QCC PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Social Problem Videos

Take Psychology and Sociology Online

Dr. Michael Vallante, Professor of Psychology and Sociology is now offering  Introduction to Psychology (PSY 101),  Introduction to Sociology (SOC 101), and Social Problems & Social Change (SOC111) using an online format.

Instead of going to a traditional classroom, these online courses allow students to do their course work on their own computers via the Internet.

One of the chief benefits of online education is that it gives students the option of doing course work at any time that is convenient for them, rather than having to be in a classroom at specific times during the week.  “This can be quite appealing to students who have very busy family and work schedules…” says Dr. Vallante who has been teaching online courses at Quinsigamond for several years now.

Both the Psychology and Sociology courses are Mastery courses.  This means that students decide what grade they want to get in the course, and then keep studying the material and retaking exams until they reach the mastery level (i.e. grade) that they want to achieve.  According to Dr. Vallante, “One of the chief benefits of using computers in education lies in their ability to administer and correct exams without limitation.  This provides students with the opportunity to master course content at any achievement level they desire.  Without the use of computerized testing, it would not be feasible to allow students to keep retaking exams that would have to be individually corrected by the professor.”

These courses are also Self-Paced, which means that each student can progress through the course material at a pace that is personally appropriate.  Since all course content is always available on the computer, self-pacing is another benefit of using computers in the learning process.  According to Dr. Vallante,  “Some students complete all of the course material well before the semester ends, while others choose to take the entire semester to do their work.  This type of individualization acknowledges the fact that different students learn at different rates, and it allows them to proceed accordingly.”