Department of Psychology University of Alberta Using the Internet to Enhance Critical Thinking in Introductory Psychology Connie K. Varnhagen and Leanne Willson

Department of Psychology University of Alberta Goals of Introductory Psychology Develop educated citizens of psychology ºknowledgeable ºcritical ºanalytical ºintegrative ºinvolved Motivate students to continue

Department of Psychology University of Alberta Realities of Introductory Psychology Large lecture classes ºtext ºlecture ºmultiple choice tests ºminimal contact ºdeindividualizing

Department of Psychology University of Alberta Goals of intro.psych Enriched exposure to psychology Encourage critical thinking, reading, writing Computer literacy Maximize contact Individualize instruction

Department of Psychology University of Alberta Components of intro.psych Syllabus Lecture Notes Sites to Visit Help Grades Meet a Psychologist

Department of Psychology University of Alberta Formative Evaluation Skills and Access Questionnaire Site Evaluations Unsolicited Testimonials Summative Questionnaire

Department of Psychology University of Alberta Skills and Access Students rated themselves as “somewhat comfortable” working on computers Students rated themselves as “good” with word processing, , and “fair” with WWW, CAI, games Students were “interested” in using the supplement

Department of Psychology University of Alberta Site Evaluations Positive aspects: ºreal life examples ºdetail ºinteractive ºinformative Negative aspects: ºdifficult concept ºtime ºaccess No Sites were rejected

Department of Psychology University of Alberta Summative Questionnaire Students had a “somewhat positive” impression of the supplement. Students found the module º“Interesting” º“Enjoyable” Students learned computer and Internet skills.

Department of Psychology University of Alberta Use and Usefulness

Department of Psychology University of Alberta Format Students preferred the format, with less lecture and using the Internet supplement. Students would like to see other courses taught in this manner.

Department of Psychology University of Alberta Comments “The sites to visit had lots of information and examples of what we learned in class and read in our text books. The info. And examples were tied to concret [sic] and realistic examples in real life. It was much easier to understand the concepts from the lectures when using the sites.”

Department of Psychology University of Alberta Comments “I loved it. I thought it was an easier and more diverse way of learning. It brought variety & enjoyment to a course that could have been very dull. It was great for developing computer skills & wonderful for giving hands- on learners a bigger opportunity to perform better overall. I highly recommend it.”

Department of Psychology University of Alberta Comments “I appreciate the fact that you are responsible for the course work and that the instructor is there to answer questions but does not need to ‘hold your hand.’ I would do my whole degree on the net if I could.”

Department of Psychology University of Alberta intro.psych Experimental courses Fall, Winter Keynote lecture (weekly) for each topic Critical thinking exercises making use of the WWW (Sites to Visit, Reading the Research) On-line, asynchronous discussion groups On-line commentary by instructor and GTA