During the summer and fall of 1998, the department prepared and submitted a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation. We believe that this will be an important change for students of General Psychology, and especially for our majors and minors. In fact, we believe that this project is simply the first step in enhancing our entire curriculum and the experience we provide to students of psychology. The faculty of the department of psychology is putting into practice the department's mission and specific goals as outlined in the Assessment Plan. Each psychology course included several assignments designed to develop students writing skills and competencies with information and technology.
Special note is needed concerning changes that have taken place over time.
On the whole, the department of psychology is providing a quality education to students of psychology. That being said, there are still weaknesses in our product and we are attempting to address these problems. We believe that one major way to correct several problems is through the revision of the General Psychology course, as proposed in our grant application to the National Science Foundation. Enriching the laboratory experience in General Psychology will fundamentally alter this component of the course and provide a solid foundation for the research experiences provided later on in students' academic careers. The revision of General Psychology, which also involves the development of a basic theme in the discipline, will add a focus to students' experience of the various courses.