This text is being designed for lower division college courses in behavioral neuroscience. It is published now to allow students to access material before it's completion at the end of fall 2020.

This is an Open Educational Resource created by University College Groningen (The Netherlands) students taking the course Biopsychology in Spring 2021.

In small teams, students were tasked with creating, composing, and curating an online portfolio dedicated to an interdisciplinary exploration of a topic of their choice. Their portfolio needed to be grounded in neuroscience, incorporate peer-reviewed research, and propose active learning exercises for future students and viewers.

Included topics:
- A trip through the world of psychedelics
- Alzheimer's disease
- Animal minds
- Biopsychological aspects of sexuality
- Consciousness
- Go with the flow: an interdisciplinary exploration of the flow state
- Happiness and well-being
- Hypnosis
- Intergenerational trauma
- Lucid dreaming
- Machine learning for mind reading
- Social and cultural neuroscience of prejudice
- Our sense of self
- Out of body experiences
- You and aesthetics

Please enjoy exploring their work!

Topic 3: BiopsychologyTextbook readings: p. 73; p. 76; pp. 80-101.Watch: The Mind - Series Homepage  Produced by Colorado State University. 1999, all descriptions are from series website.Unraveling the Mysteries of the Mind (module 1) - Explores such fundamental questions as "What is the mind?" and "What is the relationship between the mind and the brain?" Summarizes various views on the brain/mind connection. Endorphins: The Brain's Natural Morphine (module 5) - Provides diagrammatic action graphics of neural networks, synaptic junctions, and neurotransmitter sites. Also touches on topics of consciousness, drug addiction, withdrawal symptoms, and nerve functioning.The Frontal Lobes: Cognition and Awareness (module 7) - Explains the importance of the frontal lobe in human functioning, and covers brain function, diagnostic assessment, cognitive function, evolution, and comparative behavior.Watch: The Brain - Series Homepage  Produced by Colorado State University. 1997, all descriptions are from series website.Organization and Evaluation of Brain Function (program 1) - This module introduces the general external topography of the brain. To illustrate the relationship between specific behaviors and brain function, the module begins by showing a racecar driver exercising his skill, and then presents graphic illustrations of the internal activity of his brain. The module reviews several methods of studying brain activity including the CAT scan, PET scan, EEG, and MRI.The Divided Brain (program 5) - This module begins with graphic representations of the cerebral hemispheres' specialized functions. It continues with a description of the brain's asymmetry, showing diagrams of how the two halves communicate. The extreme case of a patient who has undergone split-brain surgery for treatment of epilepsy illustrates the role of hemispheric organization in sensory perception and verbal skills.Learning objectives:1.      Neurons are the basic cell of the “nervous system”. Identify the basic parts of the neuron, and explain how neurons communicate with one another.2.      Define neurotransmitters and describe how some neurotransmitters (specifically, acetylcholine, dopamine, GABA, norepinephrine and serotonin) affect behavior.3.      State the difference between the central and peripheral nervous system.4.      Explain the functions of the spinal cord, and of the right and left hemispheres of the cerebral cortex (outermost layer of the brain).5.      Label the 4 lobes of cerebral cortex and identify the function(s) of each lobe.6.      Explain why the brain’s limbic system (which includes the structures hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) is important.7.      Describe how these methods provide images of the brain: CT scan, PET scan, MRI, and EEG.8.      Explain how hormones of the endocrine system affect the body.

Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.Senior Contributing AuthorsRose M. Spielman, Formerly of Quinnipiac UniversityContributing AuthorsKathryn Dumper, Bainbridge State CollegeWilliam Jenkins, Mercer UniversityArlene Lacombe, Saint Joseph's UniversityMarilyn Lovett, Livingstone CollegeMarion Perlmutter, University of Michigan

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Appreciate the diversity of interests and foci within psychologyUnderstand basic interests and applications in each of the described areas of psychologyDemonstrate familiarity with some of the major concepts or important figures in each of the described areas of psychology

Opening image caption:Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. (credit "background": modification of work by Nattachai Noogure; credit "top left": modification of work by U.S. Navy; credit "top middle-left": modification of work by Peter Shanks; credit "top middle-right": modification of work by "devinf"/Flickr; credit "top right": modification of work by Alejandra Quintero Sinisterra; credit "bottom left": modification of work by Gabriel Rocha; credit "bottom middle-left": modification of work by Caleb Roenigk; credit "bottom middle-right": modification of work by Staffan Scherz; credit "bottom right": modification of work by Czech Provincial Reconstruction Team)Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Explain the brain functions involved in memoryRecognize the roles of the hippocampus, amygdala, and cerebellum

The syllabus used for the University College Groningen course Biopsychology in Spring 2021. This syllabus outlines the general lesson plan for the course, but focuses most heavily on the main assessment method used in the course: the Signature project. For this project, students worked together in small teams to create an interdisciplinary webpage on a Biopsychology topic. These resulting research-based, peer-reviewed webpages cover a range of topics, and contain active learning assignments for others to use. The webpages were tied together to create another open educational resource, found related to this syllabus.

The syllabus outlines in detail how the project was created and graded, and can be used as inspiration for others to create their own active learning assignment which results in the creation of open educational resource.