I agree that covering less may be better. This semester we have reduced the amount of material we cover, while also changing to a more challenging text than we have used in the past. I have reduced the number of pages that students are assigned to about 30 pages per week from about 50. There is a corresponding drop in the coverage of topics as well.
The mean on the first exam is about 6 percentage points lower than that of previous semesters. There are fewer A's and more F's. Perhaps this drop in performance can be attributed to the recent attacks, or the more challenging text. Of course we hope the students will learn more of what they do study with the reduced coverage. Interestingly the students still complain that we are asking them to learn too much. However, I am now more comfortable assuring my students that what I am asking them to do is reasonable. Joe Joe Horton Psychology and Social Sciences Department 7373 Admiral Peary Highway Mount Aloysius College Cresson, PA 16630 (814) 886-6437 [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 10/04/01 04:23PM >>> Tipsfriends, I have to agree wholeheartedly with the rave. To me the issue isn't the ideal psychology text, it's the ideal length for a course. I would love to teach introductory psychology (typically the textbooks are 16 chapters each) in 2 semesters, covering 10 chapters first semester, 6 the second and leaving 4-6 weeks for student presentations on special topics. Because I still believe that the best way to learn is to teach. Just my .02... Nancy Melucci LACCD --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
