The study programme in a nutshell
The Psychology curriculum consists of a series of modules or courses. Every course covers one specific psychological theme. All of the activities that you will undertake during this course, i.e. lectures, tutorials, practical meetings and assignments, are related to this theme. The master programme consists of three courses in which you will study the topics of the specialisation of Educational Psychology: Learning and Performance and one course in statistics. In the third course, there is a choice option in the curriculum: you choose one of the two courses and its associated practical course.
In the second semester, from February onwards, you will conduct an empirical study and write your master thesis. In some cases it is possible to do an internship during this semester of the master programme. Please click on one of the courses in the programme overview below to see the course descriptions. In the third block, there is a choice option where you will choose one of the courses and its associated practical.
The curriculum is subject to alteration. No rights may be derived from this information (including the information via the links).
Testimonials
Curriculum
Block 1
5 ECTS
Content
In education, we are interested in changes in school organizations, learning environments, and curricula and how these changes affect the way students learn. Or, in other words, we are interested in the ways schools and other learning environments move forward to improve learning opportunities for all of their students.
The main context in the course is an innovation that has recently been introduced. We will first look at the background of this innovation (macro level): which societal situation triggered the need for the innovation? What was the main problem that had to be addressed? Second, we will look at the consequences of the innovation for the learning environment (meso level): What were the requirements for a successful implementation of the innovations? Which organizational issues had to be addressed during the process? Third, we will look at the implications of the innovation for the instructional practices (micro level): Did the innovation require different forms of teaching? Did specific instructional methods need to be developed? And ultimately, we will look at the actual outcomes of the innovation: were the expected benefits for the individual learners met?
At all levels of analysis, we will look what science has to say about the issues at stake, and relate this knowledge to the specific innovation. In this way, we take a critical look at the innovation process and its outcomes. In the end, students will have to give a theoretically and empirically based advice about how they would implement the innovation in a successful and sustainable way.
Learning goals
Knowing how to use scientific knowledge in developing, supporting and evaluating innovations in education and training that are aimed at improving learning achievement.
2 ECTS
Content
During the practical sessions, you will work on a real innovation case. In small groups you will write a research proposal that will be both informative as well as practically do-able, write a research report for policy makers about some of the data that have already been collected, and present both your proposal as well as your report to consultants from practice.
Learning goals
- You will acquire knowledge how to set up a rigid study to examine the effects of innovations in education and training
- You will be able to analyze outcomes of field studies on innovations in education and training
- You will be able to form recommendations based on your study and its outcomes
- You will acquire skills how to effectively communicate findings to educational professionals
- You will be able to collaborate in a team working on assignments relevant for educational practice
Block 2
5 ECTS
Content
In this course, theoretical perspectives on assessment and its impact on learning will be discussed. In the first part of the course, the concept of “testing as a tool for learning” will be presented in relation to how this can facilitate student/employee learning. Assessment can be a powerful device in aiding learners in their learning process and facilitating learning outcomes. Concepts such as self-regulated learning and formative assessment will be specifically discussed. Additionally, data-driven teaching and adaptive training will be explored in order to present teachers/trainers with evidence-based tools for curriculum development.
In the high-stakes testing culture, which is characterized by large incentives for good performance and negative consequences for poor performance, people often experience anxiety and perform more poorly on exams than expected given their skill level. The second project of this course is about strategies to optimize test performance. These strategies will focus on characteristics of the learner/testee, the teacher, the learning/test task, and the test environment.
Assessment in education and training needs to be accurate to make valid instruments that can be used for future learning and development of students or employees. However, assessments are prone to preconceived or unreasoned opinions or feelings, also called biases. Bias in self-assessments, peer assessments, teacher or trainer assessments, or in testing in general, endanger the accuracy of assessment. In the third part of the course you will learn about different types of bias in assessment and testing, and what can be done to reduce or prevent them.
Peer assessment can be an important educational tool for both teachers and students. Teachers can use peer assessment to reduce their workload and students can use it to enhance their learning. In the fourth project of this course, you will learn about peer-assessment, identifying effective forms of peer assessment, the underlying cognitive mechanisms, necessary conditions, and characteristics of effective peer feedback.
Learning goals
At the end of this course:
- Students will be able to identify the role testing/assessment has in the regulation of the learning process and apply the concept of testing as a tool for learning in order to facilitate student/employee learning.
- Students will be able to apply knowledge about methods to improve learning outcomes (test performance) by managing characteristics of the learner/testee, the teacher, the learning/test task, and the test environment.
- Students will be able to identify biases in self-assessment, peer assessment, teacher/trainer assessments and testing in general as well as critique tests and testing practices in order to reduce or prevent biases.
- Students will be able to apply knowledge about effective forms of peer assessment, its underlying mechanisms, necessary conditions for peer assessment, and characteristics of effective peer feedback.
2 ECTS
Content
In a small group (3-4 students) it will be your task to present an evidence-based recommendation on a topic-related specific type of assessment in order to help teachers (schools) or trainers (companies) to improve the assessment. Possible topics are: self-assessment, peer assessment, testing as a tool for learning, test anxiety reduction, personalized testing, authentic assessment, etc. You will analyze the problem at the micro-and meso-level, provide an explicit assessment of the degree of empirical support for the recommendation, and indicate how it could be implemented in the school or company context. You will write a report on your recommendation and present it to teachers/trainers.
Learning goals
This practicum will offer students the chance to apply the theoretical knowledge and insights from the regular block sessions to an actual problem from the professional field (school-based or workbased).
Block 3
5 ECTS
Content
This course discusses the situation of teachers and trainers in urban contexts, serving classrooms with students from a large variety of socioeconomic and ethnic/cultural backgrounds. Processes in the diverse classroom and training settings are considered from a social psychological perspective (micro), from a learning and instruction perspective (micro) and from a school improvement perspective (meso). The starting point of the course will be recent patterns of migration, the ever growing diversity (super-diversity) in urban areas related to equity issues.
In project 1 social psychological phenomena during learning such as the role of stereotypes, teacher expectations and intergroup contact theory will be studied. In project 2 the focus will be on instruction in diverse classrooms and training settings and the role of variation and differentiation. In project 3, psychological needs of students according to the self-determination theory and cultural responsive teaching will be studied. Finally, in project 4, innovations in the urban context and the role of teachers in school development will be the main topic.
Learning goals
At the end of this course you will be able to:
- Describe, compare and critique the main theories on stereotypes, teacher expectations and intergroup contact in the diverse classroom and training settings.
- Describe, compare and critique the main theories on variation and differentiation in classrooms and training settings with students from diverse backgrounds.
- Describe, compare and critique the main theories on psychological needs in education and cultural response teaching and training.
- Describe and evaluate key factors of organizing schools for improvement in an urban setting.
- Apply evidence-based coaching techniques and qualitative research methods in a concrete setting
5 ECTS
People have always used media to support their learning. However, online digital media seem to have revolutionized the way we learn. Our learning needs can now be met anytime, anywhere, and adapted to our individual preferences. From Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to intelligent tutoring tools, from adaptive practice to serious games, the online opportunities seem endless. From a psychological perspective, this raises a lot of questions about the effects on individual learners. How do they handle their own learning behavior in an online environment that allows for constant distraction? What role does multimodality play in the way that people learn? How does gamification affect both both achievement but also motivation of the learner? And how can we design online learning environments that optimally adapt to the learners needs? We will tackle these questions by having a closer look at the available scientific evidence, but also by relating this evidence to existing online learning tools.
Block 4
5 ECTS
Content
This course is meant as a preparation for the research you will have to do for your Master’s thesis. You will refresh old knowledge and gain new knowledge concerning the most common univariate and multivariate statistical techniques. In addition, this course will teach you ways to analyse complicated research designs with multiple variables, and evaluate the use of these techniques in actual research.
The course builds on the statistics you learned during courses 1.3, 2.2 and 2.8/3.5. The techniques that you will learn during this course are generalizations of these familiar techniques. The techniques discussed in this course are multiple regression, Moderation and Mediation, ANOVA, ANCOVA, repeated measures ANOVA, and mixed ANOVA. These techniques all stem from the general linear model (GLM).
The emphasis is on being able to apply these techniques based on research questions such as:
- “Is a new treatment method more effective than treatment as usual in reducing anxiety problems among depressed older people? And is this effect still visible a year after completion of the treatment?” Or:
- “What aspects of internal control are effective predictors of counterproductive behaviour at work?”
Each technique will first be studied extensively in a lecture, after which the student will gain more insight into the techniques by working on data-analysis assignments that will be discussed during the tutorial group meetings.
Learning goals
The objective of this course is to consolidate and expand your knowledge and understanding of several (univariate and multivariate) data analysis techniques that are common in the field of psychological research.
The emphasis is on the application of the techniques in actual research and the interpretation of results.
After taking this course you should be able to choose the appropriate data analysis technique given the research question, perform the analysis in SPSS, check the assumptions, interpret the results, and report them in accordance with the APA norms. Furthermore, you should be able to read research articles more critically.
2 ECTS
Content
Assignments
Seven assignments have to be written for this course. You work in a small group that you form during the first tutorial meeting. You will get a (group) grade for the final report of all seven assignments, which you have to upload on Psyweb.
Computer Sessions
You will be working with the software package SPSS version 23. For all techniques, you will perform the necessary assumption tests and the main analyses. Conceptual questions will guide you towards a correct interpretation of the output. Four computer sessions are scheduled. All of them will cover one or two themes.
Your practical knowledge of SPSS will be tested with the SPSS exam.
Learning goals
The practical comprises two sections, explained below:
1. Each week there is an SPSS session where students learn to apply the analysis techniques to research data. Interpreting the research results using SPSS output is also covered extensively. An SPSS exam is held after the four sessions. This exam is done on the computer and is intended to test mastery of the SPSS skills.
2. On the basis of seven practical assignments, each student works with one or two fellow students: an existing research article must be replicated with their ‘own’ data, which will be provided by the tutor, and a research report must be written about it that complies with the APA norms. During the obligatory tutorial meetings these assignments will be presented and discussed.
Block 5-8
Practical Internship (optional), Research Proposal and Thesis ( + Internship) / Thesis ( without Internship)
32 ECTS
Practical Internship
Content
Considering the entire internship and thesis period, there are three options:
- In this period you will do a research internship to the value of 32 EC (→ 896 hours → 22.4 weeks based on a 40-hour working week).
- In this period you will do a research internship to the value of 20 EC (560 hours → 14 weeks based on a 40-hour working week) and you obtain the remaining 12 EC (336 hours → 8.4 weeks based on a 40-hour working week) by doing a practical internship.
- You combine the research internship with the practical internship, in which case your research internship must be worth at least 20 EC (560 hours → 14 weeks based on a 40-hour working week).
B&C students always do option 1. C, CC&A, O and HLP students have the freedom to choose their own options.
The internship guide with information about the research and practical internship as well as the thesis can be found on Canvas.
Learning goals
At the end of the practical internship, students are expected to:
1. be able to apply and further advance their academic knowledge and practical skills within a relevant applied setting;
2. have gained insight into the structure and functioning of the internship institution/organization and the work field as a whole;
3. be able to work both independently and in collaboration with others in a professional manner within a relevant applied setting; and,
4. be able to critically reflect and report on their own learning goals and development process.
Research Proposal (2 ECTS)
Content
The design of the research proposal has been structured such that it prepares for a number of important components of the thesis, which needs to be written in accordance with the APA guidelines. So you are not supposed to deviate from this structure. Structural deviations may only be introduced in consultation with the supervisor.
Learning goals
To graduate with a Masters in Psychology from the EUR, a student must have completed a research internship satisfactorily. Experience has shown that a good research proposal is necessary to be able to complete the research internship within the planned time frame. Students must therefore write a research proposal as soon as they begin with the research internship.
Naturally, a student may also start the research proposal before commencement of the research internship, in consultation with the supervising tutor.
Thesis
Content
All students need to do a research internship. The internship consists of an empirical study which you report in the master thesis. Depending on the master specialization you may be able to choose between a research internship of 32 EC (equivalent to approximately 22 weeks full-time) and research internship of 20 EC (equivalent to approximately 14 weeks full-time). If you do a shorter 20 EC research internship you will do a practical internship in addition to the research internship. The specific rules and possibilities depend on the master specialization that you do. Details are provided on the electronic learning environment.
Learning goals
The student is able to formulate research questions based on the relevant scientific literature.
The student is able to implement and conduct an empirical study.
The student is able to analyze and interpret the results on an empirical study.
The student is able to report an empirical study in the form of a research paper following the guidelines and conventions of the field.