PROGRAM REVIEW PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT

PROGRAM REVIEW 2010 2011 PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENTAL SELF STUDY Prepared for Dr. David Witty Vice-President Academic and Provost Vancouver Island University Prepared by Lynn McCaw Psychology department Program Review Committee Chair February 2011

CONTENTS PSYCHOLOGY Department Self Study... 1 HISTORY... 1 THE SIZE AND SCOPE OF THE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT... 2 FACULTY MORALE AND HUMAN RESOURCES... 4 FACULTY RESEARCH AND ACTIVITY... 4 PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT AND INSTITUTIONAL GOALS... 6 STUDENT OUTCOMES AND STUDENT ASSESSMENT... 7 FACILITIES... 8 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS... 9

PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT SELF STUDY HISTORY The Psychology department is proud to focus on quality teaching, with smaller class sizes allowing students to connect more easily with faculty, and to become part of the community of VIU. The Department strives to meet the demand expressed by students for degree programs in Psychology that prepare them for both graduate and professional studies in Psychology and also immediate employment without further degree work. Beginning in 1989 at Malaspina College, the Psychology department offered a Bachelor of Arts in affiliation with the University of Victoria (UVic). In 1997 we began to offer our own degrees as we transitioned to Malaspina University-College. Since then, the Psychology department has played a very active role in the designing and development of an innovative BA Major and Minor in Psychology. After the transition to full university status as a program at Vancouver Island University (VIU) in 2008, we also began to offer a BSc Major and Minor in Psychology. Although our programs have retained significant content from the UVic BA program (Psychology Major), we included additional credits emphasizing skills that would help prepare graduates for immediate employment. At VIU the BA Psychology Major requires students to complete 33 credits of upper-level Psychology courses (number 300 and above), while the Psychology Minor requires students to complete 18 credits of upper-level Psychology courses. The BSc Psychology Major requires students to complete 24 upper-level Psychology courses, and the BSc Psychology Minor requires students to complete 15 credits of upper-level Psychology courses. Both sets of degree requirements are comparable with those in place at major universities. Research experience opportunities are available to VIU undergraduates through faculty supervised research projects, volunteer lab positions (please see faculty and research section for full details), attending academic conferences, or field placements. VIU Psychology graduates have an excellent track record at gaining employment and entering post-graduate training programs, with some students obtaining national scholarships for post-graduate studies. Enrollment levels continue to increase and until recently, course offerings have been expanded. In 2009-10, 1,278 students were enrolled in classes offered by the department and a total of 332 declared students (179 active Majors and active Minors) for that year. Our courses have had lengthy waitlists for the last several years and these have become extremely lengthy since the number of courses we offer was reduced in 2009-2010. 1

Institutional support for the Department of Psychology has been strong until the last couple of years, when institution-wide budget cuts resulted in cuts to the department, despite its excellent utilization rate. THE SIZE AND SCOPE OF THE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT For the 2010-11 academic years, the Psychology department comprises 12.25 regular faculty members with areas of expertise that include: Biopsychology/Neuropsychology; Clinical Psychology; Cognition; Developmental; Health Psychology; History and Theory; Personality; Sensation/Perception; Social Psychology and Statistics. There were also five part-time non-regular faculty (limited term appointment) hired while three regular faculty members were on full time, one-year assisted leaves. The majority of the 65 sections of Psychology courses are taught at the Nanaimo campus of VIU. Traditionally, seven sections have been offered at our Cowichan campus, with most being first-year courses, with some selected second-year and third-year courses. We also offer one section of first-year introductory psychology at the Parksville campus and the Powell River campus each semester. Current class size at VIU is capped at 34 students, which is smaller than that at most universities. Students benefit from this direct access to faculty and acquaintance with their professional activities at all levels of study. The standard Psychology department faculty workload is four courses per semester with a one-section release per year for teaching one or more upper-division courses. This is a heavier teaching load than is common in many universities. In addition to teaching, direct student consultation, marking and research supervision, faculty members provide institutional service and engage in a wide range of scholarly and professional activities. When VIU s Psychology department is compared with those in universities of similar size, it measures up well. Similar institutions have a comparable number of faculty and similar courses to our Psychology department, suggesting that VIU s Psychology department has been successful in developing two diverse and viable programs to accommodate the growing student population. The Psychology department faculty members have worked very hard to create a diversified program. The engagement, dedication and resolve of the faculty to build and maintain such a program and pay attention to students interests ensure that we offer a program that is relevant to a broad spectrum of psychology students. In order to maintain the integrity of the program it means that we typically have to rotate upper level course offerings such that most are taught at least every other year. However, in doing so, this results in having faculty teach heavier course loads as they are continually facing new course preparation. 2

In addition to regular course offerings, we are able to offer a few students additional opportunities in the form of Research Apprenticeships (Psyc 301/302), Directed Studies (Psyc 390/391), and Senior Projects (Psyc 490/491). Respectively, these courses enable interested students to gain hands-on training in basic research skills and experience, complete in-depth scholarly research papers, and experience with a complete piece of research. The department offers students the opportunity to complete a Field Placement (Psyc 499) in which they work under the supervision of both a faculty member and a member of the community association/agency at which they are placed to gain formal experience in clinical and applied settings. Eligibility to register for the Field Placement is dependent upon the student meeting the prerequisites and is limited by availability of agencies and faculty supervisors. Faculty members encourage and guide many of their students (typically those in research labs, directed studies and senior project courses) to either present their research findings at or attend local, national and international conferences. Student Enrolment and Recruitment Over the years, the Psychology department has engaged in a number of recruitment initiatives, including the development of a brochure, information days for high school students as well as for B.A. and B.Sc. programs, and the development of a departmental webpage. In addition to these efforts we are currently working on creating a short video for our developing webpage that highlights aspects of the psychology program from the students perspective. This video will feature faculty and students talking about what they find fun, interesting, and unique about studying psychology at VIU. The Psychology department continues to explore various strategies to improve recruitment. There are no institutional funds to cover the costs of these initiatives (hard costs or labour) and all preparation of promotional material must be done as service work by department members, by students completing a directed studies course, or by students employed through the University s Work Opportunity program (Work-Op). Institutional Service Many of the Psychology department faculty members play an active role in the institutional culture and governance at the departmental, faculty, and wider university community levels. Psychology department faculty members have been involved in the development of both the Education Council and now the University Senate. Members of the Psychology department regularly sit on institutional boards (for example, Research Ethics Board one member/one chair, the CIHR Scholarship Awards Committee, three members sit on Social Sciences Faculty Council, VIU Awards Committee, VIU Faculty Association Leave 3

Committee, and hiring committees within and outside of the department). Faculty members have also been active in the VIU Faculty Association. (Please see the attached CVs for more information about individuals institutional service.) FACULTY MORALE AND HUMAN RESOURCES The Psychology department has recently faced significant cuts to course offerings due to institutional budget cuts. In the last academic year (2010-2011), our course offerings were cut by ten sections (1.25 position), which is where we remain today. Due to faculty leaves in 2010-11, we were able to avoid layoffs in 2010-11, but as of March 2011, we understand these 1.25 faculty will be laid off. Faculty are frustrated by these cuts which they feel will negatively impact the department s ability to meet its obligations for the B. A. Psychology Major and the B.Sc. programs. Further, there are concerns that the cuts could create problems with timely degree completion for students. Given this climate of cuts and ongoing fiscal uncertainty, ever-diminishing resources in the university system, heavy teaching loads and little institutional support for research, it may not be so surprising that faculty rated themselves low on morale within the department. Interestingly, despite low faculty morale, the student survey showed great student satisfaction with faculty and the program overall. Many students stated that the instructors were the greatest strength of the program. This shows that despite low faculty morale, faculty are conducting themselves extremely professionally, and not translating their unhappiness to the students. The Psychology department has always been diverse: our areas of faculty expertise cover a broad spectrum of the discipline as well as attending to the foundational and conventional fields of Psychology. While diversity can often lead to disagreement among faculty, most view this diversity as a strength. Our diversity in expertise and approach allows us to offer great breadth in our course offerings, and to deliver courses in a wide variety of teaching styles. Our student surveys indicate that this diversity benefits students directly, and is one of our strengths. FACULTY RESEARCH AND ACTIVITY A number of faculty members are actively engaged in research and scholarly activity with students and/or with other faculty members, both within the department and within the larger community. At the department level, there are a number of research labs that are supervised by faculty members. It should be noted that this research work, as with most 4

research at VIU, is largely done off the side of their desks and continue to get by with less than adequate space for research. Labs include a Behavioral Neuroscience Lab, Community Research Lab, Consciousness Studies, Brain Electrophysiology and Neuropsychology Lab, Fear and Anxiety Lab, Resilience Research Lab, Sleep Lab, Behavioural Medicine Lab, and Biological Rhythms Lab. The willingness of the faculty to engage with the students in this capacity has been clearly identified by the students as a great resource and one of the strengths of the department. Students overwhelmingly agreed that research opportunities that are provided by faculty members were a valuable experience and use of their time, and that those opportunities contributed in a very positive way to their educational experience. It offers students the chance to work closely with faculty members providing valuable opportunities for direct mentorship. Students involvement in one of the many labs in the Psychology department affords them the chance to put into practice what they learn in the classroom by being involved in all aspects of research. Students help design research, write ethics proposals, funding applications, carry out data collection, analysis and prepare research for dissemination. For example students have had the opportunity to present their work at various venues including conferences of the Canadian Psychological Association National Convention, International Pathways to Resilience Conference, Western Psychological Association Conference, Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and the American Association of Anxiety Disorders, the Conference of the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness, as well as the VIU Poster Session and the Psychology Students of Vancouver Island Poster Session. Department members have been awarded funding for research from both internal and external sources. For example, the various labs have all received funding from internal sources such as the VIU Research and Awards Committee (VIU RSAC) through the Capacity Building Grant or VIU Research and Scholarly Activity Committee and from sources such as SSHRC Aid to Small Universities Grant and UBC Family Physician Residency Program. Considerable neuroscience research capabilities have been established in the department, which have been funded through a combination of intramural awards, personal funds from one department member and an NSERC Discovery Grant. The labs have employed numerous students over the last four years, four of whom have successfully obtained Undergraduate Summer Research Awards from NSERC. Overall, these funds have allowed labs to support student research and employ students when possible and this promises exciting future research opportunities for students and the prospects of continued success in obtaining extramural funding. 5

Our department views both teaching and research as activities that are critical in the field of psychology. These activities enrich and enhance each other. If faculty had the option of some reduction in teaching load in recognition of research and scholarly activity PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT AND INSTITUTIONAL GOALS Overall, the Psychology department s activities fit well within VIU s overall institutional goals as laid out in the University s mission statement, which focuses on excellence in teaching and learning, service and research. As well, the department does a good job of meeting most of the four stated priorities which emphasize collaboration, community engagement, international activity, and aboriginal education. Collaboration VIU s Academic Plan emphasizes collaboration and some members of the Psychology department already meet this expectation as they have affiliations with other departments. One department member has been able to cross-teach and collaborate on textbooks within the Criminology department. One course (Death and Dying) is cross-listed with the Anthropology department and the faculty member is actively engaged in collaborative teaching. The Consciousness course is taught as an interdisciplinary course with Anthropology, and guest speakers are invited from the departments of Physics, Nursing, Anthropology, Music, Philosophy, and English. In addition, one faculty member is working with a group of interdisciplinary faculty to establish a Centre for Consciousness Studies at VIU and worked on the University of Victoria-based, interdisciplinary NSERC funded research project. The Psychology department offers courses required for the Social Service Diploma (Psyc 121 & 122) and for the Early Childhood Education program (Psyc 131 & 132). Some faculty members also maintain formal and informal associations with Psychology departments at other universities that facilitate the provision of student opportunities to gain direct research experience in specialized fields or enter graduate studies programs. The VIU Psychology department has hosted meetings for BC Psychology Articulation (2004) and Annual Conference Western Canadian Theoretical (May 2005-2007). In terms of collaborative research, the Resilience Research Lab is working with the Family Physician Residency Program on a study looking at Resilience in Family Practice Residents. Another faculty member conducts research and publishes with faculty members at SFU, UBC, UVic and Dalhousie University. 6

Workload counting makes collaborative teaching challenging to structure; that is, it is difficult for two faculty members to share one course. We plan to work with the relevant departments in university administration to achieve flexibility in this area, in order to facilitate more collaborative teaching. Community Engagement Many Psychology department faculty members regularly have speakers from the community. In addition, one lab hosted a community event at a local high school open to teen, parents and professionals (speaker Dr. Ungar from Dalhousie University). Numerous faculty members are actively engaged with a variety of exciting projects within the local community. For example, faculty have worked in collaboration with the Nanaimo Men s Resource Center; Nanaimo Canadian Diabetes Society; Nanaimo Regional Hospital; Ladysmith and Nanaimo Coalition of Youth Services, Nanaimo Youth Services, Campbell and Fairweather Psychology Group; local attorneys and yoga studies. International Activity Many faculty members maintain memberships in professional associations. As well, some department members collaborate with other researchers both locally and internationally. For example, the Resilience Research Lab belongs to the International Resilience Group and did research in India with the Delhi Public School Society, investigating resilience in the Shiksha Kendra Program. Aboriginal Education We do not offer any designated courses to First Nations Studies; however, a number of faculty do include Aboriginal-specific content in their curriculum (for example, in Forensic Psychology, Consciousness, Community, and some sections of Introductory Psychology). STUDENT OUTCOMES AND STUDENT ASSESSMENT It is very clear from the student surveys that the Psychology department meets VIU s goal of excellence in teaching and learning. Overall, 90% of the students surveyed were satisfied with the Psychology Program, thinking that the program content is appropriate for a university-level program and 88% thought that the program was challenging but manageable and would recommend the program to their friends (82%). The majority of students felt that faculty was knowledgeable in their fields of expertise; the quality of instruction was good overall; members of the Psychology faculty are approachable and that they were available and helpful outside of class. Students spoke highly about the instructors and considered the instructors to be the greatest strength of the program. 7

With respect to general skill development, besides learning independently, the majority of students felt that courses in the program gave them the skills to analyze information and think critically, to creatively and flexibly solve problems, and to read and comprehend material appropriate to their field. As mentioned previously, students overwhelmingly agreed that practical research opportunities that are provided by faculty members were a valuable experience, a productive use of their time, and that those opportunities made a significant positive contribution to their educational experience. Many of our students have served on community advisory boards and have gone on to graduate studies in Lifespan Developmental Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Experimental Psychology, School Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Neuropsychology, Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Disability Management, Nursing, Medicine, Law, Occupational Therapy, Social Work, Audiology, Speech and Language Pathology and Physiotherapy. Other students have obtained employment in the areas of addictions counselors, counselors, coordinators, and directors. Students have won undergraduate and graduate NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR and NAMHR (Network for Aboriginal Mental Health Research) grants and been awarded scholarships at various institutions. In addition, several students have published their research in peer reviewed journals or co-written book chapters and encyclopedia entries. FACILITIES Most of the department s teaching activities occur in Building 356, though there are a few courses scattered throughout the campus due to lack of classroom space. Instructional classrooms in Building 356 suffer from poor ventilation, a lack of fresh air, high levels of carbon dioxide, inadequate heating, and no air conditioning. Facilities services will not allow courses to be taught in the summer months, as the building is simply too hot for use. The poor air quality leads to high levels of fatigue in both faculty and students. Faculty offices are in Building 356. There are problems with heating and air quality, especially in room 313. In the summer, the offices and classrooms are uncomfortably warm and during the winter some faculty must use portable heaters to stay warm in offices. Another major consideration is research space. With the majority of faculty engaging in research that typically involves a number of Psychology students in each lab we are constantly juggling schedules for room to conduct meetings, for various types of data collection analysis. In addition, the equipment needed for various labs requires dedicated 8

space with sensitive environmental considerations (e.g., noise and temperature). Thus one difficulty that is increasingly an issue is adequate space for research activities and storage. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Overall, the Psychology department at VIU remains vital and responsive to the needs of its students. Generally, the program meets its objectives of promoting awareness of and appreciation for the diversity of the discipline. In the program review survey, faculty generally agreed that the Psychology program is challenging but manageable for students (83%) and that the program content is appropriate for a university-level program. Overall, students were satisfied with the program (90%) and generally agreed that the Psychology program was challenging but manageable (88%) and that faculty were available, approachable and helpful (90%). Faculty and students generally agreed that there was a need for greater diversity in both the lower level and upper level courses. Students were generally more positive in their responses (65%) than faculty (46%) with respect to sufficient diversity in upper level courses. Faculty also had strong opinions about the number of courses available to students, with only half the faculty agreeing that the number of courses available to students is satisfactory. One notable response from the faculty survey was the low percentage of faculty who were positive pertaining to the workplace atmosphere. While this indicator of relatively low morale may derive, in part, from institutional pressures, it is likely not the sole factor in the atmosphere of tension that is felt by some faculty members (as revealed by their survey comments). Interestingly, despite this atmosphere, the student survey failed to reveal any issues related to faculty tensions from the perspective of students. In order to build a stronger program, the department must address certain issues. The most important areas are highlighted below and possible solutions and recommendations are made: Departmental 1. To address the workplace atmosphere and low morale in a direct manner: It is important for us to be realistic about ourselves and the department. To understand that competence in the arena of academics requires more than intellectual understanding. If we could view our diversity as a strength as it reflects the diversity in the discipline as a whole, then our program would operate more effectively and faculty would likely be happier. 9

Open and respectful discussion in faculty meetings and interactions would go a long way to improving the culture and morale of the department. Awareness of, and willingness to discuss and move beyond the problems is a first, and necessary, step toward change. It would serve us well to continue to focus on our main goal of providing a comprehensive and diverse program and learning environment for students in order to maintain their current positive view of the program. One of the ways the department will seek to address problems is to create more opportunity (meetings) for faculty members to connect with each other. Hopefully, this will generate a greater sense of trust and respect within our department, improve communications, and explore and resolve existing differences. 2. Continue with plans that are underway to fine-tune the program to address these issues: To be able to accommodate increasing student numbers. Retention rates. Continue discussions regarding pre-flexible major and transferability of students into our Psychology program. Maintain the integrity of the program by continuing to offer a comprehensive and diverse program that reflects the needs of students Pursue agreement on rotation and breadth of courses, pre-requisite changes to manage the flow from lower to upper level courses, flexibility in course offerings, and the challenge of delivering the statistics course in light of recent lay-offs. 3. Articulate and adhere to the subject matter to be covered in introductory Psychology. This could be facilitated by the use of a common textbook and/or a common final exam. Institutional Continue to seek a solution to the physical health and safety issues in Building 356 (air quality and temperature in classrooms and offices) to meet minimum standards. Work towards negotiating more support for professional development and time for doing research. Work towards solutions to scheduling challenges (lack of classroom space, research space). Continue to work with administration to maintain program integrity under conditions of severe budgetary constraints. 10

Continue to seek institution support for efforts to attract and retain students (support for department website upgrading, creation of video and brochure promotional material). 11