Teaching Introductory Psychology

Abstract

One of the most popular courses taken by undergraduates in North America is introductory psychology. Although the course serves as a gateway to the psychology discipline, most students taking introductory psychology in North America are not psychology majors, instead representing a diversity of career interests. Acquainting such diverse students with the expansive discipline of psychology is a daunting task, made more daunting by the diversity of the course’s format and instructors. It is difficult to imagine a single course that attempts to accomplish something so significant, with such breadth of content, in a context with so many variables and degrees of freedom. Yet, the introductory course is an opportunity to provide students’ first exposure to some of the most exciting and influential ideas in the field – a tour of psychology’s “greatest hits.” In this chapter, we encourage teachers to understand and apply principles of effective course design in planning and teaching the course to maximize the benefits for both teaching and learning. We also review a framework for balancing breadth and depth while emphasizing the integrated nature of modern psychology. Introductory psychology provides a singular opportunity for teachers to grow in our understanding and appreciation of our discipline as well as to build our skills as evidence-based, scholarly teachers. While there are few courses in the psychology curriculum that are as challenging as introductory psychology, there are few courses as extraordinary in their far-reaching potential for impact.KeywordsTeaching introductory psychologyBackward course designEvidence-based teaching