PSYC 100 has been Redesigned

PSYC 100 has been redesigned.  The new PSYC 100 brings students together two hours per week instead of three; one hour for a lecture and one hour to work though activities in small tutorial groups.

In recent years, we have become concerned about the level of student engagement in PSYC 100. Student engagement is the result of active and collaborative learning, something that is hard to achieve in a large introductory course such as the Principles of Psychology with its 450-700 students per section!

To address this problem, we have redesigned PSYC 100 using a blended on-line delivery model. This learner-centred approach is more individualized.  By transmitting much of the course material online, it  allows students to go at their own pace, at their own time of day and to review complex concepts and theories as many times as needed. Comprehension checks (interactive games and activities with feedback), regular low stakes quizzes, and discussion forums allow students frequent feedback and direction.

By presenting the course material on line, we are freed up to use the weekly lecture to actively engage students at a deeper level.  The objective of these lectures will not be on covering the basics as in the past, but rather on learning new ways in which to think about and apply the concepts in the course.   

In addition to the on line environment and this large weekly lecture, mandatory weekly tutorials will provide students with an opportunity to work through concepts in a small group.

Visit our Blended Learning page for more information about these initiatives in the Faculty of Arts and Science.