Mission Statement

The mission of the Wells College psychology major is to provide a solid foundation in the discipline and to help students apply their knowledge of the field toward achieving a sustainable future and just world. The major aims to develop critical analysis, sound reasoning, effective oral and written communication, and methodological skills in its students. The overarching goal of the major is to help prepare students for global citizenship and contribution through appreciation of the diversity of human experience, participation in service and/or experiential learning opportunities, and cultivation of a sense of responsibility for making a positive impact on the world through their understanding of self and others.

Learning Goals and Outcomes

The American Psychological Association provides parameters for the development of learning goals and outcomes (http://www.apa.org/ed/pcue/taskforcereport2.pdf) for undergraduate psychology programs. We have adapted these parameters as a template for our assessment plan, adding to them where appropriate to address the mission statement and institutional goals of Wells College.

Knowledge, Skills, and Values Consistent with the Study and Application of Psychology:

Goal 1. Knowledge Base of Psychology

Students will demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts and constructs, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.

Goal 2. Research Methods in Psychology

Students will understand and apply basic qualitative and/or quantitative research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, interpretation, and critique.

Goal 3. Critical Thinking Skills in Psychology

Students will engage in critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and the scientific approach to understanding behavior and mind. Students will apply critical analysis to the field, consider its strengths and shortcomings, and be able to articulate constructive improvements.

Goal 4. Application of Psychology

Students will understand and apply psychological principles to personal, social, and organizational issues, with the goal of improving the world in terms of sustainability, justice, and the human experience.

Goal 5. Values in Psychology and Wells College

Students will be able to weigh evidence; tolerate ambiguity; act ethically, humanely, and rationally; respect others’ opinions and perspectives, and reflect other values that are the underpinnings of psychology as a discipline and Wells College as an institution.

Knowledge, Skills, and Values Consistent with Liberal Arts Education that are Further Developed in Psychology:

Goal 6. Information and Technological Literacy

Students will demonstrate information competencies and the ability to use computers and other technology for many purposes, including data analysis and scholarly communication. Students will learn to evaluate sources of information for credibility, authenticity, and appropriateness.

Goal 7. Communication Skills

Students will be able to communicate original work effectively and creatively in a variety of formats, including oral presentation, poster presentation, written papers and reports, and portfolio presentations. Students will learn to communicate empirical results and be facile in the application of APA format in written scholarly communication.

Goal 8. Sociocultural and International Awareness

Students will recognize, understand, accept, and respect the complexity of sociocultural and international diversity. Students will value the expansion of their own experiences through exposure to other ways of thinking, values, and worldviews. Students will explore the current directions of the discipline in a multicultural context and consider the continued evolution of the field.

Goal 9. Personal Development

Students will develop insight into their own and others’ behavior and mental processes and apply effective strategies for self-management, self-understanding, and self-improvement. Students will learn to value and pursue lifelong learning as a means of self-development in the cultivation of a meaningful life.

Goal 10. Career Planning and Development

Students will emerge from the major with realistic ideas about how to implement their psychological knowledge, skills, and values in occupational pursuits in a variety of settings.

http://www.apa.org/ed/pcue/taskforcereport2.pdf

Taking into consideration the suggested learning outcomes provided by the American Psychological Association, the Wells psychology major has developed the structure in the table below for the assessment of student learning. We are utilizing the senior capstone experience, which includes the senior thesis and comprehensive exam, as well as a senior exit program evaluation, to evaluate the effectiveness of the psychology curriculum in achieving the ten goals listed above. Each year, the psychology faculty will meet for at least two hours for the sole purpose of determining at least one area, as identified by the data produced by the senior capstone and senior exit evaluation, that requires attention and improvement. Minutes of the assessment meeting will be taken and kept on file. When an area for improvement has been identified, we will examine the curriculum to determine how we could better prepare our students to achieve the stated goal. Modifications to the curriculum will be made, and the data from subsequent senior capstone measures and exit evaluation will be examined each year to determine whether those modifications were successful. At each annual meeting, an additional area (or areas) will be identified and addressed as described above.

Psychology Learning Goals and Outcome Measures

Goals

Measures

Use of the Information

Senior thesis

Senior thesis poster presentation

Senior Comprehensive Examination

· ETS exam

· Qualitative questions & discussions

· Portfolio

Senior exit program evaluation

Data are gathered each year and discussed by the psychology faculty in an annual meeting to determine one area that requires attention and improvement. Minutes of the meeting are taken, and appropriate adjustments are made to address the issue identified. At the annual meeting the following year, the data gathered since the curricular changes will be assessed to determine whether there has been improvement. Modifications will be made, if necessary, and another area that requires improvement will be identified.

______________________________

Milene Z. Morfei, Chair

Psychology Major

January 31, 2008