This project is a conference to provide professional development for faculty members in psychology departments in teaching institutions. The conference is called "Teaching of Psychology: Ideas and Innovations (TOP)." The field of psychology has grown rapidly, creating a need for teaching faculty to keep pace with new innovations in teaching and alternative career paths for undergraduate psychology majors. Changes in recent years have been substantial, resulting in very different post-undergraduate environment. The knowledge and skills that bachelors-level graduates need for success in finding work related to their psychology education or entry to graduate school are substantially different that a they were a few years ago. In order to bring teaching faculty up to date with modern practice and issues, a series of TOP conferences are being planned to provide a means for regular updating of faculty knowledge and skills. The first TOP conference (supported by this grant) is intended to educate teaching faculty about the new APA guidelines for undergraduate psychology programs and to instruct faculty in methods for assessing student learning outcomes. It will also support attendance by historically underrepresented groups by providing assistance to faculty and students based on need. The eventual goal of the TOP conferences is to also provide a setting for undergraduate students to present research papers. The TOP administrators are pursuing the goal of producing graduates who have a deep understanding of and appreciation for scholarship.
