benchmarks for Assessing and Developing
Undergraduate Programs,
co-authored with Maureen McCarthy, Suzanne Baker, and
Jane Halonen (Jossey-Bass, 2011).
Sue Frantz has taught psychology for 17 years, the last 9 of those at Highline
Community College, which is located in the Seattle area. Since early in her teaching
career, she has been an early adopter of new technologies in which she saw
pedagogical potential. She has had a web page with resources for her students since
1995. By the mid '90s she was giving presentations on (then) cutting edge technologies
such as using email discussion groups to foster student engagement and interaction.
She is currently exploring the teaching applications of Web 2.0 (primarily the use of
wikis), interactive video conferencing, and audience response systems ("clickers").
Mary Ellen Fromuth received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Auburn
University. Currently, she is a Professor and the Coordinator of the Clinical
Psychology Master’s program at Middle Tennessee State University. She teaches
general psychology as well as undergraduate and graduate courses in child
psychopathology. Her primary research focus is in the area of interpersonal violence.
Richard L. Miller received his Ph.D. in 1975 from Northwestern University. He has
taught at Georgetown University, the University of Cologne, and is currently chair of
the Psychology Department at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, a position he
has held for the past 20 years. He served for many years as the Director of applied
behavioral science research projects for the Human Resources Research Organization
(HumRRO) in Heidelberg, Germany after which he set up a community college
program for English speaking residents of Mallorca, Spain. Under his leadership, the
UNK Department of Psychology was recognized as the 1999 Outstanding Teaching
Department in the University of Nebraska system. In 2009 he received the Robert S.
Daniel Teaching Excellence Award from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology
and was named US Professor of the Year by CASE and the Carnegie Foundation for
the Advancement of Teaching.
Christy Price is professor of psychology at Dalton State College, Christy Price has been
teaching at the collegiate level for 18 years. Dr. Price won the Excellence in Teaching

50
Award at Dalton State in 2007, and the University System of Georgia Teaching
Excellence Award in the Two & Four-Year College sector for 2008/2009. She was
also honored by the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and
Students in Transition as one of 10 Outstanding First-Year Student Advocates for
2009. She regularly presents as a keynote speaker and leads workshops at faculty
development seminars and retreats. Her most recent research focuses on engaging
Millennial learners and preventing incivility in the classroom. Dr. Price completed
post-doctoral work in educational psychology at Georgia State University. She holds a
doctorate in community health from the University of Tennessee, a master’s degree in
counseling psychology from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and a bachelor’s
degree in social services from Northern Illinois University.
When she is not advising students, Monica Reis-Bergan teaches courses at James
Madison University in health psychology, addictive behaviors, social psychology, and
personality. Her research interests are in social cognitive factors associated with health
risk behaviors.
When he is not advising students, Daniel Rogers teaches undergraduate courses at
Kennesaw State University in abnormal psychology, clinical psychology, psychological
testing, research methods, and careers/majoring in psychology. His research interests
are in measurement, personality assessment, and student-teacher interactions.
Richard S. Velayo obtained his Ph.D. in Psychology and Education from the
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). He is Professor of Psychology at Pace University
(NYC), and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. He is a Past
President and current Webmaster of APA’s Division of International Psychology (Div
52) and has been actively involved in APA governance and other APA Divisions. His
scholarly work is in the area of instructional psychology, focusing on multimedia
learning, pedagogical uses of technologies, and strategies that help internationalize the
teaching of psychology using web-based tools. He is a reviewer for a number of
psychology and education journals and is actively involved in several organizations
including the APA, Psi Chi, New York State Psychological Association, New York
Academy of Sciences, International Council of Psychologists, and the United Nations.

51
About the Editors
Suzanne C. Baker earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Davidson College,
and her PhD in Biopsychology from the University of Georgia. She is a professor of
psychology at James Madison University, where she currently serves as Assistant
Department Head. She teaches classes in animal behavior, introductory psychology,
cyberpsychology, and other topics, and regularly supervises student research. Her
scholarly work focuses on topics related to the scholarship of teaching and learning, as
well as animal behavior. She has published multiple book chapters, articles, and book
reviews on topics such as teaching critical thinking, the use of technology in teaching,
and the role of undergraduate research in the curriculum.
Jeffrey D. Holmes earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology at Baldwin-Wallace
College and his PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Akron. He is
an associate professor of psychology at Ithaca College. He teaches introductory
psychology, introduction to research in psychology, and a capstone course. His
scholarly work focuses on social psychology and the teaching of psychology. He has
published articles and book chapters on topics such as racial attitudes, group
processes, and student views of the science of psychology.
Jeffrey R. Stowell earned his BS and MS from Brigham Young University and his PhD
in Psychobiology from The Ohio State University. He also did one year of
postdoctoral research with Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser at OSU on marital stress and
wound healing. He currently is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Eastern
Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois where he teaches courses in biological
psychology, sensation & perception, learning, introductory psychology, and
controversial topics in psychology. In 2006, he received the Early Career Teaching
Excellence Award from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. His research
interests include teaching psychology and stress-health connections, particularly in the
context of test anxiety.