William Buskist

The life and times of PSI.

This paper describes the essential features of the personalized system of instruction (PSI). Results from outcome research examining the effectiveness of PSI-based courses relative to traditional methods provide unequivocal support for the superiority of PSI. Parametric studies, or component analyses, show that the mastery requirement, immediate performance feedback, and review units are the key features underlying high quality student performances in PSI courses. The use of student proctors as peer-tutors, optional lectures, and selfpacing do not, in and of themselves, appear to be vital to student success in PSI courses. Despite its superiority, PSI has not supplanted traditional methods as the dominant pedagogical system in higher education. Difficulties inherent in overcoming the inertia of the lecture within our established instructional system, the implications of PSI for that system, and the Zeitgeist that permeates educational reform are the major obstacles to widespread adoption of PSI.

The Teacher Behaviors Checklist: Factor Analysis of Its Utility for Evaluating Teaching

We converted the Teacher Behaviors Checklist (TBC; Buskist, Sikorski, Buckley, & Saville, 2002) to an evaluative instrument to assess teaching by adding specific instructions and a Likert-type scale. Factor analysis of the modified TBC produced 2 subscales: caring and supportive and professional competency and communication skills. Further psychometric analysis suggested the instrument possessed excellent construct validity and reliability, underscoring its potential as a tool for assessing teaching. This instrument clearly identifies specific target teaching behaviors that instructors can alter to attempt to improve their teaching effectiveness.

Student use of introductory texts: Comparative survey findings from two universities.

We surveyed introductory psychology students at 2 universities regarding their purchase and use of introductory level college texts. Most students who purchased texts used them infrequently, perceived that studying class notes and attending lectures were more important than reading the text for receiving a good grade, and spent less than 3 hr per week reading their texts. We recommend that college instructors establish specific, predictable contingencies to increase the likelihood that students will purchase and read the assigned texts in their introductory classes.

Effects of Accuracy of Instructions on Human Behavior: Correspondence with Reinforcement Contingencies Matters

Subjects were assigned to one of four groups in which they received instructions about how to respond on a schedule of reinforcement. Instructions informed subjects as to which of two keys to respond on to earn points. Percentage of accuracy of instructions were held constant for each condition but varied across the three conditions for each group; the percentage of accuracy level within each condition for the four groups was: 0-50-100, 100-50-0, 60-50-40, and 40-50-60 percent. The results were summarized as follows: (1) Instruction-following was highly correlated with the accuracy of the instructions; (2) variability in instruction-following was related to how reliable the instructions were; and (3) instruction-following was affected by accuracy of the instructions subjects received in previous conditions. These results were interpreted to suggest that instructional control can be accounted for via the three-term contingency and that the source of instructional control lies in the contingencies of reinforcement and not the instructions themselves.

Differentiating Psychology Students' Perceptions of Teachers Using the Teacher Behavior Checklist.

Keeley, Smith, and Buskist (2006) investigated the psychometric properties of the Teacher Behavior Checklist (TBC), but did not provide evidence that the measure could differentiate among teachers. This study required students at 2 schools to rate their best professor, worst professor, and most recent professor on the TBC. We found highly similar results across these schools. Differences among teachers accounted for more variability in TBC ratings than other possible sources. TBC ratings evidenced significant differences across good versus bad teachers.

Effective college and university teaching : strategies and tactics for the new professoriate

Preface Acknowledgments Preparing the New Professoriate to Teach - Victor A. Benassi, William Buskist Creating Effective Working Relationships Between Faculty and Graduate Teaching Assistants - Steven A. Meyers Allaying Graduate Student Fears About Teaching - Sandra Goss Lucas Preparing for the Transition From Graduate School to the Academy: An Exemplar From Psychology - Mark M. Silvestri, Brennan D. Cox, William Buskist, and Jared W. Keeley Teaching in the Context of Professional Development and Work-Private Life Balance - Steven Prentice-Dunn The Science of Learning and Its Applications - Mark A. McDaniel and Cynthia Wooldridge Course Design - Victor A. Benassi and Gary S. Goldstein Writing and Developing Your Philosophy of Teaching - James H. Korn Developing Student-Teacher Rapport in the Undergraduate Classroom - Janie H. Wilson and Rebecca G. Ryan Learning-Centered Lecturing - David B. Daniel Active Learning - Elizabeth Yost Hammer and Peter J. Giordano Leading Discussions - Bryan K. Saville, Tracy E. Zinn and Krisztina Varga Jakobsen Assessing Student Learning - Robert Bubb Becoming an Ethical Teacher - G. William Hill IV and Dorothy D. Zinsmeister Conflict in the College Classroom: Understanding, Preventing, and Dealing With Classroom Incivilities - Mark M. Silvestri and William Buskist Diversity and Diversity Issues in Teaching - Rosemary E. Phelps Teaching Controversial Issues, Liberally - Harold L. Miller, Jr., and Diego Flores Technology in Higher Education - Christopher R. Howard Course and Instructor Evaluation - Jared W. Keeley Assessing the Effectiveness of GTA Prepatory Activities and Programs - Cecilia M. Shore Preparing Graduate Students for the Political Nature of the Academy - Randolph A. Smith and Stephen F. Davis Preparing for the Future: Undergraduates as Teaching Assistants - Thomas P. Hogan and John C. Norcross Useful Resources for Preparing the New Professoriate - Jennifer J. Stiegler-Balfour and Catherine E. Overson Index About the Editors About the Contributors

Future of the Introductory Psychology Textbook: A Survey of College Publishers

Editors from 12 major publishing houses completed a survey examining 5 aspects of the introductory psychology textbook market: the current and future number of introductory texts the changing content of introductory texts, the effects of fewer introductory textbook publishers, custom publishing, and computer technologies. Editors reported that (a) their companies now offer and will continue to offer an average of 4–8 texts; (b) introductory texts will likely become more cross-cultural, biological, cognitive, and scientific in orientation; (c) the shrinking number of publishers will reduce the number of texts but increase their overall quality; (d) custom-published texts are unlikely to replace traditional texts; and (e) CD-ROM-based materials will be used more in the future and may eventually replace the traditional text.

The analysis of human operant behavior: A brief census of the literature: 1958-1981.

A census involving several major journals was conducted to survey the content and scope of the experimental analysis of human behavior. While the percentage of reports involving human subjects published each year in JEAB has lacked consistency, it was shown that JEAB has been the primary outlet for human work among the journals surveyed. Few areas of interest within the study of human behavior have received extensive scrutiny. The normal adult (typically undergraduate students) has been the preferred subject for human research. The results of a citation analysis of JEAB reports featuring human research are also presented.

Chinese College Students’ Perceptions of Characteristics of Excellent Teachers

We employed the Teacher Behavior Checklist (TBC) to investigate Chinese college students’ perceptions of excellent teachers’ qualities and then compared the results to those from previously collected data from American and Japanese students. Chinese students tended to favor additional structure both in the classroom and in teachers’ roles than either Japanese or American students. Teachers wishing to use the TBC to improve teaching quality should carefully consider subtle cultural differences that influence students’ perceptions of their teachers.

Student Preferences for First Day of Class Activities

College students completed a 29-item survey containing items covering first day of class activities. We found students preferred to obtain information regarding the class structure and required coursework rather than learn personal information about the instructor or their peers on the first day. We also found that students do not universally believe that first-day activities set the tone for the remainder of the course. We discuss these results in terms of developing effective strategies in planning for, and teaching on, the first day of class.