1st Blog Post

Hi! Nice meeting you! Could you introduce yourself? What department are you from? What courses are you teaching or have been teaching? What are the classes you teach like, such as format or class size? Is there anything you want to tell us about your teaching, research, or other projects?

Hi everyone! My name is Kaitlin Busse and I am a 3^rd year doctoral student in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology program at Baruch College. My research focuses on Occupational Health Psychology, specifically with work-family issues, stress/well-being, and gender. I am currently an adjunct instructor for the Psychology of Motivation and Learning course. While I taught the class online last year, this is my first semester teaching it in-person to a 30 students.

Could you talk a little bit about that course you’ll be working on during this seminar?

I would like to work on my Motivation and Learning course. Like I mentioned above, this is my first semester teaching it in-person, and therefore, I want to make it more engaging for students.

What are the listed learning goals of your course? They could be ones provided by the department, or ones that you have written for your syllabus? Please list them (pasting is fine!).

• Develop an understanding of motivation/learning science
  • You will leave this course with a general knowledge of motivation/learning theories and principles. This means that you will be able to identify, explain, and discuss motivational/learning theories, concepts, and findings.
• Discuss and compare multiple approaches to motivation/learning science
  • You will explore how multiple approaches and perspectives attempt to explain the motivation/learning process.
• Critically examine motivation/learning topics through a scientific lens
  • An important aspect critical thinking is becoming aware of and exploring values (yours and others) to make active and intentional choices in your life. Throughout this course, we will apply critical thinking based on scientific principles to encourage you to observe behavior carefully and consider other explanations for behavior.
• Apply motivation and learning principles
  • This course can help you learn to change your behavior, especially in applied setting. I encourage you to apply these concepts to your own life and your observations in real world situations (e.g., personal, interpersonal, community, and workplace situations).
• Create and design evidence-based interventions to enhance motivation/learning
  • An important aspect of the motivational process in humans is the ability to set complex, realistic goals and work to achieve them. During the semester, you will design and test a behavioral change intervention through motivation/learning theory in an area of your choice (e.g., schools, the workplace, etc.).

What class materials are you planning to develop? What goals do you have for them?

I’d either like to revamp my Behavior Modification Project, which is a paper that helps them apply motivation and learning into their life. If I were to do this, I’d like to work on making a rubric and flushing out the assignment to make it more meaningful to students. Alternatively, I’d like to work on some ways to boost students’ engagement in the class. Currently, I’m struggling with a handful of students participating. Therefore, I’d like to find a way to make the class fun and engaging for all!