Peer Review

OpenStax Psychology Lecture Slides

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Reviewed:: Feb 10, 2022 by Psychology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This learning object is a set of OpenStax lecture slides for Introduction to Psychology. The slides are downloadable from the OER Commons website where the following description is provided.

These lecture slides were developed by Patricia Adams of Pitt Community College. They include lecture outlines, graphics, tables, and summaries of the course concepts. The slides are generally aligned to OpenStax Psychology, but the materials is specific to Professor Adams's course.

All 16 chapters are included, each in separate PowerPoint, downloadable as a zip file.

Type of Material:

Reference Material

Recommended Uses:

The slides would best be used for in-class presentations and also could be linked to course websites. Instructors can edit these for their own courses or students can review them as summary materials of information in General Psychology. Students may find these helpful in preparing for AP exams or reviewing basic information. Advanced students may find these useful for reviewing information not covered yet referenced in advanced psychology courses.

Technical Requirements:

The materials are a zip file of PowerPoints thus one needs access to the Internet to download the batch file, then access to Microsoft PowerPoint. Instructors can use Microsoft Office or Google Slides to edit and otherwise work with the slides. Sharing options (such as Google Classroom) also are available on the OER Commons website.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The purpose of the materials is to assist instructors in creating their own PowerPoint slides for General Psychology or for students to review summary material specifically from OpenStax Psychology, but relevant to any General Psychology course. The slides serve as a support resource for Introduction to Psychology. Students who view the slides as part of a course will learn about the field of psychology--including its history, domains, and contributions to science and culture.

Target Student Population:

General Education, College Lower Division

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Instructors who use the slides will need to be familiar with software such as PowerPoint or Google Slides. Students who view the slides will not need prior subject matter knowledge.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The slides offer a comprehensive, professionally presented overview of the field of psychology. Instructors teaching with the OpenStax Psychology eText will find the slides a very beneficial accompaniment to class lectures. Research findings are included alongside practical information. All chapters in the OpenStax Psychology are included:

Chapter 1 - Introduction to Psychology
Chapter 2 - Psychological Research
Chapter 3 - Biopsychology
Chapter 4 - State of Consciousness
Chapter 5 - Sensation and Perception
Chapter 6 - Learning
Chapter 7 - Thinking and Intelligence
Chapter 8 - Memory
Chapter 9 - Lifespan Development
Chapter 10 - Motivation and Emotion
Chapter 11 - Personality
Chapter 12 - Social Psychology
Chapter 13 - Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Chapter 14 - Stress, Lifestyle, and Health
Chapter 15 - Psychological Disorders
Chapter 16 - Therapy and Treatment

The slides also may be adapted for use in courses that do not use the OpenStax Psychology eText.

Concerns:

None.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: Slides are clearly written including explanations. Even without the text, these provide a nice overview of the relevant materials along with practical examples. Instructors can easily add, delete or modify slides as the presentation is entirely editable.
Concerns:: Several slides have a lot of text on them making them impractical in many face-to-face courses; however, these are easily editable. Instructors can edit them as they see fit for their own course; students will find the extra information useful. Instructors who modify the slides should be sure to meet the attribution requirements set forth by the Creative Commons license.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: The slides are easily downloadable and professional in their appearance. The slides are associated with a clearly communicated Creative Commons license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). Slides are easy to download and edit. Writing is at an appropriate level.
Concerns:: Would be helpful if the files themselves included the title of the chapter or if there were a table of contents added to the website.

Other Issues and Comments:: The author is Patricia Adams of Pitt Community College. Work Email: padams@email.pittcc.edu
Creative Commons: