Upcoming conference focuses on improving the teaching of psychology

The 27th annual National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology (NITOP) conference, Jan. 2-5, will highlight new developments in textbook publishing, educational computer software and innovative classroom techniques for teachers of psychology at universities, two- and four-year colleges, and high schools.

The four-day conference, co-sponsored by the University of South Florida and the American Psychological Society, with support from APA's Education Directorate, will be held in St. Petersburg Beach, Fla. Registration and conference schedule information is available at www.nitop.org.

Maureen McCarthy, PhD, APA's associate executive director of precollege and undergraduate programs in psychology, and APA Div. 2 (Society for the Teaching of Psychology) President Barney Beins, PhD, will present a session on using resources in high school, community college and undergraduate programs.

At the conference, participants can also attend sessions on such topics as connecting with students, writing psychology textbooks, using textbooks as pedagogical tools, teaching psychology around the world, designing evaluation systems for psychology programs and teaching online courses. Also, the first day of the conference will feature an address on media violence and children by social psychologist Edward Donnerstein, PhD, a professor of communication and dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Arizona.

--M. DITTMANN