Prof. Coe Attends NSF Workshop in Minnesota Mark Coe, an Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina Lancaster, recently attended a workshop designed to help psychology instructors teach psychology as a science and promote student interest in the sciences. The workshop, Tried & True: Investigative Psychophysiology Activities for Your Introductory Psychology Course, took place at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minnesota from May 21-23, 2007.

“The workshop provided participants with equipment and instructional techniques that will be very helpful in giving students hands on opportunities to engage in scientific inquiry. The equipment provided from the workshop will allow my students to engage in activities we often do not have access to in the classroom. They will be able to do things such as view brainwaves and measure their heart rates as we study these phenomena in class. I think the instruments and training I received will help to bring the material to life for my students and hopefully spark further interest in both the physical and social sciences.”

Instructors from two year institutions of higher education from all regions of the country were invited to attend the workshop, which was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. It was designed to assist faculty at two year institutions of higher education to help their students learn to think like scientists by doing hands-on scientific psychophysiology activities during class in their introductory psychology course.

The workshop helped teachers learn by also doing hands-on what they will then help their students to do, and helped teachers integrate these experiences into their syllabi. Participants learned from and worked with national leaders during the two days of the workshop. Participants were also given a BIOPAC MP40, an instrument that measures brainwaves, heart rate, eye movements, muscle tension, body temperature, and electrodermal responses.

Dr. Coe plans to begin utilizing this new equipment in the classroom this summer and to encourage students at USCL to initiate small research projects in the fall. He also plans to use this equipment in demonstrations with high school students in the area.

For more information contact Professor Mark Coe at 803-313-7057.