Former Directors of CEITL (click on the + for details)
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Catherine Overson, Ph.D.
Faculty Director (2007-2018)
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 was Director of UNH’s Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching and Learning and Affiliate Associate Professor of College Teaching. Her research focused on the application of science of learning principles to teaching and learning in college and university courses. In addition, Catherine assisted faculty and teaching graduate students from across the university in designing their courses in a matter that incorporates science of learning principles. She also conducted faculty development presentations and workshops at UNH and other New England universities and colleges on applying the science of learning.
Catherine was 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. She is co-editor (with Chris Hakala, Lauren Kordonowy, and Victor Benassi) of the 2023 STP book:?In their own words: What scholars and teachers want you to know about why and how to apply the science of learning in your academic setting.?Catherine has taught undergraduate courses in introductory psychology, social psychology, statistics, and science of learning at UNH’s Durham and Manchester campuses. At the graduate level, she has taught online courses in UNH’s Academic Program in College Teaching (Classroom Assessment and Research; Course Design).
Victor Benassi, Faculty Director (2007 -2018)
Victor A. Benassi, PhD
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Victor Benassi, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Faculty Director (2007-2018)
Victor.Benassi@unh.edu
Victor Benassi graduated from the City University of New York with a Ph.D. in psychology. He has been a faculty member at the University of New Hampshire since 1982. He is professor of psychology (Department of Psychology) and professor of college teaching (Graduate School). During the early 2000s, he served in the Office of Academic Affairs as vice provost for undergraduate studies.?He was faculty director of the Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching and Learning from 2007 to 2018.
Over his career, Professor Benassi's primary interests focused on the psychology of personal control and judgment of contingency. His articles address effects of situational and individual difference variables on illusory control and contingency judgments and on effects of feedback on judgmental accuracy. Other research interests include judgmental biases and errors, belief in putative paranormal phenomena, and belief persistence. He participates in research collaborations in the area of college teaching and on issues related to college teaching as a professional field of study and preparing future faculty. Professor Benassi was the principal investigator of three?grants from the Davis Educational Foundation (DEF) ?titled The Cognition Toolbox (2009-2012), Teaching and Learning with Multimedia?(2012-2015), Applying the Science of Learning Across the Biological Science Curriculum to Increase Student Persistence and Academic Achievement (2015-2018), and Co-PI with Catherine Overson of the current DEF Grant?The Student Cognition Toolbox: Teaching Students Study Skills Informed by the Science of Learning (2018-present).
Professor Benassi has taught a variety of courses, including introductory psychology, research methods, statistics, meta-analysis, social psychology, abnormal behavior, psychology of depression, belief in alleged paranormal phenomena, and human judgment. He has been involved since the early 1980s in preparing doctoral students for faculty careers. From 1982 to 2012, he taught the Psychology Department's Practicum and Seminar in the Teaching of Psychology From 2002 to 2013, he led an effort to develop and offer an online course titled Preparing to Teach a Psychology Course. Students in the course have come from nearly 100 participating universities from across the USA as well as from a number of other countries. He also developed an online course on Classroom Research and Assessment through the Graduate School's Preparing Future Faculty Program. That course has been offered annually since 2002.
Professor Benassi has received several UNH awards—the Excellence in Teaching Award, the Outstanding Use of Technology in Education Award, and the College of Liberal Arts’ Lindberg Outstanding Scholar/Teacher Award. In 2003, he received an American Psychological Foundation career award--the Charles L. Brewer Distinguished Teaching of Psychology award. Professor Benassi was the 2013 President of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (Division 2, American Psychological Association). In 2014, he published an edited book (with Catherine Overson and Christopher Hakala) called,?Applying Science of Learning in Education: Infusing Psychological Science into the Curriculum.
Victor presented a lecture entitled, "Teaching, Learning, and Technology: A Role for Science of Learning," for the?2015 Mary Hennessey Blum Lecture on February 5, 2015 at the University of New Hampshire. In 2017, Victor gave a presentation to the annual Faculty Cloister of the U.S. Naval War College: "Fostering Higher-Order Learning Outcomes in Graduate Education: A Role for Science of Learning."
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Michael Lee, Ph.D.
Administrative Director (2001-2018)
Michael Lee served as Administrative Director for Graduate Programs in College Teaching at the University of New Hampshire's Center for Teaching Excellence (now the Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching & Learning).
Before coming to the Center in January 2001, he was a member of the UNH English department, where for twelve years he taught a variety of courses in American Literature and in college writing. He has also taught at New Hampshire College and at Northeastern University.
From 2001-04 his primary responsibilities involved the implementation and coordination of a $500,000 Department of Education grant to disseminate the UNH model for academic programs in College Teaching. In this capacity he worked with faculty and with senior academic administrators at other PACT (Partnership for Academic programs in College Teaching) institutions: the University of Connecticut, Howard University, the University of Maine, Syracuse University, Tufts University's Department of Computer Science, and the Colleges of Worcester Consortium. A lasting outcome of this dissemination effort is the UNH Graduate Certificate in College Teaching, now a regular component of UNH's Academic Program in College Teaching.
In addition to directing UNH's college teaching program, Michael worked with UNH doctoral students in the Preparing Future Faculty program, conducted teaching workshops throughout the academic year, and consulted with individual faculty members regarding teaching and learning issues.
Michael holds a Ph.D. in English from UNH, an M.A. from Northeastern University, and a B.A. from Seton Hall University. As an affiliate Associate Professor in the College Teaching program, he regularly taught both online and face-to-face courses on aspects of college teaching.
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Lee Seidel, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Faculty Director (1993-2006)
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