Development Plan

Over the next two and a half years, I aim to maintain progress toward tenure and promotion by continuing to excel in the areas of teaching and mentorship, scholarship, and service. After my first semester on the RTP committee, I believe my performance in these areas currently meets expectations with merit. My primary focus moving forward is to build on my successes and refine my contributions.

Teaching and Course Development

I plan to continue enhancing my courses and improving the effectiveness of my teaching methods. While my teaching evaluations have always been exemplary, even in statistics, I am continually looking for ways to improve. Over the past few years, I have devoted significant effort to transitioning many of my courses to a flipped classroom format. Through trial and error, I have developed a hybrid flipped model that better aligns with the needs of students at Olivet. This approach emphasizes flexibility and active engagement, and I will continue refining it to ensure it remains effective and relevant.

One pressing issue I am addressing is the misuse of AI in student assignments, which was a recurring challenge last semester, where I caught an average of one instance of AI usage per week. To counter this, I am adapting my assessment methods. While I have previously moved away from exams in favor of assignments that emphasize critical thinking and application of concepts, I am reintroducing exams in some courses as a controlled environment to prevent AI misuse. These exams will complement written assignments, projects, and presentations, to ensure a robust and fair assessment system.

No additional assistance is needed beyond what I am already receiving.

Mentorship and Advising

Mentorship has been a dynamic area of growth for me since joining The University of Olivet. In previous roles, I mentored a small number of students, primarily lab assistants and those who sought guidance during office hours. Although I wrote over 100 letters of recommendation, direct mentorship was limited for most of those students. At Olivet, my advising responsibilities have grown substantially. While I had no advisees during my first semester, I shadowed Will, an experienced advisor, to learn the advising process. By my second semester, I was assigned over 25 advisees, and my current advising load includes 34 students.

To strengthen my advising skills, I completed the Intentional Advising workshop, which equipped me to provide tailored and effective guidance to students. Additionally, I work directly with first-year students in seminar, helping them navigate university life and plan for future success both at Olivet and beyond. Going forward, I aim to continue improving my mentoring and advising abilities while maintaining the high level of support I have provided over the past two years.

I have also been the academic advisor for Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, for the past year.

No additional assistance is needed beyond what I am already receiving.

Scholarship and Research

The pandemic delayed some of my long-term research goals, but I am now back on track. I have consistently presented at academic conferences each year and am actively working on publishing papers. Currently, I have one paper in-review and am revising five additional manuscripts for submission to journals.

Looking ahead, beyond revising the manuscripts from my past unpublished research, I plan to launch a new research project in the fall. This initiative will not only contribute to my scholarship but will also provide opportunities for students to participate in research and attend conferences, fostering their academic and professional development.

For addition assistance to conduct the research, I need lab space and technology. While the psychology faculty were given temporary lab space when I was hired, that space was taken away this year to put in offices for the first year navigators. Psychology research requires, at a minimum, dedicated lab space, computers, and cameras.

Service

Service to the Institution

Since joining Olivet, I have been deeply involved in institutional service. I began my service as a member of the Curriculum Committee during my first semester, a role I held for two years. I contributed to the development of online degree completion courses in psychology and served as a consultant for psychology in the Graduate and Online Working Group. This year, I am serving on the Senate, the RTP Committee, and the AI Working Group. I plan to continue serving on these committees and contribute to additional working groups as needed. I also have an open offer for students to have birthday parties, other celebrations, emotional support assistance/stress relief (see below), and host an annual Psi Chi bonfire the evening after induction, at my house.

Service to the Discipline

I have contributed to my discipline by co-organizing the International Society for Human Ethology’s (ISHE) Summer Institute in Detroit in June 2023. Additionally, I assist international scholars in refining their conference presentations to ensure clarity and coherence in English. I am currently a candidate for Secretary of ISHE, and whether or not I am elected, I will remain an active member, offering support to the society and its members, presenting at conferences, and reviewing manuscripts as needed.

Service to Society

Beyond academia, I have applied my psychological expertise to foster care, working with teenagers who have experienced psychological trauma. I also use my knowledge in psychology to contribute to society in meaningful ways, such as breeding and raising psychologically sound Border Collie puppies and mini sheep that are used for emotional support and stress relief.

No additional assistance is needed beyond what I am already receiving.

Conclusion

My development plan for the coming years focuses on consistent growth in teaching, scholarship, and service. I am committed to refining my teaching methods, expanding my mentoring and advising skills, advancing my research agenda, and maintaining active contributions to my institution, discipline, and community. These efforts will ensure I stay on track toward achieving tenure and promotion while continuing to make meaningful contributions to students, colleagues, and society.