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Dear Tipsters,
During the schoolyear I posted a message asking for suggestions on
how to handle an Honors section of an introductory psych class. It
was no surprise that format and suggested assignments and activities
differed from course to course in the responses received from TIPS
and elsewhere. I was intrigued, however, by some
indications that there may be wide variability among individual
instructors, departments, or institutions as to what it means (in
general) to offer an honors level of instruction. For that reason I
am trying to do a little more systematic investigation of the nature
of honors psychology courses of all types. If you have taught one or
more honors level psych classes, please consider responding to
the following questionnaire. I hope the responses I receive will help
help me to answer the following questions:
What constitutes an honors level course within the field
of psychology? In what ways do honors courses differ from regular
courses? Does this vary from institution to institution? I appreciate
your help and will be happy to share my findings!
Linda Walsh
Psychology
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0505
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Questionnaire for Those Who Have Taught An Honors Level Psych Course
I teach at a(n):
_____a. high school
_____b. 2 year college
_____c. 4 year college
_____d. university
_____e. other - please explain:
I have taught the following "Honors" psychology course(s):
Name of course Enrollment
1.
2.
This course is usually taken by students in their ____________ year.
I have taught this course _________ times.
Please respond to the following based on your experience teaching
honors courses using the following response options:
Strongly agree (SA) Agree (A) Neither agree nor disagree (N)
Disagree (D) Strongly disagree (SD)
If necessary specify which honors class from above you are describing
( ).Feel free to write in comments/explanations.
My honors class is smaller than my regular classes.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
My honors class is a seminar-style class.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
My honors class is a special section of a regularly offered
non-honors course.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
The scheduling (time of day, number of class periods) of my honors
class is similar to that of a regular class.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
Students find my honors class extremely challenging.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
The classroom/setting for my honors class is similar to that of a
regular class.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
If D or SD, please explain:
My honors class moves through material at a faster pace than in a
regular class.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
The depth of coverage of material is greater in my honors class.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
My honors course is a special topic(s) course (rather than a survey
course). SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
There is more discussion in my honors class than in a regular class.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
The quality of discussion is higher in my honors class than in a
regular class. SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
Honors students are expected to do more work (more readings,
assignments, or bigger projects) than my regular students.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
The quality of the paper or project that will earn an A grade in my
honors class is distinctly higher than the quality of paper or
project earning an A in a regular class.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
To register for my honors course a student must be enrolled in the
honors program.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
The style of exams/assessments used in my honors class are different
from those used in my regular classes.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
If SA or A, please explain:
Some of the types of assignments used in my honors class I would not
use in a similarly sized regular class.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
If D or SD, please explain:
Grading tends to be more subjective in my honors class.
SA_____ A_____ N_____ D_____ SD_____
Please indicate which of the following you made use of in your
honors course. In the second column please indicate which, if any,
are unique to your honors class (that is, you would probably not
use this component in a similarly sized regular class)
Honors Wouldn't use in
Course regular class
( ) ( ) Textbook reading assignments
( ) ( ) Reading primary sources
( ) ( ) A special collection of readings
( ) ( ) Students much search out their
own source materials
( ) ( ) Regular homework assignments
(problem sets, study questions, etc.)
( ) ( ) Quizzes
( ) ( ) Exams
( ) ( ) Major paper
( ) ( ) Multiple smaller papers
( ) ( ) Graded discussion/participation
( ) ( ) Oral presentation
( ) ( ) Debate or panel presentation
( ) ( ) Student-prepared computer
presentations (e.g. Powerpoint)
( ) ( ) Use of a course website
http://
( ) ( ) Student preparation of webpage(s)
( ) ( ) Poster presentation
( ) ( ) Web assignments
( ) ( ) Computer simulations or activities
( ) ( ) Maintaining a journal
( ) ( ) Preparing a portfolio of some type
please explain:
( ) ( ) Computer conferencing or class listserv
( ) ( ) Interdisciplinary projects/work
( ) ( ) Group work in class
( ) ( ) Group work outside of class
( ) ( ) Research proposal
( ) ( ) Creative projects
please explain:
( ) ( ) Collaberation/interaction with another
class
( ) ( ) Data collection/research projects
( ) ( ) Social gatherings
( ) ( ) Service or community projects
( ) ( ) Critical thinking exercises or class
activities
( ) ( ) Field trips
( ) ( ) Outside speaker/lecturer
( ) ( ) Active learning exercises
Other critical components or characteristics of my honors course not
mentioned above:
Anything else you would like to share about your honors course(s) &
how it differs from regular classes?
To your knowledge does your campus have a policy concerning what
constitutes an honors course? (If so, please describe briefly)
Is there an explicit policy concerning the work assigned to honors
students?
_____ Please check here if you'd like a summary of the results.
Thank you so much for your help!
Linda Walsh
Psychology
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA
50614-0505
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
