PSYC 1024 and 2024: Pathways to the Psychology Major and Transfer Student Course in Psychology

PSYC 1024 and 2024 are innovative on-line courses for first-year and transfer students that provide a structured and student-centered introduction to the psychology major. Incorporating some face to face interactions with on-line pedagogy, the course requires students to interact with information about their major, Virginia Tech, and the career paths associated with psychology.  

3 Things You Should Know

1. You will have the opportunity to brainstorm about potential career paths and professional development in psychology.
2. You will learn about a variety of resources across campus that are designed to help you succeed at Virginia Tech.
3. During the course, you will have access to a dedicated team of helpful peer mentors and professional academic advisors.

Key Learning Experience

Career development is an important focus in the class, and students greatly benefit from the weeks with the Career and Professional Development staff, and all the resources that they have. Students learn about how to explore career paths using the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other valuable websites, and may take a small battery of self-assessments to help them learn about possible career matches.

What is the most enjoyable part of the course? What can students learn from this part of the course?

It depends on the student! A lot of our students, the "planners," really enjoy the 4-year course planning assignment, particularly when it is close to being finished, and they see their entire four years laid out before them.  Many of our students also like the resume assignment, because it's practical and useful.

Others seem to like the short one-page reflection assignments, where they are simply asked to share their thoughts on a particular subject. For instance, after giving them some resources to look at, we asked them to write about strategies or methods they used to maintain their health and wellness. Students in the past have been very thoughtful and thorough in writing on this topic. Overall, the reflection assignments encourage students to consider WHY they believe what they believe about particular issues or topics.

Contact: Taylor Swan and Christina Minford (transfers)