`Teaching Portfolio`

Study Analysis Project

Overview

Participation in this directed study is designed to give the student the opportunity to be involved in the interpretation of data from an empirical study in social/cultural psychology. The end-goal is for the student, with the instructor’s assistance, to produce a viable research poster (or presentation).

Learning Outcomes

University Experiential Learning Outcomes: As an Experiential Learning course in the University’s General Education Program, students in this course will:

Complete and approved experiential learning project.
Reflect on the experiential learning project in order to gain further understanding of their university education, and an enhanced sense of one’s personal responsibility as a member of a larger community.

Departmental Learning Outcomes: In order to meet the objectives above, students in PSYC 399 will:

Use professional skills in Psychology to study, develop, implement, or apply research findings in everyday settings.
Complete an oral or written reflection that describes what they have learned about themselves, their experiences, and Psychology in general as a result of the project.

Expectations

When enrolled in PSYC 399, you will be expected to work about 3 hours per week for every credit enrolled. You will be expected to do the following:

Meet and Discuss the Assigned Readings: Background readings (i.e., either given by the instructor or selected by the student) will provide the student with the theoretical background necessary to understand the study and to create a research poster (or report). The student should be prepared to discuss and should contribute to the subsequent discussion of these articles in depth at the regularly scheduled meetings.
Analyze and Interpret the Study Data: The student, in conjunction with the instructor and other students, is expected to: 1) learn and perform the basic procedures of data analysis, and 2) be involved in the interpretation of the data.
Create a Research Poster/Presentation: By the last day of classes for the semester, the student is expected to produce a proper research poster (or oral presentation). This poster (or presentation) shall be presented at the College of Letters and Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Grading

This directed study is graded and the final grade will be determined by the extent to which the student’s performance matches expectations. The above areas (meetings and discussions, analysis and interpretation, and research presentation/poster) will be equally weighted.

The student’s grade will reflect the student’s contribution to these activities relative to the instructor’s and other students’ contributions to the same project. The student will be expected to complete a self-evaluation at the end of the semester, which the instructor will consider when determining the final grade.

Semester Schedule

Below is a skeleton schedule for the semester. Note that the schedule may change as necessary and that additional details will be added during the weekly meetings.

Week	Preparatory Work	Meeting Agenda
Week 1	Send Schedules	Discuss Semester Objectives
Weeks 2 – 7	Begin Writing Results	Discuss Articles and Results
Week 8	Proof Symposium Submission	Finalize Symposium Submission
Weeks 9 – 12	Finish Writing Poster	Finalize Poster for Symposium
Week 13	Practice Poster Presentation	Present Poster at Symposium
Weeks 14 – 15	Finish Writing Ancillary Materials	Discuss Future Directions
Finals Week	Complete Self-Assessment/Reflection	Discuss Semester Grade