The Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) is also known, affectionately and quite commonly, as The Keller Method. When Fred Keller died at the age of 97, psychology lost an important behaviorist; many of us lost a good friend; and, the world lost a wonderful human being.

Robert Allan and I are trying to revitalize PSI by opening a home page on the internet. At this point in time, we envision a bibliography of publications on PSI (see below for a partial list of relevant articles), a directory of people using or interested in PSI, a library containing materials pertaining to PSI, and some place for opinions, questions, answers, and advices about PSI. We welcome any and all correspondence, ideas, and suggestions for the Personalized System of Instruction, past, present, and future. Our addresses are:

Robert W. Allan

allanr@lafayette.edu (610) 250 - 5291

Howard F. Gallup

galluph@lafayette.edu (610) 250 - 5286

Psychology Department

Lafayette College

Easton, Pennsylvania 18042

Essential Features of a PSI Course:

"(1) The go-at-your-own-pace feature, which permits a student to move through the course at a speed commensurate with his ability and other demands upon his time.

"(2) The unit-perfection requirement for advance, which lets the student go ahead to new material only after demonstrating mastery of that which preceded.

"(3) The use of lectures and demonstrations as vehicles of motivation, rather than sources of critical information.

"(4) The related stress upon the written word in teacher-student communications; and, finally:

"(5) The use of proctors, which permits repeated testing, immediate scoring, almost unavoidable tutoring, and a marked enhancement of the personal-social aspect of the educational process." (Keller, 1968)

Partial Bibliography of PSI Articles:

Buskist, W., Cush, D., and DeGrandpre, R. J. (1991). The life and Times of PSI. Journal of Behavioral Education, 1, 215-234.

*Gallup, H. F. (1995) Personalized System of Instruction: Behavior Modification in Education. Talk given to the Psychology Club of Lafayette College.

*Gallup, H. F. (1996) Reviving PSI and Problems with Its Use. Paper presented as part of the Symposium: Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) Re-visited; Eastern Psychological Association Meetings in Philadelphia.

*Gallup, H. F. and Allan, R. W. (1996) Concerns with some recent criticisms of the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI). Submitted for publication in Teaching of Psychology, but not accepted; under revision.

Hartley, J. and McKeachie, W. J. ed. (1990). Teaching Psychology: A Handook: Readings from "Teaching of Psychology. Hillsdale, N. J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Keller, F. S. (1968) "Goodbye, Teacher . . ." Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1, 79-89.

Keller, F. S. and Sherman, J. G. (1982). The PSI Handbook: Essays on Personalized Instruction. Lawrence, Kansas: TRI Publications.

Kulik, C.-L. C., Kulik, J., and Cohen, P. A. (1990). "Instructional technology and college teaching." In Hartley, J. and McKeachie, W. J. (eds.) Teaching Psychology: A handbook: Readings from "Teaching of Psychology." Hillsdale, N. J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Kulik, J., Kulik, C.-L. C., and Cohen, P. A. (1979). A meta-analysis of outcome studies of Keller's personalized system of instruction. American Psychologist, 34, 307-318.

Puente, A. E., Matthews, J. R., and Brewer, C. L. (eds.) (1992) Teaching Psychology in America: A History. Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association.

Reboy, L. M. and Semb, G. B. (1991) PSI and Critical Thinking: Compatibility or Irreconcilable Differences? Teaching of Psycholocy, 18, 212-214.

Schwarz, B. (1997). Psychology, Idea Technology, and Ideology. Psychological Science, 8, 21-27.

Sherman, J. G. (ed.) (1974). Personalized System of Instruction: 41 Germinal Papers. Phillipines: W. A. Benjamin, Inc.

Sherman, J. G., Ruskin, R. S., and Semb, G. B. (Eds.) (1982). The Personalized System of Instruction: 48 Seminal Papers. Lawrence, Kansas: TRI Publications.

* This talk, may be found on the internet - Click Here!