Introductory and capstone experiences in the undergraduate psychology program are crucial ways to engage students in their major and psychology department, impart realistic expectations, and prepare them for life beyond college. Providing the right orientation and capstone courses in psychology education is increasingly a concern of instructors, department chairs, program directors, and deans, and both types of courses have become important sources for gathering pre- and post-coursework assessment data for degree learning outcomes.The strategies presented here have been designed to help educators examine issues around teaching the introductory or careers course and developing a psychology-specific orientation program. The authors also provide concrete suggestions for building capstone experiences designed to fit the needs of a department, its pedagogical philosophy, or the educational agenda of the college or university. Undergraduate psychology curriculum designers and instructors can benefit from learning innovative and effective strategies for introducing the major to first-year students and, at graduation, for bringing closure, reinforcing the overall departmental learning outcomes, and helping students apply their disciplinary knowledge in capstone experiences and post-graduate life.In this collection of articles, psychology instructors involved in the improvement of teaching and learning review the research and share their own successes and challenges in the classroom. Discussions include effective practices for helping students become acclimated to and engaged in the psychology major, application of developmental knowledge and learning communities to course design, and use of quality benchmarks to improve introductory and capstone courses. Other chapters describe innovations in the design of stand-alone courses and offer concrete advice on counseling psychology graduates about how to use what they have learned beyond their higher education experiences.

Contributor ListAbout the EditorsForeword, James C. GoodwinPrefaceAcknowledgementsChapter 1. Undergraduate Education in Psychology: All's Well that Begins and Ends WellDana S. Dunn, Bernard C. Beins, Maureen A. McCarthy, & G. William Hill IVPart I: BeginningsChapter 2. Addressing the Multiple Demands of Teaching Introductory PsychologyMichael L. StoloffChapter 3. Reading from the Same Page: Building an Integrated CurriculumBrian T. Loher, Karri Verno, Francis W. Craig, and Peter A. KellerChapter 4. Advising in the Classroom: A Career Exploration Class for Psychology MajorsDrew C. ApplebyChapter 5. Building a Psychology Orientation Course: Common Themes and ExercisesBrian T. Loher & R. Eric LandrumChapter 6. Engaging Students in Psychology: Building on First-year Programs and SeminarsRegan A. R. Gurung & Georjeanna Wilson-DoengesChapter 7. Learning Communities as an Innovative Beginning to the Psychology Major: A Tale of TwoCampusesKenneth R. Barron, Kim Buch, Jeffrey T. Andre, & Sue SpauldingChapter 8. Displacing Wikipedia: Information Literacy for First-Year StudentsCharles M. Harris & S. Lynn CameronChapter 9. Crafting and Implementing a Career Development Course in PsychologyEric Goederis & Stanley CohenPart II: EndingsChapter 10. The Capstone Course as Liberal Education OpportunityDana S. Dunn & Maureen A. McCarthyChapter 11. History of Psychology as a Capstone CourseLudy T. Benjamin, Jr.Chapter 12. Research Teams: Developing a Capstone Experience with Programmatic ResearchBernard C. Beins & Phil D. WannChapter 13. Honors Thesis as a Capstone Experience: A Possible Perfect EndingSherry L. SerdikoffChapter 14 - The Capstone Research Course: A Case Study in the Evolution of Educational EfficacyWayne S. Messer and David B. PorterChapter 15. Ten Things I Hate about My Capstone Course-And a Few Ways to Fix ThemTracy E. Zinn, Monica J. Reis-Bergan, & Suzanne C. BakerChapter 16. Writing for Psychology Majors as a Developmental ProcessBernard C. Beins, Randolph A. Smith, and Dana S. DunnChapter 17. Capping the Undergraduate Experience: Making Learning Come Alive Through FieldworkJoann GraysonChapter 18. Helping Undergraduates Transition to the Workplace: Four Discussion StartersPaul I. HettichChapter 19. Helping Undergraduates Make the Transition to Graduate SchoolBrennan D. Cox, Kristin L. Cullen, William Buskist, and Victor A. BenassiChapter 20. Teaching Psychology's Endings: The Simple Gifts of a Reflective CloseNeil LutskyPart III: CodaChapter 21. Developing Scientific Reasoning Skills in Beginning and Ending StudentsSuzanne C. Baker, Maureen A. McCarthy, Jane S. Halonen, Dana S. Dunn, & G. William Hill IVAuthor IndexSubject Index