Teaching Introductory Psychology through Flexible Delivery: A Case Study

• Published in: Psychology learning and teaching 2006-03, Vol.5 (1), p.37-41
• Main Authors: Little, Emma, Francis, Andrew
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1475-7257; 1475-7257; 2057-3022
• DOI: 10.2304/plat.2005.5.1.37

The issue of how to engage students early in the higher educational area of psychology is a pertinent one for educators. With the development of information technologies, the use of traditional educational approaches may now be supplemented by web and computer based material that provides flexibility in student learning. An innovative approach to the teaching of psychology has been trialled and now implemented throughout undergraduate psychology at RMIT University, Australia. This paper will provide a description of this approach, as well as evaluation from students and staff, and suggestions for the implementation of the approach at other universities. Introductory psychology at RMIT is taught through a combination of flexible delivery strategies and traditional lecture and tutorials. A fully interactive, online educational program has been developed by lecturers in psychology and provides a student-directed approach to the learning of traditional areas in introductory psychology. In addition, students attend a one-hour weekly lecture that is used as an opportunity for critical analysis of the material, clarification of difficult concepts, and student questions. Students are then involved in a two-hour practical and applied tutorial that give them direct experience and exposure to concepts in psychology. The response from students and staff to this approach has been extremely positive and data will be presented to demonstrate this. Comparison of student feedback and results from pre and post implementation will be provided. The implications for a flexible delivery approach to student learning will be examined in this paper.