2003 Annual Reports for Boards and Committees

APA Committee of Psychology Teachers at Community Colleges (PT@CC) Annual Report 2003

The APA Committee of Psychology Teachers at Community Colleges (PT@CC) met in January 2003 and held monthly conference calls during the year. The committee has focused on developing programs and activities for psychology teachers and students at community colleges. The new APA Community College Teacher Affiliate membership category has attracted 316 new affiliates since January 2003. In addition, there are nearly 200 APA Members/Associates teaching at community colleges who are participating in PT@CC.

The members of the PT@CC Executive Committee are Ann Ewing, PhD, Chair (Mesa Community College, AZ); Donna Duffy, PhD (Middlesex Community College, MA); Robert Johnson, PhD (Umpqua Community College, OR); Patricia Puccio, EdD (College of DuPage, IL); Tonja Ringgold, EdD (Baltimore City Community College, MD); and Jerry Rudmann, PhD (Coastline Community College, CA).

PT@CC Priorities

The committee met in Washington on January 31-February 2, 2003. Key items under consideration included:

• Providing new resources for community college faculty through the Web, mass mailings, and publications such as the Psychology Teacher Network and the APA Monitor.

• Preparing PT@CC Operating Procedures and planning for the first committee elections in 2004

• Planning for outreach efforts to encourage new Community College Teacher Affiliates and APA Members at community colleges to join PT@CC.

• Coordinating special programs for faculty at national and regional meetings.

• Considering plans for new awards to recognize outstanding community college students and teachers of psychology

• Discussing ways APA might be able to make research databases and other APA resources more affordable to community colleges.

Programs and Activities in 2003

Community College Needs Assessment Survey

PT@CC conducted a needs survey of psychology teachers at two-year colleges in early 2003. PT@CC is analyzing the results as a guide for planning new programs and activities responsive to the needs of community college psychology faculty. For more information, a brief report on the survey responses appears on the Web at http://mirror.apa.org/ed/pcue/survey_resp.pdf.

PT@CC Electronic Project Contest

With financial support from Allyn & Bacon Publishing, PT@CC sponsored a new initiative for community college students this spring. Known as the “Electronic Project Contest,” this competition was developed to recognize the achievement, creativity, and technical competence of outstanding community college psychology students. Winning presentations appear on the Web at http://www.apa.org/ed/pcue/elprowinners.html.

Outreach to Community College Faculty

PT@CC has been working to encourage faculty to participate in the programs and activities of APA. Through special events at regional meetings, the PT@CC "Electronic Update," and a new presence on the Education Directorate website, the committee hopes to build a large network of colleagues to address the needs of community college faculty.

For example, through the needs assessment survey, the committee learned that community college faculty are interested in acquiring teaching strategies and tips for psychology courses. During the fall, the APA Education Directorate distributed a mass mailing to PT@CC members that included the Activities Handbook for the Teaching of Psychology: Volume 1 (1980).

To provide special programming for community college faculty at regional and national meetings, PT@CC members hosted events at the annual meetings of Eastern Psychological Association (EPA), Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA), Western Psychological Association (WPA), Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA), and the New England Psychological Association (NEPA).

APA Convention Programming

PT@CC sponsored five hours of convention programming, an informal conversation hour, and a reception during the 2003 convention as follows:

• Innovative Community College Teaching Methods
• Hosting Conferences and Workshops for Community College Faculty and Students
• Resources for Community College Teachers (informal conversation hour)
• Using the New Student Outcome Standards in Psychology to Improve Student Learning
• The Last Lecture
• PT@CC Invited Address by Diane F. Halpern
• Reception for Diane Halpern

Education Directorate staff will work with committee members to coordinate programs and activities in 2004. Top priorities include coordinating programs for community college faculty at regional meetings, teaching conferences, and the 2003 APA Convention. Through these efforts, the committee hopes to involve other community college faculty as presenters, while encouraging faculty to attend conferences and programs in their region.