Mission
The principal educational purpose of the psychology department is to provide an excellent basic
education for undergraduates in the theory, methodology, and core content areas of contemporary
psychology. A second purpose is to develop our students' critical thinking abilities and their
capacities to express their thinking clearly when they speak or write. A third purpose is to help
our students apply psychological knowledge in ways that will improve the quality of people’s
lives and promote the common good. There is a strong emphasis on scholarship in the
department, including faculty with active research programs and frequent opportunities for
students to collaborate with faculty in research. Small class sizes, close student-faculty
interactions, and a climate of quality scholarship are distinctive features of the psychology
program.
Goals and Objectives
Note: The goals and objectives for student learning that are listed here are slightly different from
those that we have assessed since 2007. We modified these goals and objectives recently as part
of our self-study process. These modified goals and objectives are more closely aligned with the
recommendations of the American Psychological Association (APA), which released new
guidelines for undergraduate education in 2013.
Goals & Objectives for Student Learning
Goal 1: Knowledge Base in Psychology: Students will become familiar with the major
concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.
They will also understand and appreciate the breadth of the field including the subdisciplines, the connections among those sub-disciplines, and cultural variation in the
application of psychological principles.
Objective 1: Demonstrate knowledge of and within the major sub-disciplines in
Psychology.
Assessment plan: The requirements for psychology majors include a breadth
requirement. All majors are required to take at least one course from five different subdisciplines within psychology. The successful completion of this breadth requirement
will provide one source of evidence that this objective has been met. A commercially
produced psychology exam (e.g., GRE Subject Test in Psychology, Psychology Area
Concentration Achievement Test (ACAT-P), Major Field Test in Psychology (4GMF)) or
an internally produced test may be purchased or developed and administered to a random
sample of seniors as part of our assessment of this objective.
Objective 2: Students will recognize that psychological principles and research
are embedded within cultural and historical contexts.
Assessment plan: A number of faculty indicated on the course alignment matrix that
students in their classes demonstrated this objective. A sampling of the upper division
classes will be selected and the syllabi, assignments, and student work will be examined
to determine how, and how well, we are meeting this objective.
Goal 2: Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking: Students will develop an understanding of
the research methods used in psychological research and use this understanding to think
critically about psychological issues and research encountered in both the scientific
literature and the mass media. Critical thinking includes a willingness to tolerate the
ambiguity and complexity of human behavior and thought and a consideration of the
ethical issues in psychological research and practice. Students will also learn and
understand how to gain information about psychology and psychological research using
such sources as libraries, printed reference material, and technological aids.
Objective 1: [skills objective] Students will demonstrate knowledge and
understanding of how to conduct psychological research using the appropriate
techniques in a manner that is consistent with the ethical guidelines of the
profession.
Assessment plan: This objective will be assessed primarily by examining the products of
two types of classes: Psychology 43 (research methods courses), and senior seminar
classes. In these classes students are taught research methods and expected to produce
research products. A sampling of these products will be evaluated for technical and
ethical appropriateness.
Objective 2: [analytic objective] Students will demonstrate the ability to apply
their knowledge of how psychological research is conducted to thinking critically
about psychological information they encounter and to understand the statistical
nature of psychological research.
Assessment plan: Using our course alignment matrix we have identified a number of
classes in which students are asked to demonstrate competence for this objective. A
sampling of faculty assignments and student products (e.g., tests, papers) will be
collected and analyzed for evidence of critical thinking about psychological information.
Objective 3: [information literacy] Students will demonstrate the ability to
locate relevant and appropriate source materials.
Assessment plan: This objective will be assessed both by examining a sampling of
student papers that require the use of psychological references and by assignments in our
methods courses that require students to gain information from the library and other
appropriate reference sources. An instrument designed to assess knowledge of
information literacy will also be developed and administered to students in research
methods and capstone courses.
Goal 3: Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World: The skills in this domain
include the development of ethically and socially responsible behaviors for professional and
personal settings in a landscape that involves increasing diversity. Students will become familiar
with the formal regulations that govern professional ethics in psychology and will be able to
identify aspects of individual and cultural diversity.
Objective 1: Students will apply ethical standards to evaluate psychological
science and practice
Assessment plan: In our foundations classes (e.g., Introduction to Psychology, Research
Methods), students learn how to evaluate psychological research from the standpoint of
adherence to the APA Ethics Code in psychological research involving human or
nonhuman research participants. They identify obvious violations of ethical standards in
psychological contexts, discuss relevant ethical issues that reflect principles in the APA
Ethics Code, and define the role of the institutional review board (IRB). Project papers
(e.g., experimental reports, honors theses, capstone papers) will be used as assessable
evidence of ethical, responsible behavior and students’ understanding of psychologists’
responsibility toward research participants. Objective and open-ended questions on
exams will also capture students’ awareness and knowledge of ethical responsibilities in
the research process and features from the Ethics Code (2010).
Objective 2: Adopt values that build community at local, national, and global
levels
Assessment plan: In many of our classes students focus on identifying aspects of
individual and cultural diversity and the interpersonal challenges that often result from
diversity and context. They also learn about psychology-related issues of global concern
(e.g., poverty, health, migration, human rights, rights of children, international conflict,
sustainability). Some classes offer the opportunity to serve others through civic
engagement, including volunteer service. Ethical and socially responsible thought and
action will be measured and evaluated by asking students to engage in self-reflection and
self-evaluation regarding their course work, employment, internship, and service learning
experiences. They will be asked to reflect on their local contributions (i.e., to their college
or university community, the community in which they live) and how their knowledge of
the discipline could be used to advance public policy or impact global concerns.
Goal 4: Communication Skills: Students will learn to effectively communicate in a variety of
forms commonly used in the discipline including written and oral communication.
Objective 1: Students will demonstrate effective writing skills within the
conventions of the discipline.
Assessment plan: In many of our classes, ranging from the introductory level to the
capstone, faculty ask students to write about psychological phenomenon using APA style.
A sampling of these assignments and the student work from lower and upper division
classes will allow us to assess the development of these skills over time as well as the
final level of mastery that students possess upon graduating from the program. These
papers can be stored in drop-boxes on Angel to create a sort of electronic portfolio of
development for individual students.
Objective 2: Students will demonstrate effective oral communication skills
within the conventions of the discipline.
Assessment plan: In many of our classes, mostly at the upper division level, faculty ask
students to produce and deliver oral presentations in the various styles commonly found
in the psychological research community. These include poster presentations, paper
presentations, and debate formats. We will collect data on some of these presentations
using faculty observations, video-tape analysis, and student feedback to determine how
well students are performing at these oral presentation tasks.
Goal 5: Professional Development: The emphasis in this goal is on application of psychologyspecific content and skills, effective self-reflection, project-management skills, teamwork
skills, and career preparation. Foundation-level outcomes concentrate on the development
of work habits and ethics to succeed in academic settings. Students will have access to
information about practica opportunities available to current students and to information
about professional and academic post-graduate options.
Objective 1: Students will demonstrate the ability to think about how
psychological principles can be applied to real issues among individuals,
families, and/or institutions such as schools, health-care organizations, and the
workplace.
Assessment plan: This objective will be assessed with a combination of course products
(e.g., papers, exams) and experiential learning through Arrupe placements and
internships. In several courses students are asked to apply psychological principles to
real-world problems. A sampling of student products from these classes will be
analyzed. In addition, reports from students regarding their field experiences will be
analyzed. Focus-group discussions may also be used to gain students’ perceptions of
their application of psychological principles in their experiential learning placements.
Objective 2: Students will learn about post-bac career and graduate school
opportunities.
Assessment plan: We will begin by assessing the opportunities we currently provide then
develop additional information sessions. Students will be asked about their post-grad
plans and understanding of post-grad options during senior seminar and/or graduation
surveys. We will track student awareness and utilization of these opportunities over time
Goals & Objectives for Scholarship
Goal 6: Faculty Scholarship: Permanent, full-time members of the Psychology faculty will
maintain active programs of research.
Objective 1: Regular faculty members of the Psychology program will be
engaged in various stages of research from proposal writing to data collection to
dissemination of research findings in outlets common to the discipline (e.g.,
publish articles in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals, publish books, present
papers at professional conferences, and give invited addresses). Faculty will
accomplish this objective through activities most appropriate for their individual
specialization, research program, and career phase.
Assessment plan: Information about faculty scholarship will be gathered from activity
reports of tenured and tenure-track faculty.
Goal 7: Including Students in Research: Psychology faculty will encourage students to
participate in the research process and often may include student collaborators in
their research.
Objective 1: Faculty research, at various stages of the research process (e.g.,
data collection, data analysis, and dissemination of scholarly activity) will often
involve student collaborators.
Assessment plan: This objective will be assessed using a combination of faculty and
student reports. The activities reports of tenured and tenure-track faculty include
information about the inclusion of students in faculty research activities. In addition,
senior exit surveys and interviews will assess student participation in faculty sponsored
research activities.
Goals & Objectives for Faculty Service
Goal 8: Service: Consistent with the mission and values of our university as well as our
academic discipline, the psychology faculty aims to provide ethically sound professional
service to the department, university, and community. In consultation with the Chair,
each faculty member seeks to offer service that is consistent with their talents and career
development. Our service seeks to, where possible, use psychological theory, research,
and practice to inform and enhance the common good in an effort to help create a more
humane, just, and ethical world.
Objective 1: Faculty will demonstrate a willingness to participate in service
activities by serving on committees at the department, college, and university
level, engaging in service to the profession, and being involved in community
service activities.
Assessment plan: Information about faculty service will be gathered from activity
reports of tenured and tenure-track faculty.
Goals & Objectives for Curriculum and Pedagogy
Goal 9: Foster a culture of evidence: In the courses offered in the psychology program we will
emphasize a culture of evidence that places a premium on empirical research as the
method of understanding psychological phenomena.
Objective 1: Course syllabi and assignments will emphasize the importance of
empirical examination of psychological phenomena.
Goal 10: Create and maintain a major that encompasses the breadth of the discipline and is
aligned with current trends in the discipline.
Objective 1: The required courses for the major will represent major sub-disciplines within
psychology and be in line with APA recommendations for the Psychology major.