Monitor on Psychology - March 2012 - (Page 22)

APA endorses higher education guidelines By Ja M i E Cha MBE rli n • Monitor staff Left Behind goes to college,” Belar adds. “An important feature is that the principles set standards without demanding standardization.” Specifically, the guidelines call for schools to: • Provide statements that list what students should be able to do, achieve, demonstrate or know after earning their undergraduate degrees. • Establish policies on how often they will assess student learning and compare their data with learning outcomes from other universities. Such measures should also examine performance differences among student subgroups, such as minority groups, first-generation college students and nontraditional-age students. • Use their data to fine-tune teaching, courses and academic programs and evaluate changes in programs and practices. • Share findings about student learning with faculty, students, parents and the institution’s governing board. Those data should also be available to the public on the school’s website, along with information on student retention and timeto-degree statistics. Supporters hope the guidelines will help address a M o n i to r o n p s yc h o l o g y • M a rc h 2 0 1 2 New standards for undergraduate learning aim to help universities serve students better. A PA has joined a national initiative to improve the quality of education on U.S. campuses by endorsing new guidelines that call for colleges and universities to step up their efforts to measure and improve student learning. APA’s Board of Directors approved the document, “Committing to Quality: Guidelines for Assessment and Accountability” on Dec. 9. The guidelines encourage colleges and universities to promote evidence-based education and strive to be more transparent about the skills students are graduating with, says APA Executive Director for Education Cynthia Belar, PhD. “The effort is one to advance professionalism in higher education with respect to teaching and learning, and thus serve students and the public better,” says Belar. APA joins the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the Council on Higher Education Accreditation and two dozen other higher education groups in endorsing the guidelines, which were established by the education advocacy group New Leadership Alliance for Student Learning and Accountability. The guidelines aren’t intended to be a sort of “No Child 22

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - March 2012

Monitor on Psychology - March 2012
Letters
President’s column
Contents
From the CEO
Supreme Court rejects eyewitness protections
New member benefit: prevention screenings
A psychodynamic treatment for PTSD shows promise for soldiers
Was ‘Little Albert’ ill during the famed conditioning study?
New research identifies ways to improve eyewitness identifications
In Brief
‘Our health at risk’
Perspective on Practice
APA endorses higher education guidelines
TIME CAPSULE
QUESTIONNAIRE
Random Sample
Judicial Notebook
Help for struggling veterans
Driving out cancer disparities
In the Public Interest
SCIENCE WATCH
Practice, virtually
The legal and ethical issues of virtual therapy
Psychologist PROFILE
EARLY CAREER PSYCHOLOGY
Bringing life into focus
Pay attention to me
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION
Division Spotlight
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - March 2012