Past Accomplishments & Announcements PEDA was nominated in November 2010 for an Innovation in Graduate Education Award from the UGA Graduate School. This campus-wide award celebrates the implementation of innovative educational practices and highlights new ideas that strengthen and enhance graduate education. August 2012 PEDA members, Allison Howard and Erica Fortune were selected to participate in the UGA Future Faculty Program sponsored by the UGA Center for Teaching and Learning. January 2012 A collaborative team of graduate students and faculty at UGA are conducting a campus-wide study of the role of different mentoring relationships (e.g., peer-based, faculty-based) in graduate teaching assistant development. This project - led by PEDA members Michael Amlung, Melissa Dengler, Brian Stone, Elizabeth Simpson, and Dr. Denise Domizi - has the potential to inform the development of more effective mentoring programs for graduate student TAs in psychology and other disciplines. The team will present their findings during the Society for Teaching of Psychology's program at the 2012 American Psychological Association Annual Convention in August. October 2011 Michael Amlung was recently an invited guest on FridayLive!, a national webinar on teaching and learning hosted by the TLT Group. Michael shared his ongoing scholarship of teaching and learning work using "virtual conferences" to integrate online content with the college classroom. An archived recording of his talk, titled "Bringing TED to Class: Hosting Virtual Conferences," can be viewed by clicking this link: FridayLive! September 2011 Erin Colbert-White and Sarah Whitaker, both PEDA members, were selected to take part in the Future Faculty Program trough the UGA Center for Teaching and Learning. August 2011 Several PEDA members received teaching-related honors and awards from the Graduate School during the past year. Erin Colbert-White and Tamar Shovali were recipients of the Graduate School's Outstanding TA Award. Melissa Dengler and Matt Goren completed the requirements for the Graduate School's Interdisciplinary Certificate in University Teaching. Congrats to all! April 2011 PEDA member and recent Ph.D. graduate Elizabeth Simpson received the Charles Darby Award from the UGA Department of Psychology. Established in 1974, this award is given to one of the department's graduate assistants in recognition of outstanding teaching contributions in the Department of Psychology. Congratulations to Liz on being honored for her teaching excellence. February 2011 PEDA members have been very active at regional and national teaching conferences this month. Our members presented posters and workshops at a variety of conferences, including: 2011 Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching, 23rd Southeastern Conference on the Teaching of Psychology, SoTL Commons, and the PsiChi Convention of the Behavioral Sciences. Selected titles include: Using virtual conferences to integrate online content with the classroom (Michael Amlung & Denise Domizi) Strategies for improving incoming teaching assistant's perception of preparedness and confidence in performing teaching related responsibilities (Melissa Dengler, Aisha Siddiqui, & Anna Thorne) Using concept maps as an exam review strategy to promote active learning. (Emily Bovier, Brian Stone, Erica Fortune, & Jennifer Wong) The role of peer mentoring in psychology teaching assistant development: A pilot study. (Grace Williams et al.) Psychology student engagement in an undergraduate statistics course (Matt Goren) October 2010 PEDA member Michael Amlung was a recipient of a Faculty Development Grant from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (APA Division Two). This competitive, national award is part of a larger APA initiative to support the development of future psychology educators. Michael will use his grant funds to present a symposium at the 2011 SoTL Commons meeting in March. October 2010 Several PEDA members attended the 2010 STP Best Practices Conference: Assessing Teaching and Learning in Psychology in Atlanta, GA. Erin Colbert-White and Elizabeth Simpson also presented a poster titled, "A guidebook for tracking learning outcomes over the course of mentored research experience."
