PSI and Political Science: Using the Personalized System of Instruction to Teach American Politics. Instructional Resource Monograph, No. 2

Designed to improve undergraduate political science instruction, this booklet contains four essays on how to integrate the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) teaching method into an introductory American government and politics course. The essays discuss the basic components and current applications of PSI. The first essay sets forth the basic concepts of PSI and reviews how it has been used and with what results since its initial adoption in the United States in 1966. The second essay is a practical description for implementing the method in political science. The third essay discusses the relative strengths and weaknesses of using PSI in a political science course. The appendices to the third essay include a sample course outline and sample teaching materials for one PSI course on American politics. The fourth section presents an annotated bibliography of books and papers on PSI. (DE)