Two members of the College of Education are among the 23 faculty and staff members and graduate teaching assistants honored for excellence in teaching, mentoring and advising through the 2019 Campus Awards.
Lisa Monda-Amaya, professor of Special Education and associate dean for Undergraduate Programs, has received the Campus Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching. Recipients of this award are honored for sustained excellence and innovation in graduate or professional teaching and their contributions to graduate or professional learning beyond classroom instruction.
According to her nominators, Monda-Amaya encourages students to get involved in activities outside the typical requirements of the doctoral program, such as serving on campus committees and attending legislative summits held by national professional organizations. Monda-Amaya is a lifelong mentor to her doctoral students, helping them bring their dissertation research to publication; meeting with them at conferences to mentor them in their roles as new faculty; and connecting current and former students to prominent colleagues in the field.
Kiel Christianson, professor of Educational Psychology, has received the Campus Award for Excellence in Guiding Undergraduate Research, which rewards faculty members for their excellence in involving and guiding undergraduate students in scholarly research, having a positive impact on student scholarship or intellectual development, and for their innovative approaches to guiding undergraduate research.
Christianson meets regularly with undergraduate students and involves them in research project meetings with doctoral students. As they gain experience and confidence in their own abilities and skills, the undergraduates often propose their own research projects. Christianson works with them to turn their ideas into theoretically interesting and testable predictions that are motivated by the research literature, often leading to empirical studies that frequently end up as peer-reviewed conference presentations and publications.
Congratulations to Drs. Monda-Amaya and Christianson on their notable achievements!
