Using the World Wide Web to Teach Everyday Applications of Social Psychology

Abstract

The potential benefits of the World Wide Web (Web) in teaching college courses in psychology stem from the wealth of information available to instructors and students, the ease of access to that information, and the hypermedia richness of Web documents. In this article, I describe the introduction of the Web into an advanced course in social psychology using activities that entailed collaboration and knowledge sharing, direct experience with information in various formats, and manipulation of information into new forms. The activities included Web Assignments associated with assigned readings, a Social Psychology and Humor project, a Social Psychology in the News project, and the development of a Web Tutorial on a social psychological topic. I discuss both the strengths and weaknesses of using the Web in this context.