Welcome

MISSION OF THE NETWORK

Psychology as a discipline is becoming increasingly international in focus. It is also growing rapidly as a profession in many parts of the world. International conferences, congresses and workshops, and cross-national research teams play an integral role in the professional life of psychologists in many countries and regions of the world.

Interest in the internationalization of psychological knowledge has increased dramatically during the last two decades, not only in research and practice, but also in the teaching and training of psychology.

The mission for the International Teaching of Psychology Network (InterTOP Network) is to foster international communication among teachers, scholars, and researchers in teaching and training in psychology. There is a compelling need for greater understanding and exchange of ideas on how psychology is taught in different countries and around the globe.

The general and specific topics concerning psychology education in all educational settings, including high schools, undergraduate colleges, and graduate programs, are in the scope of interest of the InterTOP Network.

It is expected that InterTOP Network will:

• Foster international professional development in the teaching of psychology
• Broaden the worldwide knowledge base for teaching and training in psychology
• Provide new ideas and international experience for the teaching of psychology
• Provide opportunities to discover different resources available throughout the world for teaching and training in psychology.

This Network web site is for instructors, scholars, researchers, educational leaders, and administrators from all levels of education (pre-degree, undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate), from different educational settings (schools, colleges, institutes, universities, and professional schools). It is to provide an international forum for people interested in the field of psychology teaching and training.

As noted above, the interest in studying the teaching of psychology has been growing rapidly in many countries, worldwide. National and regional associations hold conferences on the teaching and training in psychology on a regular basis or occasionally.

Where can we share our knowledge and experiences in an international forum? The InterTOP Network is intended to facilitate the international exchange of information, experience, and ideas, which will enhance the quality of teaching and training in psychology in a diverse, changing, and globalizing world.

Request for further information:

You can join international community of psychology teachers at the international discussion listserver of InterTOP Network.

HISTORY OF InterTOP NETWORK

InterTOP is the Network resulted from the series of international conferences.

I am pleased to acknowledge that the following people played a substantial role at the onset of international networking in the field of psychology teaching:

Wilbert McKeachie, USA; Charles Brewer, USA; Sherri McCarthy, USA; Virginia Mathie, USA; Jane Halonen, USA; Stephen Newstead, UK; Ingrid Lunt, UK; Nick Hammond, UK; Annie Trapp, UK; Hans-Peter Langfeldt, Germany; Udo Kittler, Germany; Peter Wilson, Australia; Alain Lancry, France; Ype Poortinga, Netherlands

I am sorry if I have missed some one. Please, let us know.

The First International Conference on Psychology Education (ICOPE2002) was held in St. Petersburg, Russia, on June 12-15, 2002 (in cooperation with APA Division 2, BPS and other groups). It was an outstanding event that attracted about 100 representatives from 20 countries. Participants learned a lot about how psychology is taught around the globe. You can see materials from that Conference at the Web site: icope2002.org.

Based on the information shared at the First conference a special issue International Practices in the Teaching of Psychology was edited by Victor Karandashev and Sherri McCarthy and published by the International Journal of Psychology, 2006, 41, (1).

Many attendees at that conference suggested that similar conferences on a regular basis would be useful, so the Second Conference on Psychology Education was held in Foz de Iguacu, Brazil, on July 16-20, 2005.

Based on the information shared at the Second conference the book Teaching Psychology around the World edited by Sherri McCarthy, Stephen Newstead, Victor Karandashev, Carlo Prandini, Claudio Hutz, and William Gomes was published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in 2007.

The Third International Conference on the Teaching of Psychology (ICTP-2008) was held on July 12-16, 2008, in St. Petersburg, Russia. The conference followed the tradition of the first and second conferences. About 120 participants from 24 countries took part in the meeting. They shared innovative teaching techniques and course content updates from the international perspective. You can see materials from that Conference at the Web site: ictp-2008.spb.ru.

The Fourth International Conference on Psychology Education (ICOPE2010) will be held in Sydney, Australia, on July 8-11, 2010 and be organized by Australian Psychology Educators Network (APEN). More information on this meeting is available at icope2010.psy.unsw.edu.au.

The Fifth International Conference on Psychology Education (ICOPE2012) will be held in South Africa in July 2012 and be organized by Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA). More information on this meeting will be available later.