July 14, 2023
Faculty Committed to Student Learning
Exceptional Teaching. It’s in our Mission, and faculty in the Counseling & Psychology Department are making it happen.
To support their commitment to student learning, our faculty are pursuing professional development to enhance their teaching effectiveness and are achieving national recognition for it. Through the support of the Texas A&M System, our faculty are participating in the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) Effective Teaching Practices courses for both online and on campus instruction. These courses connect faculty with experts in the field though videos, discussions, and application exercises that are facilitated by peer mentors.
These evidence-based practices are then immediately integrated into the faculty member’s courses to enhance student learning with dramatic results.
Engaged Learning. Students are active participants with faculty in these experiences as they engage in course interactions, lessons, and assignments then provide feedback to faculty on their learning progress. Students’ comments reflect high levels of faculty support and deep engagement in their own learning.
For example, Amanda McHugh, a student enrolled in the BS Psychology program, describes participating in effective class discussions when she shared her experiences in Dr. Shell’s courses in an ACUE Student Lens interview (top of the page).
This collaboration with students that enables faculty to adjust instruction to students’ needs combined with evidence-based instructional practices are hallmarks of exceptional teaching.
Counseling & Psychology faculty who have earned ACUE Certificates in Effective Teaching include:
- Dr. Samantha Airhart-Larraga, Assistant Professor, MS Clinical Mental Health Counseling
- Dr. Lia Amuna, Adjunct Professor, MS Marriage and Family Therapy
- Ms. Sandy Blackwell, Adjunct Professor, BAAS/BS Psychology
- Dr. Felicia Holloway, Assistant Professor, MS Marriage and Family Therapy
- Dr. Andria Schwegler, Associate Professor, MS Applied Psychology
- Dr. Madelynn Shell, Associate Professor, BAAS/BS Psychology
