Support is sought for a multimedia equipped computer classroom to integrate laboratory exercises throughout the major curriculum and for a courseware development platform which can be used by department faculty to develop software. The multimedia classroom and the software developed by department faculty will 1) serve to integrate the relationship between collecting, analyzing, and interpreting psychological data; 2) add instruction on computer based instrumentation to existing courses, 3) expand the range of research paradigms students experience and work with and 4) make it possible to add instruction on the use of CD-ROM based research abstract data bases. Support for this proposal will result in the development of a Website providing access to laboratory exercises in psychology which take advantage of cutting edge developments in multimedia presentation. This in turn should enhance the educational experience of the 1400 students who take psychology courses each year at Gustavus Adolpus College, resulting a population of citizens better able to evaluate scientific claims about human behavior. The number and types of research problems selected and the degree of sophistication of student research projects, presentations, and publications will be closely monitored to chart the impact of the strengthened curriculum on student learning.
