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Society for the Teaching of PsychologyDivision 2 of the American Psychological Association
September 30, 2014
Dear STP Colleagues:
As you know, the Society enacted major changes in its organizational structure in 2009. At that time, the membership approved Bylaw changes that put the restructure into effect. Subsequently, Executive Committees (ECs) working within the revised structure found that some language in the Bylaws continued to be obsolete and that it would be desirable to add, delete, or rename certain committees to facilitate organizational operations. Accordingly, the current EC examined the entirety of the Bylaws attending to these sorts of issues and to typographical and grammatical errors.
The product of this review is a proposed bylaw change that is documented on the Society website at http://teachpsych.org/page-1545588. At this location, you will find the old bylaws, the proposed new bylaws, and a document that details each proposed change and the reason for that change. I invite you to examine and evaluate the proposed changes prior to an omnibus vote on the proposed changes that will take place as required by the bylaws at least two months after the proposed changes were announced in the Society Newsletter. Of course, the EC encourages your vote in favor of the changes.
I thank you for your attention to these needed changes in the Bylaws. Working with and for the Society membership has been a high point of my presidency. I thank you for the support I have received throughout the year and for the work so many of you have done to maintain and advance Society programs and operations. I have never worked with a finer group of individuals, and I'm pleased to continue that work through the remainder of 2014.
Take care,
R. Eric Landrum
2014 STP President
The Psychology Major at Risk: Part II -- Alignments with Reality
R. Eric Landrum, 2014 STP President
Boise State University
In Part I of this two-part series, I presented the notion of disciplinary affordances, that is, the idea earning a baccalaureate degree in psychology affords a person certain opportunities in the workforce. I attempted to make the case that for those persons with a bachelor's degree in psychology, this degree affords a high level of generalization, that is, there are numerous career paths, most of which are not overly specialized. I ended Part I with the notion that an undergraduate education in psychology (without pursuing graduate school) may be both a blessing and a curse; a blessing because of the wide variety of options available, and a curse because the options are so generalized that students cannot directly "see" a career path afforded to them.
I believe that when this idea of disciplinary affordances is paired with the idea of alignments and student self-perceptions, the undergraduate psychology major may be at risk.
Alignment Match with Reality: Student Perceptions and Self-Reflections
When a student becomes a psychology major, they may know about what a psychologist does (either from personal experience or television/media stereotypes). However, over 70% of psychology graduates are entering a field of study in which they will not attain the "prototypical" job in psychology – a psychologist (American Psychological Association Center for Workforce Studies, 2013). Thus, there could be a lack of alignment or even misalignment between one's undergraduate field of study and that person's expectations about what they can do after earning the bachelor's degree. Affordances are about the career opportunities available to psychology bachelor's degree recipients; alignments are about how well the student understands what they want and how well they understand the specific details of viable career paths. In discussing the challenges psychology majors face in finding a job, Jeschke, Rajecki, and Johnson (2008) noted that the problem for psychology majors was not about job availability, but the challenges were (a) inability to articulate and demonstrate skills, (b) knowing about the job market and what employers want, (c) when the job possibilities are broad, knowing how to make a decision, and (d) student's often lacked career planning skills to be used throughout an undergraduate career.
High Alignment (Matches Between Expectations and Reality)
Low Alignment (Mismatches Between Expectations and Reality)
In my view, levels of alignment have to do with two components: a student's understanding of what they want and accurate content knowledge about careers. Both components are needed to experience high alignment. High alignment means a match between expectations and outcomes, and that graduates are working in the type of job they expected to when they were still undergraduates. This outcome is facilitated because of self-understanding of employment preferences and meaningful self-reflection. Higher levels of alignment may lead to higher levels of career satisfaction and satisfaction with the undergraduate major. A high level of alignment might also help compensate for low pay (e.g., teacher education).
A low level of alignment means that there was a mismatch in expectations for students entering the major and the resulting careers gained as a graduate. The source of the mismatch may be that the student did not know what they really wanted, did not know the details about particular career paths, or both. Low alignment means that expectations are not met, suggesting that the situation may be ripe for less desirable outcomes, such as low satisfaction and/or low pay.
I suggest (without data) that one's placement on this hypothetical alignment scale is student-specific and not tied to a particular academic major (unlike disciplinary affordances). Students with matches between career expectations (in part due to high levels of self-understanding and accurate knowledge about career options) and actual career realized would be at the upper end of the graphic scale provided. If there were evidence that the notion of alignments is accurate and that matches and mismatches exist, what would that evidence look like? Ideas about how to go about supporting those claims empirically is presented in Table 1.
Table 1
Potential Behavioral Indicators/Variables Which Might Validate That Students Have Alignments That Influence Their Match or Mismatch Within a Career Path
Misalignment / Poorer Match
Alignment / Better Match
Career expectations after graduation
Does not know what to expect; did not engage in self-reflection about expectations
Has good idea about what to expect; has deeper self-understanding about career desires
Satisfaction with major, department, institution
Lower satisfaction in general
Generally higher levels of satisfaction
First job absenteeism and turnover rates
Absent more often, stays in first job shorter time, faster turnover
Absent less, stays in first job longer time, more engaged in the work
Starting salary and first job expectations
Did not know salary ranges, difficult to adjust compared to expected lifestyle; some entitlement bitterness
Did know salary ranges, lifestyle adjustments anticipated; lesser amounts of entitlement
As with Part I on affordances, the key to remember here is that these are mostly hypothetical ideas, and it is vitally important to seek empirical data to either support or refute such conjectures. There is an existing literature within psychology about some of these topics, ranging from what to expect in the workplace (Landrum & Harrold, 2003; Woods, 1987) to critical reflection about careers in psychology (Briihl, Stanny, Jarvis, Darcy, & Belter, 2008). In a survey of graduates of various majors that asked the question 'how closely does your current job relate to your major area of study,' one possible response to this item was "not related." Answers on this item could be considered as one possible measure of alignment, with a higher percentage of "not related" indicating mismatches/misalignment. Here are the percentages by major of "not related" responses: health professions (1.3%), business (9.8%), fine arts (34.6%), psychology (37.3%), and other social sciences (56.5%) (Rajecki, 2007).
The Interaction of Affordances and Alignment
If you've read Part I and this Part II up to this point, you've been introduced to these ideas of disciplinary affordances and alignments/misalignments with reality. For both the horizontal x-axis (disciplinary affordances) and the vertical y-axis (personal alignment) dimensions presented, I believe that in theory any particular student could place anywhere along those two dimensions. So although this individual variation is inherently present, a disciplinary-wide assessment of where the bulk of psychology majors and future psychology baccalaureates stand could be quite meaningful. In other words, would combining these individual dimensions make sense, be meaningful, and provide heuristic value and encourage future work in this area? Knowing our current location might help to inform the navigational path to an improved environment with desired affordances and matched alignments, and with assessment data to boot.
As you will see in the graphic here, I present my personal speculation as to how the bulk of students majoring in architecture, nursing, teacher education, and psychology might place in a two-dimensional affordances x alignments space. The relative location of any particular group is not an indicator, per se, of the value of any particular discipline, that is, nursing is not better than psychology because nursing is in the uppermost top-right quadrant. As stated earlier, I believe that any individual student can place anywhere in this two-dimensional space. However, I do believe that the combination of generalized career affordances and relatively low alignments linked to desire vs. reality mismatches can place students the discipline of psychology in an at-risk condition; now add consistent growth in the major and limited resources about career paths, and the elements of a perfect storm may be swirling.
High Generalization Careers Afforded by Undergraduate Major
High Specialization Careers Afforded by Undergraduate Major
Perhaps the 2 x 2 matrix model helps capture part of the paradox that Part I opened with – the exploding popularity of the major combined with a surprising level of dissatisfaction. Just to preview, briefly consider these potential avenues for future efforts:
An emphasis on understanding careers for psychology baccalaureates has a long history (e.g., Edwards & Smith, 1988; Lunneborg & Wilson, 1985; 1987; Woods, 1987), but recent events in the short past have placed an additional focus on career development for undergraduate psychology majors. In 2007 the American Psychological Association published and adopted the Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major. Guideline #10 was this: Career Planning and Development – Students will emerge from the major with realistic ideas about how to implement their psychological knowledge, skills, and values in occupational pursuits in a variety of settings. The APA Board of Educational Affairs Task Force on Psychology Major Competencies has updated and revised the original 2007 document in to a new document referred to as Guidelines 2.0 (American Psychological Association, 2013). The revised Goal 5 speaks directly to the professional development of undergraduate psychology majors. The major points of Goal 5 are presented here:
Goal 5: Professional Development
The emphasis in this goal is on application of psychology-specific content and skills, effective self-reflection, project-management skills, teamwork skills, and career preparation. Foundation-level outcomes concentrate on the development of work habits and ethics to succeed in academic settings. The skills in this goal at the baccalaureate level refer to abilities that sharpen student readiness for postbaccalaureate employment, graduate school, or professional school.
These skills can be developed and refined both in traditional academic settings and in extracurricular involvement. In addition, career professionals can be enlisted to support occupational planning and pursuit. This emerging emphasis should not be construed as obligating psychology programs to obtain employment for their graduates but instead as encouraging programs to optimize the competitiveness of their graduates for securing places in the workforce.
5.1 Students will apply psychological content and skills to career goals.
5.2 Students will exhibit self-efficacy and self-regulation.
5.3 Students will refine project management skills.
5.4 Students will enhance teamwork capacity.
5.5 Students will develop meaningful professional direction for life after graduation.
This recent emphasis about career planning and development for psychology majors is a much welcomed event, but so much more work needs to be done.
American Psychological Association. (2007). APA guidelines for the undergraduate psychology major. Retrieved from www.apa.org/ed/resources.html
American Psychological Association. (2013). APA guidelines for the undergraduate psychology major: Version 2.0. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/undergrad/index.aspx
American Psychological Association Center for Workforce Studies. (2013). What percentage of undergraduate psychology majors continue on to earn graduate degrees in psychology? Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/support/education/statistics/continuing.aspx#answer
Briihl, D. S., Stanny, C. J., Jarvis, K. A., Darcy, M., & Belter, R. W. (2008). Thinking critically about careers in psychology. In D. S. Dunn, J. S. Halonen, & R. A. Smith (Eds.), Teaching critical thinking in psychology: A handbook of best practices (pp. 225-234). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Edwards, J., & Smith, K. (1988). What skills and knowledge do potential employers value in baccalaureate psychologists? In P. J. Woods (Ed.), Is psychology for them? (pp. 102-111). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Jeschke, M., Rajecki, D. W., & Johnson, K. (2008). Life beyond the bachelor's degree: A primer for psychology majors. Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. Retrieved from http://www.psynt.iupui.edu/Users/kjohnson/bulletin/primer.htm
Landrum, R. E., & Harrold, R. (2003). What employers want from psychology graduates. Teaching of Psychology, 30, 131–133.
Lunneborg, P. W., & Wilson, V. M. (1985). Would you major in psychology again? Teaching of Psychology, 12, 17-20.
Lunneborg, P. W., & Wilson, V. M. (1987). Job satisfaction correlates for college graduates in psychology. In M. E. Ware & R. J. Millard (Eds.), Handbook on student development: Advising, career development, and field placement (pp. 158-160). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Rajecki, D. W. (2007, September 28). Liberal arts skills: Weak connections with career concerns at commencement. UW Teaching Forum. Retrieved from http://www.uwosh.edu/programs/teachingforum/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=647&format=html
Woods, P. J. (1987). A survival manual for new hires: What to expect in the workplace. In P. J. Woods (Ed.), Is psychology for the major for you? Planning for your undergraduate years (pp. 97-104. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Note. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Psychological Association, APA Education Directorate, APA Division Two (Society for the Teaching of Psychology), or Boise State University. But they should.
The Psychology Major at Risk: Part I -- Disciplinary Affordances
We have an interesting paradox before us: we have ever increasing numbers of psychology graduates per year in the U.S. (topping 100,000 graduates for the first time in 2010-2011; National Center for Education Statistics, 2012) yet psychology majors also report high levels of dissatisfaction with the major (Light, 2010). The main focus of this two part blog entry are those individuals receiving a bachelor's degree in psychology; in other words, baccalaureates.
I believe there are two major factors at play: the inherent career options afforded by our discipline, and the alignment of student's understanding about careers and meaningful self-reflection compared to the reality of careers with a bachelor's degree in psychology (a topic that I have written about previously; see Landrum, 2009). If you wish, think of these concepts as variables -- the scope of vocational opportunities afforded by study in a discipline and the degree to which there is alignment between students' reflection about their own vocational preference and their choice of a major. So in the language of research methods, we have two main effects here: a main effect of disciplinary affordances (generality vs. specificity) and a main effect of alignment of self-motivation and accurate career knowledge (a match between knowing one's desired outcomes and knowing how to achieve that outcome vs. a mismatch between desires and outcomes). Although main effects can be interesting, in psychology the interactions often help us to understand the complexity of the real world. In other words, perhaps an interaction can help us explain our opening paradox. I believe that there currently is an interaction, and that this interaction effect places some psychology majors at risk and provides formidable challenges for psychology educators. In this blog, I provide some data where it exists, but note that I am bootstrapping current environmental conditions as I see them into a possible explanation or theory; I hope these ideas have heuristic value and motivate additional attention and appropriate research and reflection.
The Disciplinary Affordances of Psychology
According to the American Psychological Association's Center for Workforce Studies (2013), about 4-6% of psychology baccalaureates pursue doctoral education in psychology, and about 20-22% pursue a master's degree in psychology. For those individuals who do earn a master's or doctoral degree in psychology, they become more specialized, often with the goal of becoming a psychologist. This graduate-level career trajectory is similar to those of accounting majors becoming accountants, nursing majors becoming nurses, and so on – some psychology majors become psychologists. However, even with this conservative estimate, over 70% of psychology graduates do not pursue additional education in psychology. This sector of psychology graduates is the primary focus of this blog; that is, those individuals not pursuing a graduate education in psychology.
What is meant by an affordance? Gibson (1977) described the concept of affordances in regard to the properties of an environment which influence an animal's behavior (see also Chemero, 2003). In other words, the environment an animal lives in (the physical characteristics and resources available) influences an animal's behavioral options; "the affordances of the environment are what it offers animals, what it provides or furnishes, for good or ill" (Gibson, 1977, p. 68). What I am suggesting here is that the discipline of psychology has career affordances, and students who major in psychology (but do not go to graduate school) have opportunities and limitations afforded them because of their selection of the psychology major.
In the context of selection of and satisfaction within a career, I believe there may be a theoretical continuum of disciplinary-based affordances that ranges from highly generalized to highly specialized. Different disciplines have different career affordances. For example, it seems clear that undergraduate students majoring in accounting become accountants, students majoring in architecture become architects, students majoring in nursing become nurses, and students majoring in teacher education become teachers. But what do undergraduate psychology majors become? The APA Board of Educational Affairs Task Force on Psychology Major Competencies, led by Jane Halonen from the University of West Florida, developed a list of potential careers with a bachelor's degree in psychology (J. Halonen, personal communication, 2013). This listing is presented in Table 1.
Potential Careers with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology
Activities Director
Admissions Evaluator
Advertising Sales Representative
Alumni Director
Animal Trainer
Army Mental Health Specialist
Benefits Manager
Career/Employment Counselor
Career Information Specialist
Child Development Specialist
Child Welfare/Placement Caseworker
Claims Supervisor
Community Organization Worker
Community Worker
Computer Programmer
Conservation Officer
Correctional Treatment Specialist
Corrections Officer
Criminal Investigator (FBI and other)
Customer Service Representative Supervisor
Data Base Administrator
Data Base Design Analyst
Department Manager
Disability Policy Worker
Disability Case Manager
Employee Health Maintenance Program Specialist
Employee Relations Specialist
Employment Counselor
Employment Interviewer
Financial Aid Counselor
Fund Raiser
Health Care Facility Administrator
Human Resource Advisor
Information Specialist
Job Analyst
Labor Relations Manager
Loan Officer
Management Analyst
Market Research Analyst
Mental Retardation Aide
News Writer
Occupational Analyst
Patient Resources and Reimbursement Agent
Personnel Recruiter
Police Officer
Polygraph Examiner
Preschool Teacher
Probation/Parole Officer
Project Evaluator
Psychiatric Aide/Attendant
Psychiatric Technician
Psychological Stress Evaluator
Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialist (PSR)
Public Health Director
Public Relations Representative
Purchasing Agent
Real Estate Agent
Recreation Leader
Recreation Supervisor
Recreational Therapist
Research Assistant
Retail Salesperson
Sales Clerk
Social Services Aide
Substance Abuse Counselor
Systems Analyst
Technical Writer
Veterans Contact Representative
Veterans Counselor
Victims' Advocate
Vocational Training Teacher
Volunteer Coordinator
Individuals who seek employment and a career with a bachelor's degree in psychology have a wide variety of choices available, leveraging the high generalizability of the psychology baccalaureate. I would also contend that those who continue for graduate education in psychology become more specialized and focused on more prototypical, "psychologist-type" careers. In addition, I believe there are collegiate majors which afford high specialization in an undergraduate context. In fact, for each of the 'high specialization' examples used in this essay (accountant, architect, nurse, teacher), there is a national licensing examination and an accrediting organization. See Table 2 for the specifics.
Table 2
Examples of Highly Specialized Undergraduate Degree Programs
Undergraduate Major/Program
Licensing Exam
Accreditation Body
Prototypical Job Title
The Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination
National Association of State Boards of Accountancy
Architect Registration Examination (ARE)
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards
NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination)
National Council of State Boards of Nursing
Teacher Education
State Departments of Education (40 states)
So based on my own intuitions and without data from various disciplines, I would tend to place the undergraduate disciplines in Table 2 (accountant, architect, nurse, and teacher) toward the right side of the graphic below, and the undergraduate psychology major toward the left side of the graphic below.
Please remember that my depictions, hypotheses, and theories are mostly anecdotal; actual results may vary. But if there is any validity to the notion of disciplinary-based affordances with regard to career options might be captured from an empirical standpoint, the ideas provided in Table 3 may help to motivate researchers to collect data and analyze trends with may support or refute the notion of career affordances.
Table 3
Potential Behavioral Indicators/Variables Which Might Validate That Disciplines Have Affordances That Influence the Generalization or Specialization of Careers
High Generalization Afforded by Undergraduate Major (e.g., psychology)
High Specialization Afforded by Undergraduate Major (e.g. accountancy, architecture, nursing, teacher education)
Number of job openings, available, number of applicants
Wide variety of job openings available with much competition from many sources and educational backgrounds
Tendency for fewer job openings available for specialized careers with competition from similarly licensed individuals
Accreditation of undergraduate education
Tend to not have undergraduate accreditation requirements
May have undergraduate accreditation body; typically require credentialing/licensing
Number of credits required for graduation
Typically the minimum institutional number to graduate
Often exceeds the institutional minimum number of credits to graduate
Ease of switching careers after graduation
Easier due to generalist/liberal arts focus; additional training (without return to formal education) may suffice for career switch
Not as easy due to specific training for specific career; may require more formal education (additional training alone may not suffice)
Vague understanding of first job expectations; lower starting salaries due to high competition from others with analogous skill sets
Good understanding of first job expectations; higher starting salaries due to specialized skills, credentialing, licensure
There are some available data that are from psychology researchers and from the general literature that provide support from some of these contentions. Regarding psychology baccalaureates, salaries tend to be lower as compared to preprofessional and technical program graduates (Rajecki & Borden, 2011) and graduates report lower levels of job preparation as compared to other fields (Borden & Rajecki, 2000), perhaps due to the wide variety of jobs available (i.e., high generalization). In a direct comparison of psychology baccalaureates to graduates from nursing, business, engineering, and education, psychology majors (a) more frequently had jobs that did not specifically require a college degree, (b) had lower salaries, and (c) reported lower ratings of job relatedness compared to undergraduate degree program (Rajecki & Borden, 2009). Carnevale, Cheah, and Strohl (2012) reported that majors that are closed tied to specific occupations tend to experience lower unemployment rates, but that the specificity of a major can backfire. Recent architecture graduates experienced a 13.9% unemployment rate, believed to be linked (in part) to drastic reductions in construction-related efforts. Menand (2011) characterized it this way: "…advanced economies demand specialized knowledge and skills, and, since high school is aimed at the general learner, college is where people can be taught whey they need in order to enter a vocation. A college degree in a non-liberal field signifies competence in a specific line of work" (¶ 33).
In summary, the broad flexibility afforded to psychology baccalaureates in selecting careers with high levels of generalization may be both a blessing and a curse. It may be a blessing because there are a wide variety of options available and the importance of understanding human behavior is pervasive throughout every workplace. It may be a curse because the opportunities are so generalized that students do not know what they can do with a bachelor's degree in psychology, they do not have a clearly identifiable job title, accurate career advising may be a challenge, and competition for non-specialized jobs and careers may be elevated. You've heard the phrase "jack of all trades, master of none" – perhaps the modern-day less-eloquent equivalent for psychology baccalaureates is "jack of many different career paths, specialized training in none." That is not necessary a good or bad situation, but students need to know that it is what it is so that they can have accurate expectations and plan accordingly. In the next blog entry, I'll explore the "other" main effect mentioned at the beginning of this blog -- student alignment, in the context of self-perceptions and self-reflections.
American Psychological Association. (2013). What percentage of undergraduate psychology majors continue on to earn graduate degrees in psychology? Center for Workforce Studies. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/support/education/statistics/continuing.aspx#answer
Borden, V. M. H., & Rajecki, D. W. (2000). First-year employment outcomes of psychology baccalaureates: Relatedness, preparedness, and prospects. Teaching of Psychology, 27, 164-168.
Carnevale, A. P., Cheah, B., & Strohl, J. (2012). Hard times: Not all college degrees are created equal. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Retrieved from http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/Unemployment.Final.update1.pdf
Chemero, A. (2003). An outline of a theory of affordances. Ecological Psychology, 15, 181-195.
Gibson, J. J. (1977). The theory of affordances. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Landrum, R. E. (2009). Finding jobs with a psychology bachelor's degree: Expert advice for launching your career. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Light, J. (2010, October 11). Psych majors aren't happy with options. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704011904575538561813341020.html
Menand, L. (2011, June 6). Live and learn: Why we have college. The New Yorker. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2011/06/06/110606crat_atlarge_menand
National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). Degrees in psychology conferred by degree-granting institutions, by level of degree and sex of student: Selected years, 1945-50 through 2010-11 [Table 330]. Digest of Educational Statistics 2012. Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Education.
Rajecki, D. W., & Borden, V. M. H. (2009). First-year employment outcomes of US psychology graduates revisited: Need for a degree, salary, and relatedness to major. Psychology Learning and Teaching, 8, 23-29.
Rajecki, D. W., & Borden, V. M. H. (2011). Psychology degrees: Employment, wage, and career trajectory consequences. Perspectives in Psychological Science, 6, 321-335.
Scientist-Educators Using Evidence-Based Instructional Practices
by R. Eric Landrum, PhD
Active learning, flipping the classroom, student engagement, the student-as-producer model – it is sometimes difficult to know in today's teaching environment what emerging pedagogical approaches are fads vs. meaningful trends. However, if you adhere to the scientist-educator model, then it is your obligation to explore, study, and reflect upon your personal pedagogical choices. In this brief message, my goal to bring together two important concepts: the scientist-educator model and evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs). Like the two great tastes of chocolate and peanut butter, each is pretty good on their own, but the combination provides for a powerful (and tasty) interaction.
The notion of the scientist-educator model emerged from the APA-sponsored National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology held at the University of Puget Sound in 2008. The efforts of nine working groups at this conference are chronicled in an edited book by Halpern (2010), and the scientist-educator model is credited to Bernstein and his team (Bernstein, et al., 2010). Some of the key tenets of the scientist-educator model are presented here:
A scientist-educator treats professional work as an inquiry into the effectiveness of practice. It is critical to be familiar with evidence-based practice in the teaching of psychology, identifying those methods that are appropriate to one's own teaching. Central to this enterprise is the systematic collection of evidence regarding the effectiveness of teaching and the use of these data to guide the development and refinement of both the conceptual understanding of teaching and its practice in an iterative, recursive fashion. The scientist-educator reflects on the results of the instruction, makes that work visible to peers, and redesigns course conception, measures, and activities accordingly. (p. 30)
This iterative pattern of action is reminiscent of the steps involved in action research, which are planning, acting, observing, and reflecting, with new planning following reflection. Of course the notion of evidence-based practices has been around for some time in disciplines such as medicine and clinical psychology. Saville (2009) noted that similar to clinical psychologists using treatments that are based on the best science available, so too should teachers of psychology – thus the value of an evidence-based approach pre-dates the emergence of the scientist-educator model, but this new model powerfully reinforces the notion that the planning, preparation, delivery, and assessment of what happens in the classroom should be evidence-based.
So how does one go about finding the evidence that defines an evidence-based instructional practice (EBIP)? Just as we would with any academic research topic, we look to the literature. Although the acronym EBIP is not yet universally accepted, there are useful sources of evidence-based instructional practices that provide the details about the data. Two sources that I recommend for starters would the book Evidence-based teaching (edited by Buskist & Groccia, 2011) and the article Transformational teaching: Theoretical underpinnings, basic principles, and core methods by Slavich and Zimbardo (2012). Both provide detailed overviews about the "evidence" in evidence-based teaching practices. Thus, both depth and breadth are articulated in these resources.
But there are other, convenient sources as well. I would encourage readers to take advantage of the resources provided by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP) at our web siteteachpsych.org. We have resources available which have been peer reviewed (through our Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology, or OTRP) as well as open-source resources, such as ToPIX. Resources abound, such as the recently published ebook on Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum by Benassi, Overson, and Hakala (2014). This ebook is freely available as a PDF.
Just as our physician and clinician colleagues do, I encourage you to plan, act, observe, and reflect about your teaching and consider using EBIPs – as a scientist-educator, share your results with your colleagues, whether that be at a regional poster session, as shared resource on our website, at the APA convention as part a symposium, a presentation or poster at our Annual Conference on Teaching, or a manuscript submitted to our highly regarded journal Teaching of Psychology. Our students deserve the very best instruction possible, and only through a scientist-educator lens will we ever know if that is occurring.
Benassi, V. A., Overson, C. E., & Hakala, C. M. (2014). (Eds.). Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum. Society for the Teaching of Psychology. Retrieved from http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/asle2014/index.php
Bernstein, D. J., Addison, W., Altman, C., Hollister, D., Komarraju, M., Prieto, L., … & Shore, C. (2010). Toward a scientist-educator model of teaching psychology. In D. F. Halpern (Ed.), Undergraduate education in psychology: A blueprint for the future of the discipline (pp. 29-45). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Buskist, B., & Groccia, J. E. (2011). (Eds.). Evidence-based teaching. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 128. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Halpern, D. F. (2010). (Ed.). Undergraduate education in psychology: A blueprint for the future of the discipline. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Saville, B. K. (2009). Using evidence-based teaching methods to improve education. Teaching and Learning Excellence. Retrieved from https://tle.wisc.edu/print/1045
Slavich, G. M., & Zimbardo, P. G. (2012). Transformational teaching: Theoretical underpinnings, basic principles, and core methods. Educational and Psychological Review, 24, 569-608. doi:10.1007/s10648-012-9199-6
by Eric Landrum
I am truly honored and humbled to serve this year as the President of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP) / Division Two of the American Psychological Association. I joined STP in 1989 as I received my PhD in cognitive psychology, and for the past 25 years, I've enjoyed the benefits of membership. The most important benefit, however, are the lifelong friends I have made as being part of an active and vibrant community that cares about a quality psychology education at all levels.
So you think you know about an organization after being a member for almost half of your life (yes, I turned 51 earlier this week), but I didn't really start to understand the depth and complexity of STP until I became its Secretary in 2009. In that capacity, I was in a room with very smart and very active people who care about psychology education as much or more than I do. It is both invigorating and intimidating. Can I keep up? Fortunately, I don't have to worry about that, because when you are part of a meaningful community, we all pitch in.
During my presidential year, my litmus test question is this – how can we better serve our members? I'm happy to report that our Executive Committee (EC) does not move like a glacier, and I've been so pleased with our collaborative spirit and prompt response times. Although January is about to come to a close, earlier this month we had an STP member inquire about moving our Master Teacher Competencies document from the Members-Only section of our website to a public viewundefinedshe believed that this document could have a widespread impact to all psychology teachers. Our EC conferred and concurred with our member's suggestion, and by the end of the same day the document was made public (go Homepage – Resources – Teaching Competencies). Late last year another member inquired about resources for graduate-level educators; we certainly have many resources that would assist in this area, but they are not organized in this fashion. So we'll be looking at how we can add organizational features to our website so that "quick hits" on a particular topic are easy to find and time-savers for teachers of psychology.
My goal is to write a presidential blog at least once a month, and in future posts I'll highlight particular resources, grant opportunities, diversity initiatives, awards, programming, member benefits, and so on – it is an impressive organization from all perspectives. Here's the current roster of EC members –
Suzie Baker
Past President
Victor Benassi
Vice President for Diversity and International Relations
Susan Nolan
Vice President for Programming
Janie Wilson
Vice President for Recognition and Awards
Beth Schwartz
Vice President for Recruiting, Retention and Public Relations
Diane Finley
Vice President for Resources
Sue Frantz
Scott Bates
Dave Kreiner
Executive Director
Ted Bosack
Thank YOU for all that you do for our psychology students everywhere, everyday –


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Face it Canucks, your Stanley Cup window is shut
The Calgary Flames reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final in the spring of 2004.
The Flames braintrusts spent several seasons afterwards believing they were still a Cup contender, drafting poorly while trying to recapture the magic by adding pieces around their core. They failed to even come close and this season, when it became obvious that dream was more dead than a zombie in the path of Rick Grimes, finally started a long-awaited rebuild.
The Edmonton Oilers reached Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup final.
The Oilers spent the next couple of seasons chasing the faint hope they could return, failing to land many free-agents they chased, losing key players from their own team and hitting rock bottom to the point they drafted first overall three consecutive seasons.
The Vancouver Canucks reached Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final.
Anybody believe the Canucks will be back there any time soon?
More likely, the Canucks are heading down the same path as the Flames and Oilers.
Last season, the Canucks were defeated in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Kings.
Today, they are still stinging from the effects of a four-game sweep at the hands of the San Jose Sharks, which concluded Tuesday.
Next year? Good guess, but it's a longshot the Canucks will be skating until late June and battling to the championship round. Or the year after. Or the year after that.
Their loss to the Sharks exposed too many holes.
The Canucks were too slow, too small and too soft to beat a Sharks team not known for being a club that grinds you into the ground.
Moreover, they didn't have the depth to compete with a team that not only had its veteran big guns firing, in Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle, but were led by young guns Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture.
In short, if Henrik and Daniel Sedin aren't scoring, the Canucks can't compete, because nobody else will or can step up and take their place. And lord knows, there aren't young rising stars to play the part of Couture and Pavelski.
It didn't end there. The vaunted Canucks defence corps, which was one of the NHL's most offensively productive in the regular season, was a non-factor in the Sharks' zone until it was too late and was hemmed into its own zone for too much of the games.
The goaltending, another strong point, was only good enough to lose a few games by close scores, not steal a win.
What's even scarier, though, is the future of the Canucks.
One of the prices paid for being a strong team for so many years is the impact at the draft table. Late first-round picks rarely turn into stars. Vancouver has exacerbated the problem by dealing away picks or young players for pieces that didn't make a difference.
Around the league, the Canucks are considered to have one of the NHL's shallowest prospect pools, even if defenceman Frank Corrado looks like a keeper and forwards Brendan Gaunce, Jordan Schroeder and Nicklas Jensen have strong potential.
Meanwhile, the Sedins will be 33 years old before next season starts. Ryan Kesler will be 29, but his body appears to be broken down to the point he's going on 40. Alex Burrows is 32. Kevin Bieksa will be 32 in June. Dan Hamhuis is 30.
The core of this team, other than No. 1 goalie Cory Schneider, is aging fast. Fans in Calgary can relay to those elsewhere how that changes a club in a hurry.
That's not to say all is lost next season. Should general manager Mike Gillis make an astute trade involving No. 2 goalie Roberto Luongo, he'll buy his team some time. Maybe there's another move to be made involving a player such as Burrows. And maybe Alex Edler will return to his form of a couple of years ago.
Maybe Schneider will learn from this experience. He's a good goalie, but in his playoff games, Schneider was guilty of making big saves but couldn't win, with bad rebounds proving costly.
It should add up to a playoff spot in what will be a tougher division next season — Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary will join the three California teams and Phoenix — but times will certainly become leaner for the Canucks down the road.
Look at the journey their Alberta counterparts are on right now to see the future.
On Twitter: @SunRandySportak

subset: commoncrawl


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Nokia Messaging for Social Networks - View, post, and comment on messages, share your location and status while keeping up with your Facebook friends right from your Nokia handset. Now also supports Twitter.
"Nokia Messaging for Social Networks":
· Contextual homescreen widget – jump directly to your Facebook and Twitter posts and tweets to comment.
· Live Facebook and Twitter updates pushed to your phone homescreen
· Update your status on Twitter
· View / reply to your Tweets
· Communication choices – multiple ways to interact with your friends and social network circles straight from the client (e.g. post a comment, call, SMS, or email)
· Share your current location and your points of interest in a post or in a message leveraging device GPS location and Ovi Maps (e.g. view friends' location, add your location)
· Multi pictures uploads
· Video uploads
· Search
· Full profile support
· Save Facebook invites to phone calendar
· Events: View upcoming events, birthdays


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KTLK.FM today with Host Chris Baker uncovers by witness Monty Jensen that Crow Wing County in Minnesota may be experiencing voter fraud. How low will Democrats go? Can this be an exclusive event? Doubtful! Listen to the podcast, omg!
Chris Baker 11-1-10 7am
Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:18:58 -0400
Monty Jensen from Crow Wing County claims to have viewed voter fraud recently. More talk of voter fraud. Paul Allen, voice of the Vikings came on to break down the lose. Tom Emmer checked in as well
To download the podcast, right-click "Download" and select "Save Target As" from the menu.
iPhone users: Press and hold the Download link until the iPhone asks if you want to open, open in a new page, or copy. Choose "Open in New Page" to listen.
Crow Wing County Absentee Fraud investigation Pt1
MinnesotaFreedom | October 30, 2010
Montgomery Jensen talks about possible Absentee Voter fraud committed by Afscme union workers; Department of Human Services – Minnesota State employees – working with mental handicapped (vulnerable adults) possible involvement in voter fraud! Happening NOW. Saturday 1:30 pm …. more to come
Crow Wing Absentee Fraud? Part 2
Interview with Montgomery Jensen and Deb Erickson about incident and the Crow Wing County Minnesota Courthouse… down stairs… Sorry I didn't know I couldn't film there! Now I do.
Crow Wing County Absentee Fraud Investigation pt3
More on the technical details from Deb Erickson
Crow Wing County Absentee Fraud Investigation Pt4
Interview with "Kathy" long time employee with the Department of Human Services in Minnesota, also an Afscme union member. Her reaction on this events. She also was able to give us great leads in pursuing this case.
A quick call this morning to the Crow County Auditor – Deborah A. Erickson revealed, via the gal who answered the phone at (218) 824-1045, volumes. I was told "…she's at the counter…" and that she would put me "…through to her voice mail…" whereas I said I would hold, she then stated "…she's unavailable…" but she would again put me "…through to her voice mail…" aka no comment. I asked the gal who answered the phone, what her name was, she would not reveal her name and rudely hung up on me, hmm?
Then not 15 minutes later, Miss Erickson herself, returned a call to me, bless that Caller ID program. She was nothing, if not precise, on detailing events of the previous Friday, to the best of her knowledge…. "...8 to 12 voters…" with "…4 to 5 assistants…" from a "…local residential facility…" and how the registration/voting process works. She could not validate if the "assistants" were U.S. Citizens or not! hmm?
Per Miss Erickson County Attorney Don F. Ryan will be investigating.
***Hat Tip to The 912 Project Fan Site and fellow Patriot Proud American*** and Alerted by Minnesotan Andrea.


text: AkzoNobel Powder Coatings became the first coatings supplier to be awarded class 2 Qualicoat certification in India. The certification was awarded to Interpon D2525, a super durable architectural powder coating, and is the first approval in the higher durability category in India. Qualicoat is a well-respected external quality standard designed to ensure products meet clearly defined quality and performance criteria. A high level of quality and performance is critical in the architectural market, and this certification will allow customers and specifiers to choose a product guaranteed to meet their expectations in terms of quality and durability. This news comes after AkzoNobel's factory in Bangalore, India, received the Karnataka State Safety Award for its efforts in the field of health, safety and environment.


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Who's suspicious?
Welcome back to Soaps.com's Saturday teaser poll. Who do you think will be suspicious that someone is keeping something from them next week?
One of the answers to our teaser poll below is correct, so go ahead and take a guess as to what you think transpires. Remember, if you know what happens, don't give the answer away in the comments section. Some people like to be surprised!


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NORWALK – Students at Cerritos College are saving money on textbooks thanks to a pilot program that allows students to use computers in lieu of books.
The program, called the Kaleidoscope project, was launched in the 2011-2012 school year with the goal of increasing the number of students who complete degrees while reducing the cost of instruction, textbooks and other materials.
More than 9,000 students participated last year, and the project is expected to continue this fall, said Cerritos College spokeswoman Aya Abelon.
College officials say the program can help students struggling with rising tuition and textbook prices. According to the College Board Advocacy and Policy Center, the annual costs for textbooks at a public university averages around $1,168. Cerritos College officials hope the pilot project will help students struggling under the weight of rising college tuition and textbooks prices.
"Students participating in Kaleidoscope courses have seen a 97 percent reduction in textbook expenses," said M.L. Bettino, a former dean of academic affairs at Cerritos College who leads the project.
Under the project, students are offered 10 high-demand general education courses in biology, chemistry, math, reading, English, business and psychology. As part of each course, students can access textbooks, a syllabus, study guides and other reading materials for free from any computer.
In July, Cerritos was recognized by Campus Technology magazine for its efforts.
Cerritos College is leading the project along with seven other colleges: Chadron State College, College of the Redwoods, Mercy College, Palo Verde College, Tompkins Cortland Community College, Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College.
Abelon said more colleges are interested in participating in pilot courses this fall.
email@example.com, 562-714-2181, twitter.com/kellypuentept


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Beyond the Classroom
Experiencing a discipline up close gives you a chance to internalize and personalize your undergraduate experience and often serves as a springboard for independent study and honors projects.
Some Bowdoin students immerse themselves in research to help decide between two areas of interest. Other students get their feet wet through jobs, internships, community-based service programs, or through off-campus study programs around the world. However your interests evolve, you'll find that these enhanced learning opportunities give you priceless experience and connections for pursuing graduate school or a work life after Bowdoin.
Office of Student Fellowships and Research
The Office of Student Fellowships and Research can connect you with opportunities to deepen or augment your academic coursework at Bowdoin, or even after you graduate. The College supports undergraduate student research through endowed funds and also through major grants from prestigious national institutions. Many alumni have earned nationally competitive awards that helped them attend graduate schools, or even carry out research while traveling the world. Visit site »
Off-Campus Study
You can connect what you're learning at Bowdoin with the entire world through our off-campus study program. Over half of Bowdoin students study away for a semester in one of over 100 affiliated academic programs in places including Australia, Botswana, Chile, China, Egypt, France Italy, Japan, Sri Lanka and the UK. Visit site »
Bowdoin Career Planning
A hub of Bowdoin staff and a 1,500-member alumni Career Advisory Network are available to help you with everything from skills-assessment, to networking, to industry information or actual job interviewing. Career Planning offers one-on-one sessions with professional career advisors, maintains extensive job and internship databases, hosts workshops, and coordinates recruiting on campus by more than seventy firms. Visit site »


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Watch The ::God Is Imaginary Videos On YouTube ::
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
I don't think Westboro does anything but preach vulgarities at people. I don't think they actually try to convert anyone. They say just as much bad shit toward Christians as anyone else; perhaps worse.-Nam
I don't remember Catholics doing that. They have pushed closer understanding things from time to time.
"I'm doing science and I'm still alive."--J.C.
I've had fundamentalists try to save me.
I wonder: do Christian proselytize other Christians? I know they regularly come to heathen websites like this. Go to heathen countries. But do they do it to other Christians. The only Christians I know who do are what almost all other Christians don't believe are even Christian: Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses.Do Catholics attempt to convert Protestants? Or Protestants, Catholics? How about Protestants on Protestants or Catholics on Catholics? I've been to many-a-Christian website and haven't actually seen it. I guess Christianity is a lost cause.-Nam
Christians definitely preach at and try to "convert" other Christians. Think of the JWs or Mormons--they aren't looking for atheists when they go door to door.
Yes.In my country, the protestants say they worship the living God who is in spirit while the Catholics worship the Jesus crucified in the cross. They also say Catholics are commiting sins by worshiping statues (idolatry).
The protestants also try to convert people from afro religions claiming that those religions are of the Devil.
Quote from: Betelnut on May 25, 2013, 08:08:29 AMChristians definitely preach at and try to "convert" other Christians. Think of the JWs or Mormons--they aren't looking for atheists when they go door to door.Did you read my OP?-Nam
I can't say I have ever heard of one denomination trying to convert another by going door to door or even preaching on a street corner. But there are a pile of them on the internet. One group calls themselves "Bible Believing Christians" and tend to focus on the fact that if you read a translation of the bible other than the official King James version then you're going to hell. The most sensational of these nut jobs is Dial The Truth Ministries (www.av1611.org). Take a few moments to dull your senses on this pile of crap. And this one too: http://www.biblebelievers.com/E.
The members of the Trinity work together in complete unity, totally dependant and yet totally interdependence of each other.
Music has two purposes:1. (To worship and glorify God. 2. To edify and build up Christians.


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2012-06-20 / Obituaries
Frank Zieris, army veteran and former American Legion Commander
Lorraine Haddon's parents owned and operated a candy store in Massapequa Park. It was there that she met her sweetheart, the love of her life, Frank J. Zieris who would later become her husband. "I was 12 and he was 15," said Lorraine. "He was a good, fun loving person who would do anything for anybody."
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Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation hosts guests at August eventsBy EILEEN REGEN
July 31. 2013 3:11PM
BETHLEHEM — Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation invites members and friends to four August events.
Shana Aisenberg will join Cantor Marlena Fuerstman to provide a musical Shabbat evening on Friday, Aug. 2.
On Saturday, Aug. 3, BHC sponsors a reception at the Colonial Theatre to honor photographer Ellen Fisch, who opens her Bethlehem Worship photographic essay.
Geoffrey Brahmer returns to the BHC classroom on Friday, Aug. 9, to discuss another section of his Holocaust research.
Michel Adler will share his father's book, "I Am A Refugee," on Friday, Aug. 16.
Aisenberg is an acoustic multi-instrumentalist, composing, playing, recording and teaching diverse styles from traditional Appalachian, Celtic and New England contra- dance music to eastern European Klezmer, Balkan, Nordic, bottleneck blues and jazz.
The service begins at 7:30 p.m.
"Worship," photographic essay by renowned photographer Fisch, will be the featured exhibit at the Colonial Theatre during August. BHC will host a reception at 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 3, on the theatre patio.
Fisch, a longtime Bethlehem summer resident, created this photographic essay to conceptualize worship in Bethlehem. She focused on the Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation Synagogue (Strawberry Hill Street) and Durrell United Methodist Church (Main Street).
Brahmer presents "Hartheim Castle: A Holocaust Journey" at 6 p.m., Friday, Aug. 9, in the BHC classroom. This segment of Brahmer's continuing Holocaust research studies focuses on the Nazi's euthanasia program.
Austria's lovely Hartheim Castle was the prototype of euthanasia centers for the mentally and physically disabled. The presentation includes images, history, and narratives of events.
Brahmer is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and a fine arts photographer. He is the educational coordinator for plastic surgery and hand surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Adler of Lexington, Mass, and Franconia, will introduce "I Am A Refugee" by Camillo Adler, his father. Michel Adler has recently translated and published this book in which his father describes his experiences in the French Foreign Legion and his escape from the Nazis by bringing his family to refuge in Switzerland.
The evening begins at 6 p.m. in the BHC Library with a reception in honor of Michel Adler.
Admission is free. For more information, contact BHC at 869-5465.


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Jon heard her uneasily. Did she understand? But he felt once more that he was no match for her in self-control and subtlety. She could, in some supersensitive way, of which he had not the secret, feel the pulse of his thoughts; she knew by instinct what he hoped and feared and wished. It made him terribly uncomfortable and guilty, having, beyond most boys, a conscience. He wished she would be frank with him, he almost hoped for an open struggle. But none came, and steadily, silently, they travelled north. Thus did he first learn how much better than men women play a waiting game. In Paris they had again to pause for a day. Jon was grieved because it lasted two, owing to certain matters in connection with a dressmaker; as if his mother, who looked beautiful in anything, had any need of dresses! The happiest moment of his travel was that when he stepped on to the Folkestone boat.
Standing by the bulwark rail, with her arm in his, she said
"I'm afraid you haven't enjoyed it much, Jon. But you've been very sweet to me."
Jon squeezed her arm.
"Oh I yes, I've enjoyed it awfully-except for my head lately."
And now that the end had come, he really had, feeling a sort of glamour over the past weeks—a kind of painful pleasure, such as he had tried to screw into those lines about the voice in the night crying; a feeling such as he had known as a small boy listening avidly to Chopin, yet wanting to cry. And he wondered why it was that he couldn't say to her quite simply what she had said to him:
"You were very sweet to me." Odd—one never could be nice and natural like that! He substituted the words: "I expect we shall be sick."
They were, and reached London somewhat attenuated, having been away six weeks and two days, without a single allusion to the subject which had hardly ever ceased to occupy their minds.
Deprived of his wife and son by the Spanish adventure, Jolyon found the solitude at Robin Hill intolerable. A philosopher when he has all that he wants is different from a philosopher when he has not. Accustomed, however, to the idea, if not to the reality of resignation, he would perhaps have faced it out but for his daughter June. He was a "lame duck" now, and on her conscience. Having achieved—momentarily—the rescue of an etcher in low circumstances, which she happened to have in hand, she appeared at Robin Hill a fortnight after Irene and Jon had gone. June was living now in a tiny house with a big studio at Chiswick. A Forsyte of the best period, so far as the lack of responsibility was concerned, she had overcome the difficulty of a reduced income in a manner satisfactory to herself and her father. The rent of the Gallery off Cork Street which he had bought for her and her increased income tax happening to


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USTR Refuses To Show Up For Senate Hearing On Fast Track
from the how's-that-for-working-closely-with-congress dept
This shows the kind of disdain that the USTR appears to hold Congress in. Congress remains a mere nuisance in the USTR's ongoing efforts to put forth the best agreement possible for a bunch of crony friends who will soon be offering USTR staffers new jobs as lobbyists.
Several committee members said they were puzzled and disappointed that USTR Michael Froman passed on an opportunity to convince some skeptical lawmakers they need to establish Fast Track authority for President Barack Obama's priority Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.
"I wish they were here," said Portman, a member of the committee and a former US trade representative under President George W. Bush. "It's important."
If the USTR can't even bother to show up to argue for fast track, while arguing how important it is, perhaps it suggests that Congress really ought not to give the USTR that kind of power. So far, the USTR has not been transparent. It has directly lied, repeatedly, to the American public about what it's trying to do, and when given the chance to explain itself to the Senate committee in charge of the very bill it wants to give it more power over the TPP and TTIP/TAFTA, it blows it off.


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Michael Jackson and Mother Teresa. Stephen Hawking and the Dalai Lama. And now, Shakira.
The Colombian singer who is famous for hits like "Hips Don't Lie" and "Whenever, Wherever" joins a diverse group of luminaries when she addresses the Oxford Union on Monday.
The 32-year-old is also a UNICEF ambassador, and will address the union about the work of her Barefoot Foundation, which helps child victims of violence. The union is the ancient university's famous debating and social society.
Oxford Union spokesman Conan McKenzie said Shakira's philanthropy was one reason for her invite, but added that "she's an immensely popular singer with a large fanbase among Oxford students. And the Oxford Union has a tradition of inviting a wide variety of speakers."
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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -- Returning to a defense that didn't seem to miss him much, Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams is willing to do whatever it takes - even play special teams - to get back on the field after missing the first nine games of the season because of suspensions.
The ninth-year veteran, a former first-round draft pick, became eligible to regain his spot on the Denver roster Monday after missing six games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, then another three as the result of his second alcohol-related driving conviction.
"I hope, sooner or later, I can get back to the role that I had before I left," said Williams, who has started all but six of his 120 career games in the NFL. "But I realize it's going to be difficult just to jump back into that. But I'm ready to go whenever they throw me out there."
Even if that means special teams?
"What, am I going to say `No,' and just throw my hands in the air?" he said. "At the end of the day, I'm a football player. I'll play whatever position they ask me to play."
The Broncos are expected to put Williams back on the roster later this week. Coach John Fox was noncommittal about the linebacker's role on the team, saying the coaching staff needs to see him practice before making any decisions. Williams led the Broncos in tackles in five of the past eight seasons.
"I haven't seen him since the end of last season," Fox said. "I just know a season ago he was, arguably, our best linebacker. We'll work him back in. He's been working out hard. We'll see how it comes together. He's another guy we can draw from. We'll see where it fits."
Though Williams is back with the Broncos, he still must serve a 30-day house arrest and two years of probation for his second alcohol-related conviction. That sentence is scheduled to start Feb. 7, 2013 -- four days after the Super Bowl. He also has forfeited in the neighborhood of $4 million, from a combination of lost salary, money he had to pay back from his bonuses and the restructuring of his contract he agreed to because of the suspensions.
Holding court in front of his locker Monday, Williams said he has run the gamut of emotions as he's watched the Broncos defense start slow, then get better as time passed. He said his mom was there for him and he worked out at his alma mater, University of Miami, "a close-knit family," he called it. The Broncos chose to keep Williams in their family, as well.
"I'm very thankful," he said. "They could have gone a different route. They decided to keep me around. I'm thankful for that. So, now that I'm back, I'll just do what I've got to do to help the team win."
On Sunday in a 36-14 win over Carolina, the defense recorded seven sacks, a touchdown and a safety. Linebacker Von Miller had a sack, a forced fumble and four tackles for a loss; he is now not only the best linebacker on this roster, but is being mentioned as a candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The Broncos also have been getting big-time contributions from linebackers Wesley Woodyard and Keith Brooking, who have taken bigger roles in Williams' absence.
Williams adds it all up and knows he's lucky to still be on this team. His teammates, meanwhile, are happy to have him.
"He's been through a lot this year," safety Rahim Moore said. "I'm actually, as a friend, happy to see him back. He's smiling a lot more. So, it's a good thing. I know once he gets his legs back underneath him and once he gets into this mode that he was in last year, that's just another addition to our team."
Williams was allowed back to team headquarters on Oct. 16, after the six-game suspension was finished. But he has been relegated to the weight and meeting rooms and not allowed on the practice field.
With the way the team is playing -- and given Fox's reluctance to define a role for him - it's hard to imagine Williams regaining a starting role right away. He knows he's got some making up to do, both on the field and in the locker room.
"When you're watching games and things happen, you wish you could be out there watching your teammates," Williams said. "But you know, I did the crime, I've got to do the time. It's over with now. Hopefully I can move on and help my team continue to keep winning."