Contract Courses in Psychology
I copied this from the FAQ on the Psychology Advising Site in BlackBoard in November of 2017.
Q: What is a contract course?
A: Contract courses are those for which a faculty mentor-student contract is required. Students cannot enroll in contract courses via the usual registration process. Instead, a student must meet with a faculty member to discuss the possibility of earning contract course credit. If an agreement is reached between the faculty member and the student, the faculty member drafts a contract that specifies the work that the student will be expected to complete. This contract is submitted for approval (Department Chair and Dean’s office). When finally approved, information is forwarded to Ms. Latoya Vines (Rawl 104) and she enrolls the student in the appropriate course.
Q: What contract courses are available?
A: The senior thesis options described above are contract courses. In addition, Psychological Research (4501 for 1, 2, or 3 credit hours) and Field Experience in Psychology (4990 for 1, 2, or 3 credit hours) are contract courses. These are unique learning experiences, and they vary depending on faculty and student needs.
For example, under a Psychological Research contract, a student may assist with laboratory data collection and write a paper describing the experience, or they may conduct a literature review of current research in an area of common interest to the student and the course mentor. Students are expected to work three hours each week for each credit hour.
As the name suggests, Field Experience in Psychology involves working in applied settings and using the concepts and principles from related psychology courses. Lab and/or field experiences are completed under joint supervision of a field supervisor and a university instructor. Examples of Field Experience courses include:
· Middle School Tutor—Dr. Golden—Students complete hands-on actual work in the field of psychology in order to acquire some practical skills, to apply psychological principles in real-life settings, to read journal articles about research directly related to the practical hands-on field work that they are experiencing, and to reflect on their learning. Typically, students tutor and mentor intermediate, middle, and high school students from impoverished, rural communities who have academic difficulties. Many of these students do not have parents who are available to help them and have never thought of going to college prior to the tutoring experience. ECU students receive training and opportunities to read about, reflect upon, discuss, and problem-solve issues that arise throughout their tutoring/mentoring experience.
· Read to Feed or Compassionate Reading—Dr. Ironsmith & Dr. McCammon—This is a service-learning course in which students meet in class for discussion one hour per week and tutor elementary school age children for 2 hours per week at Building Hope Community Life Center (an after-school program for at-risk youth). Some semesters are focused on having children reading as part of Heifer International’s Read to Feed Program (raising money to purchase animals for families in developing nations), and some semesters are focused on increasing reaching comprehension and empathy through reading and discussion selected children’s literature. Written reflection papers are required.
· REAL Crisis—Dr. McCammon—This is a service-learning course where students participate as volunteer crisis counselors at REAL Crisis Intervention, Inc., under the joint supervision of a field supervisor (Matthew Interrante, MS) and a university instructor (Susan McCammon, PhD). Students must apply and be accepted, and complete the REAL Crisis training course. Written reflection papers are required. For more information about REAL Crisis, check their website: http://realcrisis.org/
Q: What is a senior thesis?
A: A senior thesis (PSYC 4401/4402 or PSYC 4601/4602) is a two-semester research project directed by a psychology faculty member who agrees to work in that capacity. The second semester of the thesis project counts as a Capstone course. The exact nature of the thesis project is determined by agreement between a student and the thesis director and is spelled out in the contract for the courses. The required components of the thesis project are as follows: 1) literature review, research study design, study implementation (including, if needed, IRB proposal submission, ethics training, and data collection), data analysis, and completion of an APA-style research report. In addition, students completing the Senior Honors Thesis (PSYC 4602) must give a public presentation of the research project. The senior thesis is not a psychology major requirement, but rather an option that is highly recommended for majors intending to attend graduate school in a research-based discipline.
How is the Form Completed and Submitted?
From: Baker, Michael Drew, Jr
Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2017 2:21 PM
Subject: RE: Contract Courses
Faculty can submit an Independent Study Proposal Form by clicking the “Submit a new undergraduate program request” link on the HCAS Independent Study Program Sharepoint site found here: https://collab.ecu.edu/sites/hcas/isp-ug/default.aspx
After the form is submitted by the faculty mentor, it is automatically routed to the student who can then approve it electronically. The final steps are consistent with the last two sentences in the current
description (departmental approval, college approval, work for Latoya).
Return to Wuensch’s Advising Resources Page