Section 1: Mission and Statement of Purpose

The Psychology Program is one of several transfer programs offered at Austin Community College. Its mission is to offer a strong educational program that stimulates learning and growth among our students, particularly those that are planning to pursue additional course work at a four-year college or university. In line with this general mission, the purpose of ACC’s Psychology Program is to:

(1) Provide psychology majors with a basis in psychology that will prepare them for transfer and success in a baccalaureate degree granting institution;

(2) Provide psychology majors, as well as other students who take psychology courses as a requirement, prerequisite, or elective for other majors, with (a) basic knowledge of psychological principles that they can apply in their chosen careers and to everyday life situations, (b) skills that will allow them to identify and evaluate the quality and appropriateness of information sources, and (c) an opportunity to participate in community service learning;

(3) Provide psychology majors with knowledge of research methodologies and statistical applications in psychology and other related fields, as well as the opportunity to obtain first-hand research experience;

(4) Provide psychology courses that promote in our students the development of higher-order competencies or skills such as abstract inquiry, critical and creative thinking, analytical and scientific reasoning, problem solving, and decision making;

(5) Provide psychology courses that promote the development of skills needed by our students to be able to communicate their knowledge and application of psychological principles, research methodologies, and statistics in both written and oral format.

Note:

This document presents an updated version of the mission/purpose statement for Psychology as well as its vision, values, and strategic intentions. The document includes a few minor revisions made to fulfill program review requirements set by ACC and its accreditation agency and to ensure that it reflects more thoroughly the nature of our program. Please review this document carefully before our scheduled SWOT meeting.

Section 2: Vision,Values, and Strategic Intentions

Vision Statement

The vision or ideal of the Psychology Program is to be among the strongest programs within community colleges in the nation; a program that (a) provides students with a quality learning environment through excellent courses offered by the most highly qualified professionals in our field; (b) promotes understanding through a heuristic process which engenders independent thinking and responsibility as well as higher-order competencies or skills for lifelong learning; (c) challenges the human mind to explore new ideas and seek new opportunities; and (d) provides students with quality learning experiences utilizing a wide range of teaching methods and available modes of instruction that help meet student needs in a diverse community.

Statement of Values

The Psychology Program strives for excellence in the quality of its courses, the delivery of instruction, and the overall management of the program. Our commitment to excellence is reflected within the programs' values of professional competence and scholarship, continual professional and personal development, academic responsibility and accountability, stewardship and collaboration, individual initiative and creativity, trust and respect, academic freedom, and professional integrity. Inherent within our program and on-going curriculum development, are the additional values of the appreciation and respect for our diverse, multicultural community as well as the appreciation and respect for the dignity, equality, and worth of the individual person.

Brief Overview of Strategic Intentions

Consistent with the vision and values stated above, the strategic intentions of the Psychology Program are to:

(1)	Offer an educational program that is accessible to all individuals who can benefit from the program's educational/learning experiences and services;

(2)	Deliver an excellent educational program that helps to meet the needs of our psychology and non-psychology majors, as well as the needs of our community;

(3)	Provide effective teaching in Psychology utilizing a wide range of teaching methods and available modes of instruction including technological applications as appropriate to the course content, learning/teaching styles, and student needs;

(4)	Build strategic partnerships with other ACC programs as well as with other educational institutions and service organizations within the community.

Revised 10/6/2001