the intro psych academy
Short on time to design the course you really want?
The Intro Psych Academy helps teachers make psychology transformational — with real science and real impact. Move from overload to outcome — in a day!
The Introductory Psychology Academy will take place November 6-7, 2025 at the Oregon State University Portland Center in Portland, Oregon.
We’ll kick things off with a Welcome Dinner at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday evening—a chance to get to know each other before diving into the workshop on Friday, which will be a full day of engaging sessions.
Book your room at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, conveniently located next to our meeting site at Oregon State University in Portland. Registration for the hotel is only $109/night (yes, spend an extra night and explore the area!). Click here to book.
The Academy
The Introductory Psychology Academy (IPA) trains teachers of Introductory Psychology to provide the highest quality of evidence-based transformational psychology education to students. We, Regan and Garth, have been working with Introductory Psychology collectively for over 40 years. We were the co-chairs of APA's Intro Psych Initiative and the co-editors of the book "Transforming Introductory Psychology". We have worked hard to find solutions to the problems that teachers face in the Intro Psych course. The IPA is where we give our answers.
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Welcome to The Academy!
What We Do
The Introductory Psychology Academy (IPA) is a hands-on workshop led by Regan and Garth that offers fresh ways to think about course design, your students, and your teaching identity. Each session focuses on practical solutions to the biggest challenges in teaching Intro Psych—like too much content, too little time, and limited training for instructors (Richmond et al., 2021).
Inviting Instructors, Departments, and Colleges
Skilled Instructors + Engaged Students = Retained Students​
The Introductory Psychology course may be the most important course that a student can take. At the core of the curriculum are lifelong skills like critical thinking, statistical reasoning, and the science of learning. A well-designed Intro Course will make students successful in other classes and on their way toward a degree. It can both capture and prepare a student for education.
Instructors: Get Academy Certified!
Watch this 2-minute invitation video from Garth Neufeld sharing the advantages of becoming Academy-certified with the Introductory Psychology Academy.
Here's a brief overview of the benefits that are included in the certification:
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The Intro Psych Academy certification preparation package (before we get together)
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The Intro Psych Academy training & certification (in-person, all-day workshop)
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Ongoing access to our (existing and future) Intro Psych Academy frameworks, exemplars, assignments, and resources to grow your pedagogy (coming)
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Dedicated coaching check-ins
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Membership in a community of other educators committed to growth
What IPA Attendees Are Saying
Books & Resources to Check Out
Intro Psych is arguably psychology’s most prolific and consequential courses. This page lists some key publications to get you up to speed on the research done on this course, and its history. A link to a public Zotero library with empirical articles is in the works.
Each year, well over a million undergraduate students take an introductory psychology course. This edited volume presents recommendations for designing and teaching this important course.​
​The book’s recommendations cover four key areas: course design, defining and assessing student learning goals and outcomes, teacher training and development, and student learning and transformation. Chapters illustrate how to implement the recommendations in various institutions, including public and private colleges and universities, research universities, liberal arts colleges, comprehensive universities, two-year colleges, and high school.
The recommendations stem from an initiative of the American Psychological Association, which seeks to make introductory psychology a transformational experience for students. While some students taking the course will become psychology majors or even psychologists, most will pursue other careers. Thus, successful introductory psychology courses help students grow personally, academically, and professionally with skills that will be valuable for the rest of their lives, regardless of career.
Want to quickly get up to date on what is going on in Intro Psych?
American Psychological Association. (2014). Strengthening the Common Core of the Introductory Psychology Course. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, Board of Educational Affairs. Retrieved from www.apa.org/ed/governance/bea/intro-psych-report.pdf
Gurung, R. A., Hackathorn, J., Enns, C., Frantz, S., Cacioppo, J. T., Loop, T., & Freeman, J. E. (2016). Strengthening introductory psychology: A new model for teaching the introductory course. American Psychologist, 71(2), 112-124. doi:10.1037/a0040012
Weiten, W., & Houska, J. A. (2013). Introductory psychology: Unique challenges and opportunities. In D. S. Dunn (Ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Undergraduate Psychology Education
