The purpose of this website is to provide insight into my research labs (SoTL and Ed Psych), what I have been asked to speak on at various institutions across the globe, my vitae, and my pedagogical beliefs (i.e, Teaching Philosophy).
To navigate this site, please choose the various links above.
Here is a little information about me:
Research Interests
I am interested in (1) defining the processes involved in mnemonic and strategic development, (2) addressing transfer and retentional issues in cognitive and learning strategies, (3) investigating the scholarship of teaching and learning, and (4) studying different pedagogical approaches to instruction across the preK through higher education populations.
Education
Ph.D. University of Nevada, Reno, Human Development & Educational Psychology (2006)
M.S. Montana State University, Applied Cognitive Psychology (2002)
B.A. University of Montana, Western, Social Science (1999)
Biography
I am a professor of educational psychology and human development at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. I completed my master’s degree in applied cognitive psychology from Montana State University in 2002, and in 2006, received a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Nevada-Reno.
With more than almost two decades (sheesh) of professional teaching experience, I have more than two dozen different psychology and education courses. As such, I approach teaching by focusing on model teaching skills, by building rapport with students, engaging students, being caring, respectful, and prepared, and using learner-centered and active learning instruction. In all of my classes, I specifically attempt to move beyond rote memory of course material, rather I focus on building higher-level thinking skills that students can then apply to solve real-world problems. As a result of my approach and dedication to teaching, I have garnered several awards for excellence in teaching and mentoring. These include student-lead awards such as the Psi Chi Excellence in Teaching Award, regional mentorship awards such as the Psi Chi International Regional Faculty Advisor Award for the Rocky Mountain Region, to national teaching awards such as the Society for Teaching of Psychology Jane S. Halonen Award for Excellence in Teaching.
I am a member of several professional associations and served as the Vice President for Programming for the Society of the Teaching of Psychology and as past President of the Northern Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association. I currently hold several positions on editorial boards including the journals Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Experimental Education, Educational Research: Theory and Practice, and the International Journal of Technology in Teaching and Learning. I am currently the editor of Teaching of Psychology.
In more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and book chapters I have explored effective pedagogical approaches to instruction in both k-12 and higher education. Specifically, I have investigated cognitive and elaborative processes, metacognition, model teaching competencies, the efficacy of instructional strategies, and various other topics in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Furthermore, as evident by publishing and presenting research with over 30 undergraduate and graduate students, I strongly believe in mentoring students through the research process in hopes to help shape future leaders in psychology and SoTL research.
In the end, I have dedicated my academic career to studying the improvement of classroom practices and learning.