2015 Featured Speakers
Catherine Overson, PhD: University of New Hampshire, Durham
Applying Science of Learning in Your Courses: Why It Matters, How It Works, and What You Can Do to Make It Happen
Biography: Catherine Overson earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire (UNH), with a specialty in social psychology and science of learning. She is Director of UNH’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning’s Teaching and Learning with Multimedia program. She was previously Research Associate on the Center’s Cognition Toolbox program. Her research focuses on the application of science of learning principles to teaching and learning in college and university courses. In addition, Catherine assists faculty and teaching graduate students from across the university in designing their courses in a matter that incorporates science of learning principles. She also conducts faculty development presentations and workshops at UNH and other New England universities and colleges on applying the science of learning.
Catherine is a member of Division 2 (Society for the Teaching of Psychology; STP) of the American Psychological Association (APA), and she has served on the program committee for STP’s Annual Conference on Teaching (ACT). She has presented on her teaching and learning research at the ACT conference, APA convention, the National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology, and at other national conferences. She has published chapters in Your Graduate Training in Psychology: Effective Strategies for Success (2011; Overson & Goldstein) and in Effective University and College Teaching (2012, Stiegler-Balfour & Overson). Catherine is co-editor (with Victor Benassi and Christopher Hakala) of Applying the Science of Learning in Education: Infusing Psychological Science into the Curriculum (2014, STP). Within that book, she authored a chapter (Applying Multimedia Principles to Slideshows for Academic Presentation) based on her multimedia research as well as co-authored a chapter on UNH’s Cognition Toolbox program. Catherine has taught undergraduate courses in introductory psychology, social psychology, statistics, and science of learning at UNH’s main campus in Durham and at its urban campus in Manchester. At the graduate level, she has taught online courses in UNH’s Academic Program in College Teaching (Classroom Assessment and Research; Course Design).
Applying Science of Learning in Your Courses: Why It Matters, How It Works, and What You Can Do to Make It Happen
Biography: Catherine Overson earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire (UNH), with a specialty in social psychology and science of learning. She is Director of UNH’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning’s Teaching and Learning with Multimedia program. She was previously Research Associate on the Center’s Cognition Toolbox program. Her research focuses on the application of science of learning principles to teaching and learning in college and university courses. In addition, Catherine assists faculty and teaching graduate students from across the university in designing their courses in a matter that incorporates science of learning principles. She also conducts faculty development presentations and workshops at UNH and other New England universities and colleges on applying the science of learning.
Catherine is a member of Division 2 (Society for the Teaching of Psychology; STP) of the American Psychological Association (APA), and she has served on the program committee for STP’s Annual Conference on Teaching (ACT). She has presented on her teaching and learning research at the ACT conference, APA convention, the National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology, and at other national conferences. She has published chapters in Your Graduate Training in Psychology: Effective Strategies for Success (2011; Overson & Goldstein) and in Effective University and College Teaching (2012, Stiegler-Balfour & Overson). Catherine is co-editor (with Victor Benassi and Christopher Hakala) of Applying the Science of Learning in Education: Infusing Psychological Science into the Curriculum (2014, STP). Within that book, she authored a chapter (Applying Multimedia Principles to Slideshows for Academic Presentation) based on her multimedia research as well as co-authored a chapter on UNH’s Cognition Toolbox program. Catherine has taught undergraduate courses in introductory psychology, social psychology, statistics, and science of learning at UNH’s main campus in Durham and at its urban campus in Manchester. At the graduate level, she has taught online courses in UNH’s Academic Program in College Teaching (Classroom Assessment and Research; Course Design).
Janie Wilson, PhD: Georgia Southern University
How to Conduct Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Practical Approaches
Biography: Janie Wilson received her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina in 1994. Since that time, she has been teaching and conducting research at Georgia Southern University. In the classroom, Dr. Wilson specializes in teaching and learning in statistics and research methods and maintains a strong focus on involving undergraduates in her research as well as mentoring students to complete their own projects.
Research interests include rapport in teaching based on empirical data on the first day of class, electronic communications, interactions with students in a traditional classroom, and the development and validation of the Professor-Student Rapport Scale. Publications include a statistics textbook, Essential Statistics, with Pearson, as well as two texts with Sage: An EasyGuide to Research Presentations and An EasyGuide to Research Design and SPSS. She is under contract with Sage to produce a combined statistics/methods textbook which will be available in 2015. Dr. Wilson has contributed numerous chapters to edited books on teaching and learning. She has also published in journals such as Teaching of Psychology, Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Journal of Classroom Interaction, College Teaching, and Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. Finally, she has presented over 60 conference presentations, including several invited keynote addresses.
Dr. Wilson served as the American Psychological Association (APA) Program Chair for Division Two, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP), as well as Program Director overseeing all programming efforts by STP. She served as the Vice President of Programming for Division Two of APA from 2012-2014 and was recently elected STP President for 2016. She was honored with the College of Liberal Arts Award of Distinction in Teaching in 2003, the Georgia Southern University Award for Excellence in Contributions to Instruction in 2004-2005, the Georgia Southern University Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award in 2012, and the Ruffin Cup award for excellence in contributions to the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences in 2013.
How to Conduct Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Practical Approaches
Biography: Janie Wilson received her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina in 1994. Since that time, she has been teaching and conducting research at Georgia Southern University. In the classroom, Dr. Wilson specializes in teaching and learning in statistics and research methods and maintains a strong focus on involving undergraduates in her research as well as mentoring students to complete their own projects.
Research interests include rapport in teaching based on empirical data on the first day of class, electronic communications, interactions with students in a traditional classroom, and the development and validation of the Professor-Student Rapport Scale. Publications include a statistics textbook, Essential Statistics, with Pearson, as well as two texts with Sage: An EasyGuide to Research Presentations and An EasyGuide to Research Design and SPSS. She is under contract with Sage to produce a combined statistics/methods textbook which will be available in 2015. Dr. Wilson has contributed numerous chapters to edited books on teaching and learning. She has also published in journals such as Teaching of Psychology, Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Journal of Classroom Interaction, College Teaching, and Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. Finally, she has presented over 60 conference presentations, including several invited keynote addresses.
Dr. Wilson served as the American Psychological Association (APA) Program Chair for Division Two, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP), as well as Program Director overseeing all programming efforts by STP. She served as the Vice President of Programming for Division Two of APA from 2012-2014 and was recently elected STP President for 2016. She was honored with the College of Liberal Arts Award of Distinction in Teaching in 2003, the Georgia Southern University Award for Excellence in Contributions to Instruction in 2004-2005, the Georgia Southern University Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award in 2012, and the Ruffin Cup award for excellence in contributions to the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences in 2013.
Greg Walton, PhD: Stanford University
Psychology is Changing the World: Introducing Students to "Wise" Interventions
Biography: Greg Walton is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Much of his research investigates psychological processes that contribute to major social problems and how “wise” interventions that target these processes can help address such problems. These psychological interventions can be minor in scope and duration but generate long-lasting effects. For instance, one 1‐hour intervention he developed with Geoffrey Cohen to bolster students’ feelings of social belonging in the transition to college raised the academic achievement of ethnic minority students over 3 years, and cut by half the achievement gap with white students. Other research investigates the bases of academic motivation and of willpower, how to increase voter turnout, and how to promote environmental behaviors. In addition to his research, he teaches introductory psychology ("Psych One") at Stanford and courses on psychology and social problems, including one entitled “Wise Interventions.” He earned his A.B. in Philosophy from Stanford and a PhD in Psychology from Yale University. After graduate school, he worked for a year as a fellow in the Office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Waterloo.
Psychology is Changing the World: Introducing Students to "Wise" Interventions
Biography: Greg Walton is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Much of his research investigates psychological processes that contribute to major social problems and how “wise” interventions that target these processes can help address such problems. These psychological interventions can be minor in scope and duration but generate long-lasting effects. For instance, one 1‐hour intervention he developed with Geoffrey Cohen to bolster students’ feelings of social belonging in the transition to college raised the academic achievement of ethnic minority students over 3 years, and cut by half the achievement gap with white students. Other research investigates the bases of academic motivation and of willpower, how to increase voter turnout, and how to promote environmental behaviors. In addition to his research, he teaches introductory psychology ("Psych One") at Stanford and courses on psychology and social problems, including one entitled “Wise Interventions.” He earned his A.B. in Philosophy from Stanford and a PhD in Psychology from Yale University. After graduate school, he worked for a year as a fellow in the Office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Waterloo.
