TEMPLATE DESIGN © Integrating Research Across the Psychology Curriculum Lonnie Yandell, Ph.D., Department of Psychological Science Belmont University, Nashville, TN Courses with ResearchSummary Challenges and Advantages Guiding Principles Introduction to Psychological Science Lab Data collection activities Statistics course Research Methods with a lab 2 courses from this group Health Psychology Personality Psychology Social Psychology Psychological Testing 2 courses from this group Learning and Conditioning Physiological Psychology Sensation & Perception Cognitive Psychology The above 8 courses have labs for group research projects Senior Capstone: Senior Capstone Seminar in Psychology Individual research Literature Review option Student Research examples: Choice Blindness Using Auditory Stimuli Conforming to Social Pressure by Breaking the Rules Feelings, Actions, and Beliefs in Romantic Relationships: Psychometric Characteristics of a New Measure Motivational Factors on Food Choice Hemispheric Dominance and its Association with Implicit Racial Prejudice Co-Curricular Support Departmental Research Practice activities – BURP and SURP Faculty involvement DRC and IRB Research Participation Pool Increased Lab space & equipment Faculty and student time Scholarship Departmental cohesion Student motivation and commitment Student Research Awareness and Skills Scientific literacy: Must understand methodology to understand content Collaboration Experiential Learning Student generated ideas: Key to motivation Oral and written communication skill development YearSemesterMeeting Oral Papers PostersStudents Faculty Sponsors Students with More than 1 paper 2010 FallSURS SpringBURS SpringRMPA FallSURS SpringBURS SpringEPA Presentation Opportunities Belmont Undergraduate Research Symposium (BURS) and Science Undergraduate Research Symposium (SURS) Regional and National meetings Student /Faculty Publications Belmont Information Fall 2012 Enrollment: 6,647 Total undergraduates: Undergrad Tuition: $12,450 per semester Student to Teacher ratio: 13:1 Department of Psychological Science 110 majors, 5 full time faculty, 2 adjuncts Dr. William Bailey Dr. Peter Giordano Dr. Linda Jones Dr. Seraphine Shen-Miller Dr. Lonnie Yandell In the Fall of 2010, Belmont University’s Department of Psychological Science implemented a curriculum organization that integrates research experiences throughout the curriculum. The guiding principle was to give students the opportunity to experience various types of psychological research in a collaborative environment with the conviction that only by participating in the scientific process can students adequately understand psychology. Students begin in the introductory course working in small lab groups to develop data collection activities. After completing a statistics course and research methods course (with a lab), students choose four out of eight upper level courses that have labs. Each of these labs involves group research projects with the goal of publicly presenting their research. Students complete the major with a senior capstone course where they have the option to complete a research study for public presentation. Along with providing both on- and off-campus presentation opportunities, the department provides support for presentation practice, recruitment of research participants, travel to professional meetings to present, and assuring ethical data collection. Although there are some challenges with this model, there are many advantages for students.