Grand Theme
Teaching Philosophy of the Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum
Two General Guiding Principles
Five Specific Learning Outcomes
Adapted from “APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major”, Office of Precollege and Undergraduate Education, Education Directorate, American Psychological Association: (Aug 2013)
This framework includes four skills-based goals and one content-focused goal. The roster of Guidelines 2.0 includes the following:
Goal 1: Knowledge Base in Psychology
Goal 2: Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking
Goal 3: Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World
Goal 4: Communication
Goal 5: Professional Development
Each goal begins with a definition that describes the scope of the ideas contained in the overview of the goal. Each goal contains an appropriate range of explicit student learning outcomes that incorporate action verbs and measurement potential. A summary of each of the five learning goals and their associated outcomes follows.
Students should demonstrate fundamental knowledge and comprehension of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, historical trends, and empirical findings to discuss how psychological principles apply to behavioral problems. Students completing foundation courses should demonstrate breadth of their knowledge and application of psychological ideas to simple problems; students completing a baccalaureate degree should show depth in their knowledge and application of psychological concepts and frameworks to problems of greater complexity.
- Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology
- Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains
- Describe applications of psychology