Resources and Benefits of the Psychology Learning Center

The Psychology Learning Center system offers many advantages for students taking Introductory Psychology (PSY 101) at MCC. Some of the benefits assist students who never even enter the Learning Center at all. Others must be used within the Learning Center locations.

• Course Standardization: At MCC, every section of PSY 101 is taught in the same way (except for the Honors section). All instructors use the same textbook and the same test bank, and the tests all cover the same learning objectives on the same schedule. This provides several benefits for students:
  • The learning objectives have been carefully thought out and thoroughly reviewed
  • The test bank has also been reviewed and revised many times by many people
  • Any teacher of PSY 101 can assist you in the course, since we all teach the same material on the same schedule

• Tutoring: Faculty tutors are available in the Learning Center during most, but not all, of the hours that it is open. A schedule of when faculty members are there is posted in the Learning Center and is available from your instructor, starting about the third week of the semester. These are regular teachers of PSY 101, and because of the course standardization mentioned before, they can all help you just as well as your own classroom instructor. Among the things that faculty tutors can do with you are:
  • Review course material that is unclear to you after reading the book and attending lecture
  • Go over tests that you have already taken, question by question, to help you understand your mistakes and avoid them on the next test
    • NOTE THAT THERE MUST BE AN INSTRUCTOR PRESENT TO REVIEW A TEST, and to review an in-class B test before your grade has been scanned into the computerized system, you must have your in-class feedback sheet with the exam number
  • Suggest ways you can study more effectively to improve your grades in the course

• Practice Tests: Practice tests are available in three different formats. They are all designed to help you identify the material you haven't studied enough yet and work on improving your readiness to take a test. These tests are for use in the Learning Center and classrooms and with one exception cannot be taken home. The three types of practice tests are:
  • Computerized tests are similar in format and appearance to the tests you will take on the computer in the Learning Center, but you receive an immediate grade that is not counted in your official record. There is one test for each unit, each with one item on each learning objective. This is the same test found in the yellow section of the custom book packet, but is different from the practice items found in the text of the book. If you have any questions about the items on the test, see an instructor, who will be glad to go over it with you. You can access the computerized version from the Psychology Learning Center, or from any Internet-connected computer at the psychology.wadsworth.com/monroe_weiten6e web site.
  • Paper-and-Pencil tests are more similar in format and appearance to the tests you will be taking in class. There are two versions of these: one is in the yellow section of the custom textbook packet, and this has exactly the same questions as the computer tests; the other is available ONLY in the Psychology Learning Center, and you must provide a photo ID to borrow one of these tests (which must remain within the Psychology Learning Center at all times). The answers are printed at the end of the tests so you can check your own work. Again, instructors will be able to go over any question with you that you don't understand.
  • In-Class practice tests contain items taken from our actual test bank (which are not the same as the paper practice tests in the Learning Center or the book, or the computerized practice tests). Instructors can use them for classroom review of the material.

• Materials to Borrow: There are a variety of materials available in both Learning Center locations (Brighton and Damon) that you can check out and use while you are there. You will need to leave a photo ID as security while you have items checked out. Some of the things available are:
  • Textbooks, which can be used in the Learning Center for studying, so that you don't have to bring your own copy to school every day.
  • Study Guides, which can help you remember the learning objectives you need to know and where the information can be found in the text. (Don't write in our copy of the Study Guide!)
  • CD-ROM Tutorials, which allow you to study the material in an interactive, visual way that isn't possible in the textbook. The PsykTrek CD-ROM is written by the author of the textbook and makes many of the concepts clearer. You can borrow our copy to use in the Psychology Learning Center or the Electronic Learning Center, or you can order your own copy through the bookstore.

• Supplemental Tests: This is what everyone thinks about when they think of the Psychology Learning Center. It is the place where you take the A and the C tests. This is, indeed, one of the biggest aids for our students. You MUST have a photo ID to take a test in the Psychology Learning Center. There are NO EXCEPTIONS. If you are taking your course at an extension site, off campus, your instructor will use the supplemental tests developed through the Learning Center to give you more than one chance to take the test on each unit.