APPLICATION FOR CORE CURRICULUM STATUS

Please complete the following application, providing attachments as requested.

  1. Program Psychology
  1. Course PSYC 2317 – Statistical Methods in Psychology
  1. Petition Type

XNew Course

____Re-submitted THECB Rejected Course (New statement of Justification Attached)

____CAO Course moved to Component Area

  1. Component Area

___ / Communication / ___ / Creative Arts
___ / American History / X / Mathematics
___ / Governmental/Political Science / ___ / Life and Physical Sciences
___ / Social/Behavioral Science / ___ / Language, Philosophy, and Culture
  1. Core Objectives RequiredOptional

Critical ThinkingX____

Communication SkillsX____

Empirical & QuantitativeX____

Teamwork______

Social Responsibility______

Personal Responsibility______

  1. Attach the course syllabus. (See Attached.)
  1. Statement of Justification (See Attached.)
  1. Attach the Assessment Plan. (See Attached.)

Submitted by______

Program CoordinatorDate

SYLLABUS TEMPLATE

STATEMENT OF JUSTIFICATION

PSYC 2317 – Statistical Methods in Psychology

ACGM approval number:42.0101.52 25

Course Description: Study of statistical methods used in psychological research, assessment, and testing. Includes the study of measures of central tendency and variability, statistical inference, correlation and regression as these apply to psychology.

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Define and identify basic concepts in inferential and descriptive statistics.
  2. Explain and apply the concepts and procedures of descriptive statistics.
  3. Describe and utilize principles of probability and hypothesis testing.
  4. Apply and interpret common inferential statistical tests and correlational methods.

This course belongs in the Mathematics Foundational Component Area (FCA) because it focuses on quantitative literacy in logic, patterns, and relationships. Like other courses in the Mathematics FCA, it develops students’ critical thinking, communication, and empirical and quantitative reasoning skills.

Specifically, it requires students to:

  • Apply arithmetic, algebraic, higher-order thinking and statistical methods to modeling and solving real-world problems.
  • Represent and evaluate basic statistical information verbally, numerically, graphically, and symbolically.
  • Expand statistical/mathematical reasoning skills and formal logic to develop convincing statistical/mathematical arguments.
  • Use appropriate technology to enhance statistical thinking and understanding, to solve statistical problems and provide criticalevaluation of the results.
  • Interpret statistical/mathematicalmodels such as formulas, graphs, and tables, and draw inferences from them.
  • Recognize the limitations of mathematical and statistical models.

ASSESSMENT PLAN

Required Core Objectives:Critical Thinking, Communication, Empirical & Quantitative Skills

I.Methodology for Assessment:

A.How will the core objective be covered in the course?

Each topic covered in the course (e.g., hypothesis testing) requires students to describe and explain factual and conceptual information (communication), manipulate and analyze numerical data (critical thinking, empirical and quantitative reasoning), interpret and explain graphic representations (critical thinking, communication, and quantitative reasoning), and draw informed conclusions (all three competencies, again).

The signature pedagogy for statistics involves lecture, demonstration, and recitation. In class, students engage in participatory lectures, recitations, and formative and summative assessments. Outside of class, students deliberately practice solving problems, prepare for class, and assemble their course projects.

B.Provide the specific assessment methodology.

Summative assessments take the form of objective tests and a course project. There are four exams and a non-cumulative final exam. Response formats on exams include multiple choice and short answer (with and without calculations). The course project, which is completed in four segments over the semester, results in the production of a written report with graphic elements.

Collectively, the program committee decides how to focus their resources to assess student performance on one or more topic areas each year, systematically covering each topic area over the course of a four-year cycle. As each topic is covered, all three core competencies are evaluated.

2016-17: Introduction and Frequency DistributionsExam 1, Course Project Part 1

Central Tendency, Variability, Z-scoresExam 2, Course Project Part 2

2017-18: Probability, Sampling, Hypothesis TestingExam 3, Course Project Part 3

2018-19: t Statistic, Two-sample, Related samples TestsExam 4, Course Project Part 4

2019-20: Estimation, ANOVA, Correlation, RegressionFinal Exam

At the end of the four-year cycle, the Program Coordinator, with assistance from program faculty and a Core Curriculum Council subcommittee, draws inferences about core competencies across all topic areas covered in the course.

C.How will the assessment count within the course?

Exams (15% each), the final (20%), and the course project (15%) are all graded assignments.

D.Explain how your plan includes a representative sample of HCC faculty and students.

All full-time facultywho teach the course in the spring semester and a representative sample of adjunct faculty participate in each year’s assessment. Each year, data are collected from all settings (e.g., campuses, day/evening sections), populations (dual enrollment), and instructional formats (distance, hybrid, face-to-face) in which the course is offered.

II.Rubric: How will the appropriate rubric(s) be incorporated in the course?

Rubrics are specific to short answer and essay responses and reflect the content of instruction. Rubrics applied at the end of the four-year cycle represent general education core competencies that cut across disciplinary boundaries (e.g., Adapted LEAP VALUE Rubrics for Critical Thinking, Communication, and Empirical/Quantitative Reasoning); these are not incorporated into the course.

III.Benchmark/Target: What will be the benchmark the program will use to determine success?

In a given year, for any selected topic area, 80% of students are expected to obtain mastery (80% correct) on all designated items. Designated items may comprise entire exams; systematic error analyses are expected to reveal patterns of relative strengths and weaknesses among students (and potentially in the assessments themselves).

IV.Results: Describe the process of evaluating the results.

Faculty submit data to the Program Coordinator, who aggregates the data, analyzes it, and interprets the results.

V.Analysis:

A.How will the results will be documented and archived?

The Program Coordinator prepares a brief report to share with program faculty and submits it to the Manager of Instructional Assessment for archiving in the college’s assessment management platform.

B.Describe how the results will be used to improve student learning.

The Program Coordinator presents findings at one of two program committee meetings each year. Faculty discuss relative strengths and weaknesses and propose changes in course design, instructional strategies, and assessment tools and methodologies. When targets are not met, the program coordinator and the program committee make plans to intervene and reassess student learning within the four-year cycle (if possible).