amlung teaching portfolio

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Michael Amlung

Teaching Portfolio

September 2012

Table of Contents(Click section title to jump)

Teaching Philosophy Statement 2-3

Description of Courses Taught 4-5

Sample Teaching Materials 6-7

Samples of Student Work 8-10

Innovative Teaching Projects and Roles 11-12

Professional Activities Related to Teaching 13-14

Teaching Honors & Awards 15

Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation of Teaching 16-19

Peer Assessment of Teaching 20-21

Undergraduate Student Letters of Support 22-23

Appendix I: Complete Course Syllabi 24

Supplementary Materials Available Online athttp://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/
http://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/http://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/http://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/


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Teaching Philosophy Statemen

My overarching goal as an educator in psychology is to support the academic and personaldevelopment of my students by engaging them in challenging and thought-provoking analysis ofpsychological concepts. Not all of my students will pursue careers in psychology, and my role is not topersuade them all to do so. To the contrary, my purpose is to give my students an appreciation for howbehavioral science applies to their everyday lives along with building their skills as critical consumers

and, more importantly,producers of knowledge.

Central to this mission is my core view that learning should be an integrative, personal, andengaging experience. The potential for significant learning is greatly enhanced when students integratenew material with their existing catalog of knowledge. To achieve this, my students work to identify howwhat we are learning aligns with or challenges how they think about human behavior. For example, Ideveloped a Reading Connections exercise for my Cognitive Psychology course that required students toselect specific passages from course readings and form three types of connections: text-to-text (i.e.,connecting the passage to material they have read previously), text-to-self (i.e., relating the passage tosome aspect of their past experiences), and text-to-world (i.e., placing the passage in the greater context oftheir society). Learning is also an intensely personal experience, with each learner bringing his or her own

unique views and set of learning skills. I work to tailor my teaching to the unique needs and interests ofindividual students while also creating an environment that fosters lifelong learning for all. This includes,maintaining an open door policy to allow for focused help whenever students are struggling. My coursesare also organized in a way that emphasizes active engagement. I do this by devoting a substantial portionof class time to small group activities, case-based learning, and live demonstrations (such as a visit to thecampus brain imaging center). Finally, the way I evaluate student learning combines informalassessments, such as low-stakes writing and non-graded learning checks, with traditional exams andpapers that are carefully constructed to address specific learning outcomes. I find that this strategy notonly provides my students with an ongoing barometer of their learning, but it also encourages them toassume an active role as self-directed learners.

My teaching experiences to date have allowed me to put these core values into practice. Asindicated above, I believe that students in psychology must develop skills as critical consumers ofscientific claims. I want my students to not accept information at face value; they should possess the toolsto evaluate evidence and draw their own conclusions. Students in my Research Methods class, forinstance, are asked to critique an advertisement for a product that relies heavily on pseudoscientific claims(e.g., Your Baby Can Read). Then they apply these skills by comparing and contrasting two reports of apsychological study, one from the peer-reviewed journal and another from a popular media outlet. Thisexercise allows my students to learn the principles of scientific inquiry while simultaneously gaining anappreciation for the potential dangers of misrepresenting empirical findings. Another example is asemester-long project that I developed for my Cognitive Psychology course, which involved attending avirtual scientific conference using the online tool, TED.com. Each student selected a series of

psychology-themed talks that s/he found interesting, thereby making learning personal for each individual.Students then wrote short commentaries on each talk that critically evaluated the content and thecredibility of the speaker. Finally, they wrote a reflection paper that challenged them to integrate whatthey learned by identifying common themes across the seemingly unrelated talks. Exercises such as theseexpose my students to cutting-edge research and encourage them to uncover unifying themes in thediscipline.


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Teaching Philosophy Statement (continued)

One of the most meaningful ways for students to move beyond consumption of information toactuallyproducing knowledge is by engaging in undergraduate research. In the context of mentoringundergraduate researchers, my priorities include providing students with a solid foundation in thescientific basis of ongoing research, cultivating their abilities as confident and self-sufficient team

members, and stimulating their unique interests through independent research projects. My approachrelies heavily on scaffolding. At first, I provide detailed instruction in the procedures followed byextensive modeling of the tasks in action. My mentees then practice their newly-acquired skills in anenvironment that is forgiving of mistakes. This latter step, in my view, is crucial for students to gainconfidence and eventually reach our mutual goal of everyone working autonomously. Finally, Iencourage my mentees to actively contribute to the growth of psychological science by taking the lead inpresenting their research projects at weekly lab meetings and regional conferences (e.g., Psi Chi). Theseactivities also provide opportunities for my students to strengthen their written and oral communicationskills.

I believe that effective teaching is an art, and mastering it requires time, practice, and creativity. I

take a scholarly approach to improving my teaching, by engaging in pedagogical research, completingteaching-related coursework, and attending a variety of teaching workshops and conferences. I solicitregular student feedback through mid and end-of-semester evaluations and have also sought peer-evaluation of my teaching from faculty colleagues. As one final example, I compiled an end-of-courseportfolio for my Research Design classa self-reflective exercise that gave me greater understanding ofstrengths and areas for improvement in my teaching. Through all of these efforts, I move closer to mygoal of using best practices in my teaching in order to foster academic and personal growth in mystudents.


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Description of Courses Taugh

Graduate Teaching of Psychology Seminar (GRSC7770), University of Georgia [view syllabus]Role: Co-Instructor of Record (with Dr. Joan Jackson)Semesters Taught: Fall 2011Student Enrollment & Profile: 20 graduate students in psychologyCourse Description: This course covered best practices in teaching at the undergraduate level

for Teaching Assistants in Psychology. Topics included: preparing toteach, effective instructional strategies, assessing student learning,professional issues (e.g. diversity, academic honesty, and studentproblems), and documenting teaching experiences, among others.

Teaching Responsibilities: As the Instructor of Record under the supervision of Dr. Joan Jackson, I wasresponsible for all aspects of this course. My duties included setting the learning goals, designing thesyllabus, selecting required readings, developing in-class activities and assignments/projects, preparing forlectures and classroom discussions, and organizing a calendar of guest speakers.

Research Design in Psychology (PSYC3980), University of Georgia [view syllabus]Role: Instructor of Record

Semesters Taught: Spring 2011Student Enrollment & Profile: 33 undergraduate studentsCourse Description: This course covered research methods in psychology, including

experimental, correlational, and quasi-experimental designs. Studentsreceived direct experience with formulating hypotheses, designingstudies to test those hypotheses, collecting data, evaluating the validityof scientific claims, and writing scientifically using APA style.

Teaching Responsibilities: As the Instructor of Record, my responsibilities were largely similar to thosedescribed above for GRSC7770. However, this course provided a unique opportunity to work with mystudents on their scientific writing skills through a semester-long APA-style research proposal assignmentStudents submitted rough drafts of each section of their proposal for written feedback and suggestions for

revisions. This course also allowed me to experiment with using problem-based learning techniques (seeSample Teaching Materials) and extensive in-class group work.

Special Problems / Undergraduate Research Assistantship (PSYC4800), University of GeorgiaRole: Graduate Mentor (with Drs. Richard Suplita and James MacKillop)Semesters Taught: Fall 2010Spring 2012Student Enrollment & Profile: 3 undergraduate studentsCourse Description: This course is for advanced undergraduate students who wish to

participate in independent research under the direction of a psychologyfaculty member or graduate instructor.

Teaching Responsibilities: Under the supervision of two faculty members, I have mentored undergraduate

psychology students for independent research experiences across multiple semesters. My responsibilitiesincluded training my mentees on recruitment, data collection and data entry procedures as well asliterature review techniques. I also worked with my mentees on scientific writing skills throughcompletion of annotated bibliographies and an abstract and poster at the annual Psi Chi Convention.Finally, my mentees and I met weekly to discuss career development topics, including plans to pursuegraduate school.


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Description of Courses Taught (continued)

Cognitive Psychology (PSYC4100), University of Georgia [view syllabus]Role: Instructor of RecordSemesters Taught: Spring 2010; Fall 2010Student Enrollment & Profile: 23-28 undergraduate studentsCourse Description: This course covered the theoretical principles of cognitive psychology

including perception, attention, memory, problem solving, decisionmaking, psycholinguistics, and cognitive neuroscience.

Teaching Responsibilities: In addition to the typical instructor of record responsibilities described in detailabove, I used my two semesters teaching Cognitive Psychology to develop an innovative VirtualConference activity using TED.com to expose my students to cutting-edge research and topics inpsychology (seeInnovative Teaching Projects & Roles).

Cognitive Psychology (PSYC410), Piedmont College [view syllabus]Role: Instructor of RecordSemesters Taught: Fall 2010Student Enrollment & Profile: 15 undergraduate students

Course Description: This course covered the theoretical principles of cognitive psychologyincluding perception, attention, memory, problem solving, decisionmaking, psycholinguistics, comparative cognition, and emotion.

Teaching Responsibilities: This course provided experience with teaching in a small liberal arts collegesetting while also exposing me to a diverse group of traditional and non-traditional students (e.g., adultlearners). This diversity of student enrollment gave me an opportunity to tailor the course content to whatwas most relevant to my students. I also used this course as chance to develop a new tool for helping mystudents read their assigned readings more critically and to create a new assignment focusing on real-world applications of the material.

Abnormal Psychology (PSYC3230), University of Georgia

Role: Teaching AssistantSemesters Taught: Fall 2009Student Enrollment & Profile: 250 undergraduate studentsCourse Description: This course covered the scientific principles of abnormal behavior

including assessment, treatment, and etiology.Teaching Responsibilities: Maintained course grade book; graded exams and quizzes; proctored exams;managed the course WebCT site; answered student questions during office hours and via email;volunteered to present a guest lecture on brain disorders.

Elementary Psychology (PSYC1101), University of GeorgiaRole: Teaching Assistant

Semesters Taught: Fall 2007; Spring 2008Student Enrollment & Profile: 250-300 undergraduate studentsCourse Description: This was an introductory course covering the fundamental principles of

psychological science.Teaching Responsibilities: Maintained course grade book; graded and proctored exams; graded reactionpapers and provided written feedback; managed the course WebCT site; answered student questionsduring office hours and via email; volunteered to present a guest lecture on cognitive neuroscience.


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Sample Teaching Materials

Problem-Based Learning Activity on Factorial Experimental Designs

This exercise from my Research Design class used problem-based learning to teach students aboutfactorial experiments. It also provided hands-on experience with collecting and summarizing

empirical data..

The Kooshie Ball ConundrumIn-Class Activity

PSYC 3980 Research Design in Psychology

Description of ProblemKooshie Ball, Inc. is interested in the effects of two variables on accuracy of Kooshie ball tossingdistance fromtarget and eyesightbecause they are considering using a new slogan for their product: So Accurate, You CouldToss it From Across the Room with Your Eyes Closed. They have asked our class to design a simple experimentto test this theory. This is a big task, so you will need to work in groups to tackle different aspects of this problem.You will design a between-subjects factorial experiment, collect data from a random sample of class members,and present your study to the CEO of Kooshie Ball, Inc. (your instructor) in the form of a research poster.

Objectives Understand the major concepts associated with factorial experimental designs, including: 1. Formulating

research questions and hypotheses; 2. Manipulation of multiple independent variables; 3. Between vs. within-subjects designs; 4. Using a design matrix to visualize an experimental design; 5. Controlling for extraneous orconfounding variables; 6. Data collection and measurement of dependent variables; 7. Summarizing data intabular and graphical format; and 8. Examining results for main effects and interactions and drawingconclusions.

Gain experience with writing and presenting a research poster by working in groups to create each of the fourmain sections of the poster.

Build teamwork and problem solving skills by working with your peers to design and run a carefully-controlledfactorial experiment to test specific hypotheses.

Specific InstructionsYou will work with a small group of your classmates on a specific part of this problem. The CEO expects you tocomplete this experiment in 50 minutes, so its important that you work carefully and efficiently on your teamsspecific tasks. Also, other teams may need to use your work to meet their goals. For example, the data collectionteam needs to know what specific methods are going to be used in the experiment before collecting any data.

Each team will be responsible for summarizing their work on a large Post-it poster sheet. Once all teams havecompleted their tasks, we will combine all of the poster sheets into one large class-wide poster. Each teamshould be prepared to present their portion to the rest of the class.


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Sample Teaching Materials (continued)

Sample Assignment and Grading Rubric from my Cognitive Psychology Course

I developeda VirtualConference assignment for my Cognitive Psychology courses (described indetail underInnovative Teaching Projects & Roles). Below is the handout from the reflection paper

portion of the assignment and the corresponding grading rubric I created to evaluate student work.

PSYC 4100 Cognitive Psychology

Virtual Commentary Reflection Paper Assignment

Description

The final portion of the Virtual Conference assignment is a written reflection paper. The purpose of this paper is

twofold. For the first part of the reflection paper, you should think critically about the six virtual lectures you

viewed and draw connections between the content presented in each. All of the lectures were part of a larger

series titled How the Mind Works and the creators of TED.com felt these lectures all shared a common theme.

Did you find this was the case for the lectures you chose to watch? Why or why not? Be sure to provide specific

examples and sufficient comments to illustrate your points.

In the second part of your paper, you are asked to reflect on your experiences with this assignment. The following

are several questions you can choose to write about: Did you find the assignment enjoyable? Was there anythingin particular that you liked or disliked about the virtual conference assignment as a whole? Did you feel that the

virtual conference was an interesting and useful addition to the material presented in lecture and in the course

readings (i.e. did it make a significant contribution to your learning in this course)? You should not simply provide

yes or no answers to these questions. Instead, you are encouraged to provide honest and thoughtful feedback on

the virtual conference experience.

This assignment is worth 20 points. Your paper should be double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins. Your

paper should be between 1 and 2 pages in length. Your paper will be graded on both content and writing

mechanics according to the rubric provided by your instructor.


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Samples of Student Work

Example of a writtenhomework assignment frommy Research Design coursewith my feedback to the

student.

Prompt: Written summaryand critique of a peer-reviewed journal article

chosen by the student and

accessed via the library

website.


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Samples of Student Work (continued)

Examples of responses to in-class activities completed in my Research Design course. (Left: Concept map thatoutlines the important concepts of correlational designs; Right: Choose a psychological construct; brainstormassociated variables; and formulate a testable hypothesis).

A sample rough draft of an annotated bibliography entry by an undergraduate student that I mentored in an

independent research course. Based on my written feedback, my mentee edited her work and resubmittedrevised versions that displayed significant improvement.


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Samples of Student Work (continued)

Samples of Projects by Undergraduate

Research Mentees

One of the many joys of being a teacher in psychology

is the opportunity to work with eager and bright youngscientists. Undergraduate students that I have mentoredhave presented their research at local conferences andduring weekly lab meetings. My goal is to challengemy mentees to hold high personal expectations fortheir work and to always maintain the highest ethicalstandards possible.

I want to give my students opportunities to pursuescientific questions that they find interesting andexciting. In doing so, I cultivate their passion forpsychology and also build their skills as junior

scientists.

Many of the students that I have mentored have goneon to graduate study in psychology and social work aswell as full-time research assistant positions.

Left: Undergraduate research mentees present theirposters at the annual Psi Chi Convention.

Below: Selected slides from a lab meeting presentationby one of my mentees.


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Innovative Teaching Projects and Roles

Bringing TED to Class: Hosting Virtual Conferences

Integrating online content with the college classroom can help make courses more relevant andtailors our teaching to our students virtual worlds. For this reason, I developed an innovativeassignment for my cognitive psychology courses that involved students attending a virtualconference via TED.como My students viewed a series of short TED talks by prominent psychologists and wrote brief

commentaries that required them to extract the main ideas, identify concepts they foundparticularly interesting or confusing, and critically evaluate each speaker. Students then wrote areflection paper in which they synthesized the overlapping themes in the lectures.

o Survey data that I collected indicated that the conference had a significant impact on studentlearning while also stimulated critical thinking. Student feedback was generally positive, withseveral students commenting that they especially liked that they were able to choose the topicsthey wanted to learn about.

Psychology of Genocide Course Design How can ordinary human beings be driven to willingly contribute to

mass murder while others can stand idly by and do nothing? This is thecentral theme for an undergraduate course on the Psychology ofGenocide that I designed while taking a graduate-level class on coursedesign.o My students and I will take a psychological perspective to

examining the causes and impact of genocide from multipleviewpoints (perpetrators, victims, and bystanders), evokingconcepts from social psychology, personality, and clinicalpsychology.

o This course is designed in its entirety, including learning goals,classroom activities, assessment tools, and a complete course

syllabus. My course design portfolio can be viewed here:http://tinyurl.com/AmlungGenocideCourse

Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Research

I am actively conducting scholarship of teaching (SOTL) research in collaboration with the UGACenter for Teaching and Learning. I am a principal investigator on two ongoing studies:

o Role of Peer Mentoring in Graduate Student Teaching Assistant DevelopmentThe purpose of this project is to investigate the role of various types of mentoring ingraduate TA development. We are examining the frequency, motivations, and benefits ofmentoring in a large sample of graduate students from a range of departments at UGA. Thiswork has the potential to inform effective TA development programs across disciplines.

o Investigating Novel Instructional Techniques in Undergraduate Psychology CoursesThe goal of this project is to investigate the efficacy of innovative teaching techniques thatI have developed for my undergraduate psychology courses. The primary focus to date hasbeen evaluating the virtual conference activity described above. Data collected includedself-report surveys of the impact on student learning and student perceptions of the activity.
http://tinyurl.com/AmlungGenocideCoursehttp://tinyurl.com/AmlungGenocideCoursehttp://tinyurl.com/AmlungGenocideCourse


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Innovative Teaching Projects and Roles (continued)

Instructor for Duke Talent Identification Program (TIP)

I have taught several accelerated classes for gifted middle/high school students as part of DukeTIP. My goal is to expose the students to college-level material that emphasizes psychology as ascience. I use hands-on activities extensively, including sheep brain dissections and a tour of theUGA neuroimaging center. Courses taught include: Sensation & Perception, Abnormal

Psychology, and Brain & Intelligence.

Teacher Behaviors Checklist Report Generator After using the Teacher Behaviors Checklist (Keeley et al., 2006) to evaluate my own teaching, I

created an automated Excel spreadsheet to analyze student responses on the TBC andautomatically generate a summary report with a variety descriptive statistics and figures. Thisreport generator, which I made freely-available for download from my website, is intended tomake using the TBC more efficient and powerful for teachers from any discipline.

o My TBC Report Generator can be downloaded from the following URL:http://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/Teacher-Behaviors-Checklist-Report-Generator.xls
http://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/Teacher-Behaviors-Checklist-Report-Generator.xlshttp://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/Teacher-Behaviors-Checklist-Report-Generator.xlshttp://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/Teacher-Behaviors-Checklist-Report-Generator.xls


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Professional Activities Related to Teaching

Interdisciplinary Certificate in University Teaching, University of Georgia

Enhanced teaching skills and preparation for future academic positions through mentored teachingexperience, graduate pedagogy coursework, completing a teaching portfolio, and conducting ateaching-related research project.

Graduate-level Pedagogy Coursework Taken at the University of Georgia Course Design (GRSC7900)

Provided a foundation in course design grounded in pedagogical theory (Finks Taxonomyfor Significant Learning). Designed a complete course on the Psychology of Genocide usingthe backwards course design model.

College Teaching and Student Learning(GRSC7800)Examined a variety of factors that influence college teaching and learning. Topics includedcharacteristics of good teaching, learning theories, and helping students become activelearners.

Practicum in Teaching of Psychology (PSYC9100)Supervised experience in the teaching of psychology at the university level. Readings,

didactic presentations, individualized mentorship, and completion of a teaching improvementproject.

Seminar for Graduate Student Teaching Assistants (GRSC7770)Developed skills to execute TA responsibilities. Topics included creating syllabi, deliveringlectures, facilitating discussions, assessing student learning, embracing diversity, and academichonesty, among others.

President, Psychology Educator Development Association,University of Georgia Founding member of a student-led organization that provides academic, professional, and social

support for graduate teaching assistants through organizing workshops, collaborative teachingprojects, and resource sharing. Web site: http://www.psychology.uga.edu/peda/

Graduate Student Member, Society for Teaching of Psychology Professional society dedicated to promoting excellence in the teaching of psychology Served a two-year term on STP Membership Committee

Graduate President, Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology, University of Georgia

Promoted academic and research excellence in psychology. Worked with undergraduate officers toplan meetings and workshops. Chaired planning committee for the annual Psi Chi Convention ofBehavioral Sciences

Also served term as Graduate Vice President.

Abstract / Paper Reviewer Reviewed abstract submissions and best paper submissions for the following teaching-related

conferences and undergraduate student research conferencesISSOTL12 Conference: "Research on teaching and learning: integrating practices"Research on Teaching & Learning: Integrating Practices Conference (McMaster University)Psi Chi Convention of the Behavioral Sciences (University of Georgia)Georgia Undergraduate Research in Psychology Conference (Kennesaw State University)
http://www.psychology.uga.edu/peda/http://www.psychology.uga.edu/peda/http://www.psychology.uga.edu/peda/


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Professional Activities Related to Teaching (continued)

Teaching-Related Research PresentationsAmlung, M., Dengler, M., Simpson, E., Stone, B., Williams, G., & Domizi, D. (2012, August). The role of peer mentoring

in psychology teaching assistant development. Poster presentated at 120th Annual Convention of the AmericanPsychological Association. Orlando, FL.

Amlung, M. (2011, October). Bringing TED to class: Hosting virtual conferences. Invited talk given onFridayLive!

Webinar Series (Teaching, Learning, and Technology Group). Archived talk URL: http://tinyurl.com/AmlungFL

Amlung, M., Dengler, M., Simpson, E., Stone, B., Williams, G., Suplita, R. & Domizi, D. (2011, October). The role ofpeer mentoring in teaching assistant development. Poster presented at 36th Annual POD Network Conference.Atlanta, GA.

Amlung, M. (2011, October). Ideas worth spreading: Using TED.com in undergraduate psychology courses. Posterpresentation at STP Best Practices Conference. Atlanta, GA.

Amlung, M. & Domizi, D. P. (2011, March). Using virtual conferences to integrate online content with the classroom.Poster presented at the 2011 Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching. Greensboro, NC.

Williams, G., Amlung, M., Dengler, M., Simpson, E., Stone, B., Suplita, R., & Domizi, D. (2011, March). The role of peermentoring in psychology teaching assistant development. Poster presented at the 34th Annual Psi Chi Conventionof the Behavioral Sciences. Athens, GA.

Amlung, M. & Domizi, D. P. (2011, March). Using virtual conferences to integrate online content with the classroom.Oral presentation at SoTL Commons Conference. Statesboro, GA.

Attendance at Teaching-related Conferences and Workshops

STP Best Practices for Teaching Introduction to Psychology (Atlanta, GA; 2011) 4

th Annual SoTL Commons Conference (Statesboro, GA; 2011) 2011 Lilly Conference on College & University Teaching (Greensboro, NC; 2011) Southeastern Conference on the Teaching of Psychology (Atlanta, GA; 2010) Society for Teaching of Psychology Online Workshops (2009-2011)

E-Conference on Curriculum, Assessment, and DiversityTeaching the History of Psychology

Teaching Biological Psychology Entering Mentoring Workshop, University of Georgia (2010)

Four-part workshop series on approaches and issues surrounding effective mentoring ofundergraduate student research projects.
http://tinyurl.com/AmlungFLhttp://tinyurl.com/AmlungFL


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Teaching Honors & Awards

Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Georgia (2012)

University-wide recognition for superior teaching skills and contributions to teaching beyond usualclassroom responsibilities. Awarded annually to five graduate students in the UGA GraduateSchool

Charles L. Darby Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award (2012) Given annually to one teaching assistant in the University of Georgia Psychology Department

Faculty Development Grant, Society for Teaching of Psychology (2010) Recipient of a $350 grant to support ongoing teaching-related research and presentation of a talk at

the 2011 SoTL Commons Conference.

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, University of Georgia (2010) Recipient of campus-wide award for excellence in teaching. Awarded to top 10% of TAs at the

University of Georgia

Awards Received by Undergraduate Student Mentees

2nd

Place in Best Oral Presentation Competition, Georgia Undergraduate Research in Psychology

Conference, Kennesaw State University (2012) One of my undergraduate research mentees, Ashley Blackburn, received 2rd place in the best oral

presentation competition for her talk titled, High resolution behavioral economic analysis of theprice sensitivity of smoking cessation motivation.

3rd

Place in Best Poster Presentation Competition, 35th

Annual Psi Chi Convention of the Behavioral

Sciences, University of Georgia (2012)

One of my undergraduate research mentees, Ashley Blackburn, received 3rd place in the best posterpresentation competition for her poster titled, High resolution behavioral economic analysis of theprice sensitivity of smoking cessation motivation.


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Quantitative Evaluation of Teaching

The University of Georgia collects anonymous student evaluations at the end of every semester. Below are averagestudent ratings from the courses I have taught as Instructor of Record. Teaching evaluations were not collected for myTA positions, based on instructor preferences. Full evaluations for each course can be viewed on my website:http://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/

Course:

CognitivePsychology

PSYC4100

CognitivePsychology

PSYC4100

Research Designin Psychology

PSYC3980

GraduateTeaching Seminar

GRSC7770

Semester: Spring 2010 Fall 2010 Spring 2011 Fall 2011

Role: Instructor Instructor Instructor Instructor

# of Respondents: 26 8 28 17

Values below are means

1 = Strongly disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Neutr al; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly agree

Instructor appeared to beknowledgeable about thecourse material

4.58 4.75 4.93 4.76

Instructor was well organized 4.54 4.88 4.89 4.76

Instructor presented coursematerial in an understandablemanner

4.46 4.63 4.93 4.56

Instructor stimulatedcritical/analytical thinking ofthe subject matter

4.15 ** ** **

Instructor was willing tospend extra time with studentwho wanted it

4.19 ** ** **

Instructor gave work

assignments that weredifficult to complete in thetime allotted

1.35 ** ** **

Instructor gave workassignments that wereunimportant or irrelevant

1.62 ** ** **

Instructor clearly describedthe grading procedure

4.54 ** ** **

Instructor treated all studentswith respect

4.77 4.88 5.00 4.76

Assignments and activitieswere useful for helping melearn

** 4.63 4.75 3.88

This course challenged me tothink and learn

** 4.38 4.32 3.29

1 = Poor; 2 = F air ; 3 = Good; 4 = Very good; 5 = Super ior

How would you rate theoverall value of this course?

4.35 4.25 4.29 3.18

How would you rate thisinstructor?

4.50 4.63 4.79 4.29

**Question/item was not asked
http://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/http://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/


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Quantitative Evaluation of Teaching (continued)

Piedmont College collects anonymous student evaluations at the end of every semester. Below are average studentratings from the courses I have taught. Full evaluations for each course can be viewed on my website:http://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/.

Course: Cognitive Psychology

Semester: Fall 2010

Role: Instructor

Number of Respondents: 7

Values below are means

1 = Strongly disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Neutr al; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly agree

Instructor creates a caring, supportive climate whichfacilitates learning.

4.71

Instructor encourages different points of view. 4.83

Instructor manifests scholarly knowledge of the topicsinvolved in the course.

4.83

Instructor employs a variety of appropriate instructionalactivities which enable students to fulfill the purposes ofthe course.

4.83

Instructor encourages critical thinking of the contentlearned in the course. Critical thinking is defined as theability to evaluate, synthesize, and create knowledge.

4.83

The instructor encourages class discussion and studentquestions.

4.83

Instructor's planning is demonstrated in the course syllabus. 4.83

Instructor is prepared for classroom interactions withstudents.

4.83

Instructor adheres to policies stated in the syllabus. 4.83

Instructor employs a variety of assessments appropriate tothe course.

4.83

Instructor returns assessments to student in a timely fashion(within two weeks of due date).

4.83

Instructor supports students' efforts to achieve highexpectations held by the instructor.

4.67

Instructor is accessible to student out of class (via email,phone, or office hours).

4.83

Instructor provides feedback on assignments, exams,papers, etc. in a timely fashion (within two weeks). 4.67

Instructor employed an effective mix of communicationtechniques in teaching.

4.67

Instructor employed an effective mix of appropriatetechnology in teaching.

4.67
http://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/http://mamlung.myweb.uga.edu/teaching/


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Qualitative Evaluation of Teaching

Student comments about my effectiveness as an INSTRUCTOR / TEACHING ASSISTANT:

Mr. Amlung has a passion for teaching that is extremely evident when he is in the classroom. Hecomes to class well prepared with a strong knowledge base of what he is teaching, and an excellentplan for presenting the information.

Mr. Amlung really cares about his students, is very organized, respectful, and knowledgeable. Hereally goes above and beyond to make sure his students understand and enjoy the material.

His energy and passion for the subject is contagious. Hes so humble and understanding, knows thematerial well, and knew all of our names.

Mr. Amlung makes it very clear that he is available to serve the needs of the student. He providesample opportunity for individual attention through either personal meetings or other standard modes ofcommunication. From time to time I found it necessary to email questions, and was always answeredimmediately.

I appreciated that Mr. Amlung offered to help students find opportunities for lab experience.

Student comments about SPECIFC ASPECTS OF MY COURSES:

This class is one of the most enjoyable, most applicable, and most mind/thought-provoking classes Ihave ever taken. Mr. Amlung sets up his course in a perfect way. He makes class fairly interactive, anduses lots of outside research to demonstrate subjects that we are studying.

I like the variety in teaching strategiesnot always lecture. Lots of active learning.

My favorite part of the course was the video clips used to enhance lecture. It was obvious to me thatmuch time had been spent planning the lecture, finding an appropriate video clip, and setting the stagefor using the clip to enhance material covered.

I really like the examples and in-class demos. Provides a context to think about the material and helpsto cement concepts in my mind.

I like that he provides an outline without all the information on it. We must pay attention to geteverything and keep our notes organized.

I like the descriptions of specific experiments and case studies because they help me drawconnections.

When grading papers, I really liked how a lot of insight was put in instead of just a completion grade.That definitely helped so I knew what I needed to do to write it better.

The reading connections assignments helped me read the assigned text with an eye for what wasimportant based on previous courses, real world applications, and my own life.

Used a variety of tools other than the typical exam format to assess our content knowledge.


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Michael Amlung

Qualitative Evaluation of Teaching (continued)

Student comments about my effectiveness as a RESEARCH MENTOR:

Mr. Amlung believes in giving research assistants the most hands-on experience possible. Each year,he gave me more and more responsibilities as a research assistant. I was able to learn more than I hadexpected to learn and truly felt like a valuable addition to the lab.

In training, Mr. Amlung would carefully go through all the steps when explaining how to do a task,then he would perform the task, and watch while I performed it once. This is effective mentoringbecause he is teaching and also ensuring that RA's are confident in their work.

I appreciated that he would talk through things with me and not just give the answers; I learned a lotmore that way and felt good that he had confidence in my ability to figure things out on my own.

I think the area in which he was the most effective mentor for me was in my writing. He alwaysoffered constructive criticism which was very much appreciated. He took time to read my writing andreally think about his responses. This helped me learn from each experience and improve for the nexttime.

Mr. Amlung always reinforced the importance of ethics and the IRB standards. As a mentor, I feelthat this is an important example because it shows research assistants how important ethics are in theresearch field.

Mr. Amlung knew that I was interested in the fMRI portion of the study and working directly withthe participants. He went to our principal investigator and asked her if I could start helping thegraduate students on the fMRI scanning days. I learned more from working on these days than from allthe other tasks I did in the lab.


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Michael Amlung

Peer Assessment of Teaching

Franklin College of Arts and SciencesDepartment of Psychology

August 15, 2011

Dear Colleagues:

The purpose of this letter is to briefly share some of my observations about Michael Amlungs teaching from when Iattended his PSYC 3980 (Research Design in Psychology) course on two successive occasions during the Spring,2011 semester.

It was apparent from the very beginning of class that he was very organized and well-prepared, and indeed as theclass progressed it ran very smoothly. He was very comfortable in front of the class, but more importantly he wasvery much in command of the situation. The first part of each class was devoted to lecture (he was discussinglongitudinal research designs during the periods that I attended), while he used the second part of class for an in-classactivity in which the students divided themselves up into groups of 4 or so.

During lecture, his overall pace was excellent and the content was clearly at the appropriate level for the course. Hissupportive media (i.e., PowerPoint slides) were helpful and not cluttered, which made it easy for his class to payattention to what he was saying. His examples were clear and illustrative, and his ability to involve the class inhelpful discussion was impressive. In most cases, after giving his own example of a concept he asked the class togenerate their own examples, and I think in every case someone did so. There were several times during the lecturewhere Michael related the current discussion to other things they had talked about earlier in the semester, somethingI assume he does throughout the semester. I was struck by the fact that on more than one occasion, when asked for anexample to illustrate the current (and new) concept, someone related an example that reflected a new interpretation ofsomething that they had apparently discussed earlier in the semester. I took this as a pretty strong indication that histeaching strategies were being effective, at least with this class.

I also was impressed by his ability, for the most part, to ask questions to the class that were open-ended enough as torequire thought, and directive enough to prevent too much tangential thinking. However, in a couple of cases, hisquestions were too open-ended and vague to really guide their answers in the direction he wanted, or at least that'show it seemed. Being someone who errs in the same direction I may have been over-sensitive to it, but it seemedlike sometimes students failed to answer his question because they weren't sure what he was asking, not because theydidn't have a response. In the time since my observations, Michael and I have had a number of discussions abouttechniques for improving this aspect of his classroom teaching.

Although I only observed the class on a couple of occasions, it was clear that Michael was keeping most of thestudents engaged during lecture and he kept checking to ensure that they were understanding the concepts underdiscussion. Not surprisingly, the students seemed to be responding quite positively to Michael as a teacher, laughingat his humor and not hesitating to ask or answer questions. He treated everyone with respect, and seemed to know alof them by name, which no doubt contributed to the good rapport between them.

As I already noted, the second part of class was occupied with an in-class activity, an impressive feat given that theywere only 50 minute classes (but may also have contributed to Michael seemingly running out of time beforefinishing everything he had planned on both days I attended). During this activity, students divided into smallgroups and together answered several questions that tested their understanding of the current topic as well asrequiring them to apply it (e.g., by designing a simple longitudinal study to answer the question at hand). Overall,


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Michael Amlung

Peer Assessment of Teaching (continued)

most students in the class were as engaged in this activity as they were in lecture, but it did provide some (actually,impressively few) students with the opportunity to look quietly at their phone messages, or check their email.Michael of course maintained a presence in the room, but if he was discussing the exercise with one student or groupit gave some of the other students the chance to do these other things. But the vast majority of students seemed to beparticipating in the activity in the way that was intended, and based on what I saw in class in general I assume with

the intended effect, as well.

Overall, Michael's class was a pleasure to observe. His lecture style is informative and relaxed; he does an excellentjob of engaging the class in thought-provoking discussion and using different techniques for doing so. Of course,there may still be room for improvement in areas such as time management, but overall I thought he did a great job.Most importantly, it appeared to me that his students would probably agree with that.

Sincerely,

John Achee, Ph.D.

Senior Lecturer

Department of PsychologyThe University of GeorgiaEmail: [email protected]


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Michael Amlung

Undergraduate Student Letters of Suppor

December 15, 2010

To Whom It May Concern:

I had the pleasure of taking a senior level cognitive psychology course from part-time instructor Michael

Amlung while a student at Piedmont College in Athens, Georgia. As a senior psychology major with theintent to pursue a masters level degree in social work, I am always interested in the research -basedapplication of course content in a clinical setting. Mr. Amlung excelled in presenting the course material inthis light.

Mr. Amlung used a variety of instructional methods that met my needs as a student. Lecture presentationswere concise, interesting, and multimedia oriented. My favorite part of the course was the video clips used toenhance lecture. It was obvious to me that much time had been spent planning the lecture, finding anappropriate video clip, and setting the stage for using the clip to enhance material covered. In addition, theuse of real tests of cognitive processing and real-world examples in research made the lecture interestingand relevant. Another method of instruction I found helpful were the textbook reading connectionsassignments. This easy to use tool helped me read the assigned text with an eye for what was important

based on previous courses, real world applications, and my own life.

As a senior psychology major, I have taken a variety of courses from full-time and part-time professors. Itwas obvious from the beginning of the course that Mr. Amlung enjoyed teaching, enjoyed the banter ofvarying opinions among students, and valued our opinions related to the course objectives. In addition, hewas fair regarding assessments, and used a variety of tools other than the typical exam format to assess ourcontent knowledge. I specifically enjoyed the real-world application assignments we prepared periodically.

On a personal note, I truly enjoyed the conversations we had in class related to the material, and theopportunity to share our opinions and personal stories. I honestly cannot think of anything I would changerelated to this course. Professor Amlung also shared personal stories relevant to the course content, which Ienjoyed very much. I have a unique perspective, in that I have worked in higher education for the past ten

years. As a student services professional, I hear the good, the bad, and the ugly about faculty. ProfessorAmlung received highest accolades from our students here at Piedmont College, Athens.

Sincerely,

Lynn H. MillerStudent and Staff MemberPiedmont College

Athens, GA


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Michael Amlung

Undergraduate Student Letters of Support (continued)

October 4, 2011

RE: Mr. Michael Amlung

To Whom It May Concern:

Mr. Amlung is a Doctoral candidate and instructor in the Department of Psychology at the University ofGeorgia-Athens, at which I am a 4th-year undergraduate student. I am also studying psychology andseeking admission to graduate school for the Fall of 2012.

I was honored to get the opportunity to work with Mr. Amlung in the Psychology 4800-Supervised Researchcourse as a 3rd-year student. This is a course for advanced psychology majors and, primarily due to myassociation with Mr. Amlung, was a turning point in my focus and understanding of the realm of psychologyin our everyday lives. From the moment I met Mr. Amlung, I felt that he welcomed me as a protge and thathe continues to take interest in seeing me grow into a colleague.

During the execution of Psychology 4800, a very hands-on course, Mr. Amlung proved to have a strong

working knowledge of the scientific method of research and he easily communicated the steps necessary forpurity of process, facilitating the project, but allowing me to take ownership of the major processes in which Iwas engaged. I gained confidence and knowledge thanks to his concentration on my individual needs as astudent.

More specifically, I assisted Mr. Amlung with a study on the role of different mentoring relationships in thedevelopment of effective psychology educators. As a research assistant, I was responsible for distributing thesurveys for the study, collecting the surveys, and entering the survey responses into a database. Mr. Amlungensured that I felt comfortable with my responsibilities as a research assistant and provided me with all of theinsight and direction that I would need to successfully complete the tasks.

In addition to my regular meetings with Mr. Amlung, he also made certain that he was available to answer

any questions that I had and to provide me with further instruction and guidance on the project. When thestudy was finalized, I prepared an abstract and poster to present at the University of Georgias annual PsiChi conference. Mr. Amlung provided assistance and encouragement every step of the way. He also ensuredthat I felt comfortable and confident with the final product of my presentation.

Mr. Amlungs teaching and mentoring style is one of intellectual generosity, quiet leadership, and artfuldesign. He is gracious, giving, collaborative, innovative and encouraging. He also believes strongly intransparency and open communication.

I believe Mr. Amlung will continue to be a sought-after teacher, writer, presenter and mentor because of hislove of the field of Psychology and his strong and enthusiastic desire to disseminate knowledge. I continue tobenefit from his mentorship and, though I believe we both will delight in the day I can call myself a colleague,

I will always consider Mr. Amlung my first and most influential mentor.

Sincerely,

Grace K. WilliamsPsychology MajorUniversity of Georgia

Athens, GA


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Michael Amlung

Appendix I: Complete Course Syllab

The following pages contain complete copies of course syllabi from the courses that I have taught asinstructor of record / co-instructor. These courses include:

PSYC 3980 Research Design in Psychology, University of Georgia

PSYC 4100 Cognitive Psychology, University of Georgia

PSY 410 Cognitive Psychology, Piedmont College

GRSC 7770 Graduate Teaching of Psychology Seminar, University of Georgia


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Research Design in Psychology PSYC 3980Spring 2011

MWF 10:10-11:00am, MLC Room 268

Instructor

Michael Amlung, M.S.

Email: [email protected]

Office: Psychology 215

Office Hours: After class and by appointment

This course syllabus is a general plan for the course;

Deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.

Course Description

Design of research in psychology. Experimental and quasi-experimental design, as well as the general principles of the

scientific method. Direct experience with the formulation of hypotheses, collection of data, and description of

research findings is required.

Course Objectives

The purpose of this course is to teach you about designing scientific research in psychology. The knowledge we have inthe field of psychology comes primarily from research, and while a large portion of this research is experimental

nature, psychologists can employ a variety of methods in conducting empirical research. An understanding of how

scientific research is designed and carried out is vital to your understanding of psychology. During this semester, we

will discuss experimental designs used in psychology and apply that knowledge to activities that will help you develop

an understanding of experimental design. Specifically, you will learn: (1) how to formulate meaningful scientific

hypotheses and how to carry out research to test those hypotheses; (2) how to avoid confounds when designing

research studies; (3) how to evaluate the validity of research; and (4) how to assess the generalizability of laboratory

experiments to the real world. You will also learn APA style, the writing style preferred in this discipline, and propose

your own experiment in a final paper.

This course will use a multimodal approach to student learning: you will read a textbook and some journal articles,listen to lectures, and participate in a variety of in-class activities and discussions. Wherever appropriate, lecture

material will be supplemented with in-class activities and other media (e.g. films, on-line resources).

Course Prerequisites

PSYC 1101 and [(BIOL 1103 and BIOL 1103L) or (BIOL 1104 and BIOL 1104L) or BIOL 1107-1107L or BIOL 1108-1108L]

and (STAT 2000 or MATH 2200)

Required Text

McBride, D. M. (2010). The Process of Research in Psychology. Sage Publications, Inc.: Thousand Oaks, CA

I also strongly recommend that you purchase the following text: Publication Manual of the American

Psychological Association. (6th Edition). Washington, D. C.

Attendance

Attendance at regular class meetings is not required, but I strongly recommend coming to class. Lecture noteswill be

posted on this courses eLC page, but do not rely on those alone; they are only meant to serve as a guide to what

we will discuss in class. Also, there will often be material presented in class that is not presented equivalently in the

book. You are also expected to actively participate in class discussions and group activities. By sharing your

understanding and perspectives on course content, the learning experience can be enhanced for everyone. The

exceptions to this rule are days when we have in-class activities. These will occur periodically throughout the

semester, and I will not announce these dates in advance. If you do not attend class on these days, you will not be

able to make up missed points. You also must attend class for the proposal peer-review session (4/25).


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Please note, if you do not come to class you remain responsible for all material covered in class, including lecture

content, class demonstrations, and so forth. You also remain responsible for any announcements made in class, such

as changes regarding the syllabus, exam dates, or assigned readings.

Course Requirements and Grading

A. Exams (50% of Course Grade)

There will be two closed-book, closed-note exams. Each exam will be worth 25% of your total grade(100 points

each). These exams will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and short essay questions. Exams will cover materialpresented in lectures and in the book. Some material may come from both book and lecture, but some will come from

lecture only and some will come from book only. A review session will be scheduled before each exam, and I will

announce the date and time of these in class. You must arrive on-time for exams (If you arrive after the first person

has already completed the exam and left the room, you will not be allowed to take the exam and will receive a zero).

D. Research proposal (20% of Course Grade)

One of the most important things we will cover during the semester is APA style, the primary writing style used in

psychology. To do so, you will be writing a research proposal in which you will describe an original study that you think

would be interesting to complete. You will be working on this paper throughout the semester, and will be required to

turn in rough drafts of each section so that you can get feedback on your progress. Each draft (Part 1: Introduction;

Part 2: Methods/Results; Part 3: Discussion/Abstract) will be worth 15 points. You will also participate in an in-class

peer-review session which is worth 10 points. At the end of the semester, you will turn in your final research proposal

which is worth 25 points. Thus, the research proposal will be worth a total of 80 points of your final grade.

C. In-Class Assignments / Homework (30% of Course Grade)

To help you apply the course material there will be 120 points given out for in-class/homework assignments

throughout the semester. Many of these will be group-oriented activities, and some will be individual work. If an

assignment is completed in-class, you must be in class on the day it is completed to receive these points. There are

NO exceptions to this rule. For in-class group work, you will work with the same team all semester. A single copy of

each assignment will be turned in by each group, and all members will receive the same grade. Homework

assignments are due at the beginning of class. You will always have at least a week to work on homework

assignments. As a result, late homeworks will not be accepted except in extreme cases (may include penalty). All

assignments must be typed unless they are completed in class, or I tell you that they do not need to be typed.Proofread your assignments for spelling and grammar errors. Do not rely on a word processors spell check function

because it will not catch everything. You will lose points for excessive spelling and grammar errors, not stapling, and

not including your first and last name on ALL assignments.

D. Grading Policy

The grading breakdown is as follows:

Exam 1 100 points 25%


Research proposal 80 points 20%

Assignments / HW 120 points 30%

Total 400 points 100%

Final letter grades will be assigned according to the following scale:

Letter Grade Points % Letter Grade Points %

A 370-400 92.5-100% C 290-305 72.5-76.49%

A- 358-369 89.5-92.49% C- 278-289 69.5-72.49%

B+ 346-357 86.5-89.49% D+ 266-277 66.5-69.49%

B 330-345 82.5-86.49% D 250-265 62.5-66.49%

B- 318-329 79.5-82.49% D- 238-249 59.5-62.49%

C+ 306-317 76.5-79.49% F < 238 < 59.49%


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Missed exam / Make-up exam policy. A strict policy will be adopted regarding exams. Make-up exams will

only be allowed for legitimate, documented reasons. If you know that you will need to miss an exam ahead of

time for a University sponsored event, please contact me before the exam to set up a time to take it early. If

you miss an exam for another reason, contact me as soon as possible to discuss making up the exam. You will

only be allowed to make up the exam if you have official documentation for why you missed the exam (such

as a doctors note, funeral or death notice, jury duty summons, etc.) and if you contact me soon after the

exam occurred. Contacting me at the end of the semester about missing an earlier exam is NOT acceptable. I

reserve the right to deny make-up exam requests if I feel the excuse is not acceptable.

Late homework policy. You will always have at least a week to work on homework assignments. As a result,late homeworks will not be accepted except in extreme cases (may include penalty).

I do not round up grades. Please do not ask me at the end of the semester to change your grade. Once

grades are posted they are FINAL and cannot be changed except in case of clerical error.

A grade of incomplete is not an option except in extremely rare circumstances, and must be approved by

the instructor. It is not an option if you are failing the course.

A student may withdraw from the courseprior to the midpoint of the semester (March 21), but you are only

guaranteed a grade of W if you are passing the course (see the Undergraduate Bulletin for additional details

on this policy).

eLearning Commons (Course Website)

The course eLearning Commons site (www.elc.uga.edu) will allow you to check your grades and access other class

materials. The course eLC page also has a link to the textbook companion website and links to a variety of resources to

help you succeed in this course. Please check the eLC website regularly to stay current in the course.

Academic Honesty

As a University of Georgia student, you have agreed to abide by the Universitys academic honesty policy, A Culture

of Honesty, and the Student Honor Code. All academic work must meet the standards described in A Culture of

Honesty found atwww.uga.edu/honesty. Lack of knowledge of the academic honesty policy is not a reasonable

explanation for a violation. Questions related to course assignments and the academic honesty policy should be

directed to the instructor.

Classroom Policies

Professional behavioris expected, including demonstrating courtesy and respect for the instructor and for otherstudents during class. This includes turning off cell phones, not reading the newspaper during class, etc. Laptop use is

for note taking only. If you are seen using the computer for other reasons, I will ask you to turn off your laptop for the

remainder of class. Please arrive on time for class, and if you are unavoidably late or absolutely must leave early,

please sit at the back of the class near the door.

Students with Disabilities

Please see me as soon as possible, and provide a letter from the UGA Disability Resource Center describing what

accommodations you might require. I will be happy to work with you in any way you need.

Office Hours / Contacting the Instructor

I want you to succeed in this course and I strongly encourage students that have questions or concerns to talk to meeither before/after class or during office hours. If you are unable to meet with me during my office hours, please let

me know and we will find a mutually convenient time to meet. Generally speaking, the best way to reach me is via

email.

Please make a note of the following important dates:

Exam Dates Proposal Due Dates In-Class Peer Review

3/4, 5/9 2/23 Rough Draft of Intro + References 4/25

3/21 Rough Draft of Methods + Results

4/11 Rough Draft of Discussion + Abstract

5/4 Final Draft of Proposal (Due by 5:00pm)
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COURSE OUTLINE(Subject to Change by Announcement of Instructor)

Please read all assigned readings before coming to class.

Supplemental readings may be posted on E-Learning Commons.

WEEK DATE TOPIC READING IMPORTANT NOTES

1 1/10 Psychology: Science vs.

pseudoscience

TBD

2 1/17 Overview of psychological research Ch. 1 1/17 MLK Day (No Class)

3 1/24 Hypothesis development

APA style: Intro / References

Ch. 2

Ch. 8 (p. 151-168)

4 1/31 Using the scientific method Ch. 3

5 2/7 Types of variables Ch. 4

6 2/14 Ethics in research Ch. 5

7 2/21 Ethics (continued); Sampling

APA style: Methods / Results

Ch. 6 2/23 RD of Intro + References due

8 2/28 Sampling Ch. 6 3/4 Exam 1 (Ch. 1-6)

9 3/7 Statistics overview Ch. 7

10 3/14 SPRING BREAK --

11 3/21 Survey research

APA style: Discussion / Abstract

Ch. 9 3/21 RD of Method + Results due

3/24 Withdrawal Deadline

12 3/28 Correlational research Ch. 10

13 4/4 Experimental research Ch. 11

14 4/11 Quasi-experimental research Ch. 12 4/11 RD of Discussion + Abstract due

15 4/18 Other research designs Ch. 13

16 4/25 Presenting research findings TBD 4/25 In-Class Peer Review Session

17 5/2 Wrap-up & Review N/A 5/4 Final Paper Due by 5:00pm

18 5/9 Exam 2 during final exam time slot

8:00-11:00am; Regular class room

5/9 Exam 2 (Ch. 7-13)


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B. Virtual Conference (20% of Course Grade)

Scientific meetings and conferences are important venues for discussing new and exciting research in cognitive

psychology. With the aid of the internet, you will be attending a virtual research conference as part of this course. This

conference will feature an assortment of short talks and lectures on topics related to cognitive psychology, broadly

defined. You will be required to choose six online lectures to watch outside of class and write a brief commentary on

each lecture (worth 10 points each). Commentaries will be submitted electronically via E-Learning Commons. Three o

these commentaries are due on October 8; the remaining three are due on November 12. After you have watched all

six lectures, you will write a short reflection paper (with 20 points, due on November 29) that will give you an

opportunity to explore common themes and reflect on what you learned from attending the conference. Specificdetails for these assignments and a program of speakers will be distributed in class.

C. Participation / Minute Papers (5% of Course Grade)

A total ofsix in-class assignments and lab exercises (worth 4 points each) will be given during the semester to

account for your participation grade. These brief assignments will allow you to reflect on the days material and will

be used to facilitate group discussion. Dates for these assignments will notbe announced in advance. You must be

present and complete each assignment to receive full credit. No make-up assignments will be given. 5 of the 6

assignments must be completed to earn the full 20 regular participation points. If you complete all 6 assignments,

you will receive 4 extra credit points for your total class grade.

D. Grading Policy

The breakdown of grading is as follows:




Lecture Commentaries (6x) 60 points 15%

Reflection Paper 20 points 5%

Participation 20 points 5%


Final letter grades will be assigned according to the following scale:

Letter Grade Points % Letter Grade Points %

A 370-400 92.5-100% C 290-305 72.5-76.49%A- 358-369 89.5-92.49% C- 278-289 69.5-72.49%

B+ 346-357 86.5-89.49% D+ 266-277 66.5-69.49%

B 330-345 82.5-86.49% D 250-265 62.5-66.49%

B- 318-329 79.5-82.49% D- 238-249 59.5-62.49%

C+ 306-317 76.5-79.49% F < 238 < 59.49%

Missed exam / Make-up exam policy. A strict policy will be adopted regarding exams. Please be aware that

absolutely no make-up exams will be given without prior arrangements. Valid requests for a make-up exam

must be made in writing at least one week prior to the exam date and will be granted whenever possible. The

format of the make-up exam is at the discretion of the instructor. If you miss an exam, medical or other

documentation of the emergency is required and your missing grade will be replaced with the average of theother two exams.

Late assignment policy. Late lecture commentaries and reflection papers will receive a daily penalty (3 pointsper day for commentaries; 5 points per day for papers), and will receive a zero if not received within 48 hours

of the due date. Note, assignments must be submitted to E-LC by midnight on the due date to be considered

on-time. You may not submit work for this course that has been submitted, or is to be submitted, for credit in another

course (some exceptions to this rule exist and you should consult the instructor if you have any doubt). I do not round up grades. Please do not ask me at the end of the semester to change your grade. Once

grades are posted they are FINAL and cannot be changed except in case of clerical error.


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A grade of incomplete is not an option except in extremely rare circumstances, and must be approved by

the instructor. It is not an option if you are failing the course.

A student may withdraw from the courseprior to the midpoint of the semester (Oct. 21), but you are only

guaranteed a grade of W if you are passing the course (see the Undergraduate Bulletin for additional details

on this policy).

6. eLearning Commons (Course Website)

The course eLearning Commons site (www.elc.uga.edu) will allow you to check your grades and access other class

materials. The course eLC page also has links to a variety of resources to help you succeed in this course (textbookcompanion website, study skills, etc). You will also use eLC to submit lecture commentaries and reflection papers from

the virtual conference. Please check the eLC website regularly to stay current in the course.

7. Academic Honesty

As a University of Georgia student, you have agreed to abide by the Universitys academic honesty policy, A Culture

of Honesty, and the Student Honor Code. All academic work must meet the standards described in A Culture of

Honesty found atwww.uga.edu/honesty. Lack of knowledge of the academic honesty policy is not a reasonable

explanation for a violation. Questions related to course assignments and the academic honesty policy should be

directed to the instructor.

8. Classroom Policies

Professional behavioris expected, including demonstrating courtesy and respect for the instructor and for other

students during class. This includes turning off cell phones, not reading the newspaper during class, etc. Laptop use is

for note taking only. If you are seen using the computer for other reasons, I will ask you to turn off your laptop for the

remainder of class. Please arrive on time for class, and if you are unavoidably late or absolutely must leave early,


9. Students with Disabilities

Please see me as soon as possible, and provide a letter from the UGA Disability Resource Center describing what

accommodations you might require. I will be happy to work with you in any way you need.

10. Office Hours / Contacting the Instructor

I want you to succeed in this course and I strongly encourage students that have questions or concerns to talk to meeither before/after class or during office hours. If you are unable to meet with me during my office hours, please let

me know and we will find a mutually convenient time to meet. Generally speaking, the best way to reach me is via

email.

11. Important Dates

Please make a note of the following important dates:

Exam Dates Virtual Conference Due Dates

Monday 9/20 Exam 1 Friday 10/8 First 3 Commentaries Due

Wednesday 10/27 Exam 2 Friday 11/12 Final 3 Commentaries Due

Monday 12/13 Exam 3 Monday 11/29 Reflection Paper Due
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COURSE OUTLINE(Subject to Change by Announcement of Instructor)

WEEK WEEK OF TOPIC READING* IMPORTANT NOTES

1 8/16 Introduction / Historical Background Ch. 1

2 8/23 Perception / Pattern Recognition Ch. 2

3 8/30 Visual Imagery Ch. 7

4 9/6 Attention Ch. 35 9/13 Attention / Cognitive Neuroscience Ch. 3

Fri 9/17 Tour of Bio-Imaging Research Center

*Meet at Coverdell Center*

---

Mon 9/20 Exam 1

6 9/20 Memory (STM) Ch. 4

7 9/27 Memory (STM / LTM) Ch. 4/5

8 10/4 Memory (LTM) / Memory Codes Ch. 5/6 10/8 No Class;

First 3 Commentaries Due

9 10/11 Memory Codes Ch. 7

10 10/18 Categorization Ch. 8 10/21 Withdrawal Deadline11 10/25 Special Topic: Animal Cognition ---

Wed 10/27 Exam 2

Fri 10/29 Fall Break: No Class ---

12 11/1 Psycholinguistics Ch. 10

13 11/8 Problem Solving Ch. 12 11/12Final 3 Commentaries Due

14 11/15 Executive Functions TBD

15 11/22 Thanksgiving Break: No Class ---

16 11/29 Decision Making 14 11/29 Reflection Paper Due

17 12/6 Catch-Up Days --- 12/7 -Friday Schedule

12/8 - Reading Day (no class)18 Mon 12/13 Exam 3 Final Exam Time Slot

8:00-11:00am

*Supplemental readings will be posted on E-Learning Commons.

Please read all assigned readings before coming to class.


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PSY 410.34: Cognitive PsychologyFall 2010 Second Session Piedmont College Athens Campus

Wednesdays 5:00-9:30pm Lane Hall Room 11

This course syllabus is a general plan for the course;

Deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.

Part 1: Instructor & Course IdentificationInstructorMichael Amlung, M.S.

Email: [email protected]

Office Hours: By appointment (before or after class)

Mission Statement

Piedmont College educates students to become successful and responsible citizens through rigorous academic

instruction in the liberal arts and professional disciplines. The institution emphasizes high ethical standards and respec

for diversity. We will strive to embody this goal in this course by creating a lively classroom environment that fosters

student learning and is inclusive of students of diverse backgrounds.

Course Description

This course is a survey of cognitive psychology. We will examine research on human cognitive processes, including

perception, attention, memory, decision-making, problem-solving, and language. This course will use a multimodal

approach to student learning: You will read a textbook and some journal articles, listen to lectures, and participate in

class discussions and demonstrations. Wherever appropriate, lecture material will be supplemented with in-class

activities and other media (e.g. films, on-line resources).

Learning Goals

1. Become familiar with theory and concepts in the major areas of human cognitive psychology.

2. Strengthen your ability to think critically about empirical research in psychology.

3. Develop an understanding of the scientific methods used in cognitive psychology research.

4. Discuss how cognitive psychology concepts can be applied to solve real world problems.5. Develop interpersonal skills through frequent group work and classroom activities.

Part 2: Course Policies

Required Text

Reed, S.K. (2010). Cognition: Theories and Applications. Bellmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Additional readings, if assigned, will be posted online. Please check WebCT regularly

Course Website (WebCT)

The course WebCT site (www.piedmont.edu/webct) will allow you to check your grades and access other class

materials. The course WebCT page also has links to a variety of resources to help you succeed in this course (textbookcompanion website, study skills, etc). If you have never used WebCT, you will find important information by going to

the WebCT home page and clicking on need help. If you are still having difficulties after consulting the help website,

please contact the instructor.


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Course Requirements

*LG = Learning Goal met by course requirement (see above)

*See course outline for important exam dates and assignment due dates

Exams (150 points; 50% of course grade) [LG: 1,2,3,4]

There will be three closed-book, closed-note exams worth 50% of your grade. These will consist of two mini-

exams (worth 45 points each) and a cumulative final exam (worth 60 points).Exams will consist of multiple

choice, short answer, and short essay questions. Exams will cover material presented in lectures and in the

book. Some material may come from both book and lecture, but some will come from lecture only and somewill come from book only.

Real-World Applications (RWAs) (60 points; 20% of course grade) [LG: 4,5]

An important learning outcome of this course is to understand how cognitive psychology impacts everyday

life. To this end, you will complete a series of Real-World Application (RWA) assignments (3 total, worth 20

points each). For each RWA assignment, you will identify a specific example of how the course material has

been applied to address real-world problems and write a brief response paper (1 page maximum). If your RWA

refers to something you read or saw in an external source (e.g., a news article, television program or film,

etc.), an appropriate citation must accompany your assignment. You are also expected to discuss your RWAs

with your peers in small groups during class. Additional details on these assignments will be discussed in class.

Reading Connections (60 points; 20% of course grade) [LG: 1,2,3]

Making connections between theories and ideas in psychology is a critically important skill and also helps

develop a deeper understanding of the course material. To this end, you will complete a total of 6 reading

connections charts (worth 10 points each). These charts will challenge you to extract three types of

connections from your textbook reading: Text-to-Text; Text-to-Self; and Text-to-World. Additional details on

this requirement will be discussed in class.

Participation / In-Class Assignments (30 points; 10% of course grade)[LG: 1,2,3,4,5]

A variety ofin-class assignments and demonstrationswill be given during the semester to account for your

participation grade. These brief assignments will allow you to reflect on the days material and will be used to

facilitate group discussion. You must be present and complete each assignment to receive full credit. No

make-up assignments will be given.

Grading Policy

The breakdown of grading is as follows:

Mini-Exam 1 & 2 90 points 30%

Final Exam 60 points 20%

Real-World Applications (RWAs) (3x) 60 points 20%

Reading Connections (6x) 60 points 20%

Participation 30 points 10%


Final letter grades will be assigned according to the following scale:Letter Grade Points

A 269-300

B 239-268

C 209-238

D 179-208

F 0-178


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Missed exams / Make-up exams: A strict policy will be adopted regarding exams. Please be aware that

absolutely no make-up exams will be given without prior arrangements.Valid requests for a make-up exam

must be made in writing at least one week prior to the exam date. The format of the make-up exam is at the

discretion of the instructor. If you miss an exam, medical or other documentation of the emergency is

required.

Late assignments: Assignments must be submitted by the end of class on the due date to be considered on-time. Late assignments will receive a daily penalty (5 points per day), and will receive a zero if not received

within 48 hours of the due date. Late assignments must be submitted directly to the instructor via email. Withdrawals: Following Piedmont College policy, a student may withdraw from the course without academic

penalty before 11/1/10.

Creating an Enriching Learning Environment

All classroom participants, including the instructor, are responsible for creating a classroom environment that fosters

learning. Professional behavioris expected, including demonstrating courtesy and respect for the instructor and for

other students during class. This includes turning off cell phones, not reading the newspaper during class, etc. Laptop

use is for note taking only. If you are seen using the computer for other reasons, I will ask you to turn off your laptop

for the remainder of class. Please arrive on time for class, and if you are unavoidably late or absolutely must leave earl


Office Hours / Contacting the Instructor

I want you to succeed in this course and I strongly encourage students that have questions or concerns to talk to me

either before/after class. If you are unable to meet with me during this time, please let me know, and we will find a

mutually convenient time to meet. Generally speaking, the best way to reach me is via email.

Part 3: Piedmont College Policies

Piedmont College Attendance Policy

Attendance, timeliness, and participation are required and part of your grade. More than the allotted number of

absences for any reason will result in failure of the course. The maximum allotted number of excused absences is 1

absence. All absences for participation in recognized College events (e.g., athletics, drama, field trips) count toward

the course absence policy. Although such absences, by themselves, will not cause a student to fail a course, additional

absences will result in failure of the course, if they bring the total number of absences beyond the maximum number

allowed for a course.A request for an exception to this policy must be submitted in writing to the appropriate Dean for

consideration.

Special Considerations

Piedmont College makes every effort to provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to students

with disabilities. Accommodations must be coordinated through the Director of Counseling and Career Services (ext.

1259) or by email [email protected]. Students are responsible for providing accurate and

current documentation of their disability and for making a written request to the director before receiving

accommodations. Students with special needs (disabilities, problems, or any other factors that may affect theirperformance or that require special instructional strategies) should also make these needs known to the

professor/instructor during the first class session.


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Academic Integrity

Students must be familiar with the College Academic Integrity Policy. Plagiarism, the intentional or unintentional use

of anothers words or ideas as ones own, will not be tolerated. Instructors must send any Academic Integrity concerns

directly to the VPAA to be handled by that office. To protect intellectual and scholarly integrity, the College imposes

strict penalties for academic dishonesty, which is defined as follows:

Cheating intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids in any

academic exercise.

Fabrication intentional and unauthorized invention or falsification of any information or citation in anacademic exercise or altering official college records or documents.

Facilitating academic dishonesty intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to

commit an act of academic dishonesty.

Plagiarism intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as ones own in any

academic exercise.

A student found responsible for any act of academic dishonesty, including a first offense, will be subject to dismissal

from the College unless specific and significant mitigating factors are present. Details on administrative procedures for

resolving academic dishonesty cases may be found in the Piedmont College online Student Handbook. See Catalog for

complete policy.

Part 4: Course Schedule(Subject to Change by Announcement of Instructor)

WEEK DATE TOPIC READINGS* IMPORTANT NOTES

1 10/13 Introduction / Historical Background Ch. 1

2 10/20 Pattern Recognition / Visual Imagery Ch. 2, 7 RC #1 Due (Ch. 1, 2, or 7)

3 10/27 Attention / Short-term Memory Ch. 3, 4 RC #2 Due (Ch. 3 or 4)

RWA #1 Due

Mini-Exam 1

4 11/3 Long-term Memory Ch. 5, 6 RC #3 Due (Ch. 5 or 6)Withdrawal Deadline: 11/1

5 11/10 Knowledge / Categorization Ch. 8, 9 RC #4 Due (Ch. 8 or 9)

RWA #2 Due

6 11/17 Language / Animal Cognition Ch. 10 RC #5 Due (Ch. 10)

Mini-Exam 2

7 11/24 NO CLASS (THANKSGIVIG BREAK)

8 12/1 Problem Solving / Decision Making Ch. 12, 14 RC #6 Due (Ch. 12 or 14)

RWA #3 Due

9 12/3 Wrap-Up / Final Thoughts --- Final Exam

RC = Reading Connections

RWA = Real World Applications

*Supplemental readings, if assigned, will be announced in class and posted on E-Learning Commons. Please read all

assigned readings before coming to class.


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GRSC 7770: Graduate Teaching of Psychology SeminarFall Semester 2011

Mondays 4:40 6:35pm

Psychology 120

Instructor: Michael Amlung, M.S. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Joan Jackson

Office: Psychology 215 Office: Psychology 156

Email: [email protected] Email

amlung teaching portfolio

Documents