Abstract
Happy New Year!
I begin this new year with a huge sense of gratitude mixed with excitement. First, the gratitude. I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP) as president for 2015. I joined STP as an assistant professor (many years ago!) and since then STP has been a vital part of my professional network as well as my growth as a teacher of psychology. I have benefited in innumerable ways through the efforts of many of my fellow STP members, who share resources on our website, provide conference programming, work on projects designed to improve the teaching of psychology at all levels, and promote the advancement of psychology teaching. Many STP members are at the forefront of national conversations about teaching and about what psychology students should know and be able to do as a result of their experiences in psychology. I’m honored to be a part of this group. To be asked to serve as president of an organization that has meant so much to my career is truly humbling.
Next, the excitement. I’m excited about the many, many valuable resources we provide and the programs currently ongoing in STP, as well as the new initiatives planned for the upcoming year. I look forward to collaborating with our incredibly hardworking and enthusiastic Executive Committee on these and other projects. I am repeatedly bowled over by their energy and their seemingly infinite new ideas for how STP can further its mission of supporting teachers of psychology.
During the upcoming year, I plan to focus on several initiatives. Although these are some of my goals for 2015, I hope that these will jump-start activities that will be ongoing past my year as president. Psychology’s role in training future health professionals: Preparing psychology faculty
Starting with 2015, the Medical College Admissions Test will include a heavy focus on psychological content as well as proficiency in statistical reasoning, recognizing the essential role that psychological and behavioral processes play in health. It seems likely that other health professions will begin to follow this lead and will expect students entering their programs to have a thorough grounding in basic psychological processes as a background for their advanced studies. This presents a challenge and an opportunity for psychology teachers and psychology departments. What resources can STP provide that will help psychology teachers respond to this change? What is the role of the introductory psychology course in preparing these students? Internationalizing psychology teaching
STP has become increasingly involved in initiatives related to supporting teaching of psychology internationally. How can we best reach out to our international colleagues? What teaching resources can be helpful for psychology teachers outside the United States? How can STP be involved in international efforts centered on teaching psychology? Psychological literacy across the curriculum
As psychology educators, we are all aware of the applicability of psychological science to situations and problems confronting us daily, and work to help our students see the connection between material learned in the classroom, and how they navigate the complexities of life after they leave our classrooms. The concept of psychological literacy is by no means a new one (e.g., Cranney & Dunn, 2011; McGovern et al., 2010), but clearly there is continuing work to be done in communicating psychology’s role to our students as well as nonpsychologists. How can STP best support the goal of improving psychological literacy across multiple levels of the curriculum? Along these lines, STP has recently begun collaborating with colleagues in Division 1 of American Psychological Association (General Psychology) to explore the content of the introductory psychology course and develop resources to help teachers focus on the most important findings in contemporary psychological science.
What else is there to look forward to in 2015? Other initiatives are currently in the works. Stay tuned!
Finally, to close, I’d like to encourage you to become more involved in STP. If you are an STP member and you are not already actively involved in STP, I hope that you will consider how you might contribute. On the Society’s website, you will find frequent announcements of opportunities to serve on committees or in other positions. If you teach psychology and you are not a member of STP, I hope you will find a home here. I encourage you to take the opportunity to become a part of this vibrant community of psychology teachers and scholars, and join STP.