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Professor


Research

  • Critical Thinking
  • Sociopolitical Values
  • Cooperative Learning
  • Instructor Feedback
  • Quality of Class Discussion

Education

  • PhD, Educational Psychology, George Peabody College, 1965
  • MA, Counseling and Guidance, George Peabody College, 1962
  • BA, Speech, David Lipscomb College, 1959
  • Download CV

Publications

Jaquett, C. M., VanMaaren, V. G., & Williams, R. L. (2017). Course factors that motivate students to submit end-of-course evaluations. Innovative Higher Education.

Carstens, B. A., Ciancio, D. J. Crabtree, K. E., Hart, L. A., Best, T. L., Trant, E. C., Jaquett, C. M., Adair, S. L., & Williams, R. L. (2016). The effects of voluntary versus called-on participation on response rate in class discussion and performance on course exams. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology.

Jaquett, C. M., VanMaaren, V. G., & Williams, R. L. (2016). The effect of extra-credit incentives on student submission of end-of-course evaluations. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/st10000052

Wright, J. M., Henze, E. E. C., Coles, J. T., Miller, N. A., & Williams, R. L. (2016). Healthcare knowledge as an issue in teacher education. Issues in Teacher Education, 25(1), 107-124.

VanMaaren, V. G., Jaquett, C. M., & Williams, R. L. (2016). Factors most likely to contribute to positive course evaluations. Innovative Higher Education. doi:10.1007/s10755-016-9360-0

Galyon, C. E., Blondin, C. A., & Williams, R. L. (2015). A historical analysis of the relationship between critical thinking and exam performance. Inquiry: Critical Thinking across the Disciplines, 30(1), 24-39. doi:10.5840/inquirtyct20153015

Galyon, C. E., Heaton, E. C. T., Best, T. L, & Williams, R. L. (2015). Comparison of group cohesion, class participation, and exam performance. Social Psychology of Education, September, 1-16. doi:10.1007/s1218-015-9321-y

Carstens, B. A., Watson, T. L., & Williams, R. L. (2015). Unstructured laptop use in a highly structured entry-level college course. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 1(2), 137-149.

Blondin, C. A., Voils, K., Galyon, C. E., & Williams, R. L. (2015). Selected application of Response-to-Intervention principles in college courses: possibilities and limitations. Journal of Excellence in College Teaching, 26(2), 61-83.

Trant, E. C., Crabtree, E. C., Ciancio, D. J., Hart, L. A., Watson, T. B.. & Williams, R. L. (2015). Why some HOPE scholarship recipients retain the scholarship and others lose it. Innovative Higher Education, 40, 201-214. doi:10.1007/s10755-014-9360-3.

Coles, J. T., Carstens, B. A., Wright, J. M., & Williams, R. L. (2015). Political incongruity between students’ ideological identity and stance on specific public policies in a predominantly white southeastern state institution. Innovative Higher Education, 40, 5-18. doi:10.1007/s107s5-014-92996-1.

Galyon C. E., Voils, K. L., Blondin, C. A., & Williams, R. L. (2015). The effect of randomized homework contingencies on college students’ daily homework and unit exam performance. Innovative Higher Education, 40, 63-77. doi:10.1007/s107s5-014-92996-1.


Presentations

Hauck, K., Mingo, M., & Williams, R. (2016). An analysis of the relationship between selected item-sequences and post-course exam performance. Poster session presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Denver, CO.

VanMaaren, V. G., Jaquett, C. M., & Williams, R. L. (2016). Factors most likely to contribute to positive course evaluation. Poster session presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Denver, CO.

Jaquett, C. M., VanMaaren, V. G., & Williams, R. L. (2015, August). Evaluation of course characteristics that motivate students to submit end of course evaluations. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Associate, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Jaquett, C. M., VanMaaren, V. G., & Williams, R. L. (2015, August). The effect of extra-credit incentives on student submission of end-of-course evaluations. In Recent Developments in Behavior Analysis. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Robert Williams

Contact Information

  • 516 Bailey Education Complex, 1126 Volunteer Blvd.

Clinical Professor, KLASS Center Director


Education

  • PhD, School Psychology, University of Tennessee, 2000
  • MS, Educational Psychology, University of Tennessee, 1995
  • BA, Psychology, University of Tennessee, 1991
Brian Wilhoit

Contact Information

  • 407 Claxton Education Building, 1122 Volunteer Blvd.
  • Phone: 865-974-6395
  • E-mail: bwilhoit@utk.edu

Assistant Professor, Graduate Certificate Coordinator, GOI Coordinator

Biography

I grew up in an Air Force family, but I claim Rock Hill, South Carolina, as home, and that is where I’ve lived the longest. My paternal relations are all from the towns surrounding Knoxville, though, and I grew up singing “Rocky Top.” My outside interests include hiking, going to the movies, UT football, and doing all the voices when I read fiction out loud.


Research

  • Loss and Life Transitions across the Lifespan
  • Grieving Children and Adolescents, particularly Youth of Color
  • Losses Experienced by LGBTQ Individuals
  • Counseling Children & Adolescents from Highly Mobile Families, including Military and Third Culture Kids (TCKs)

Education

  • PhD, Counselor Education, University of Virginia, 2011
  • MEd, Counseling & Development, Winthrop University, 2007
  • BA, Psychology, Winthrop University, 1999
  • Download CV

Publications

*Indicates Student

West, N. B., Diambra, J. F., & Wheat, L. S. (in press). Developmental networks andinterpersonal support of beginning counselors. Journal of Counselor Preparation& Supervision.

Pollard, B. L., Varga, M. A., Wheat, L. S., McClam, T., & Balentyne, P. J. (2020)Characteristics of graduate counseling student grief experiences. Illness, Crisis,& Loss, 28(3), 255-274. http://doi.org/10.1177/1054137317730525

Wheat, L. S., *Szepe, A., West, N. B., *Riley, K. B., & Gibbons, M. G. (2019). Graduateand undergraduate student development as a result of participation in a griefeducation service learning course. Journal of Community Engagement & HigherEducation, 11(2), 31-45.https://discovery.indstate.edu/jcehe/index.php/joce/index

Wheat, L. S., & *Thacker, N. E. (2019). LGBTQ+ loss experiences and the use ofmeaning reconstruction with clients. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 13,232-251. http://doi.org/10.1080/15538605.2019.1627973

Gibbons, M. G., Taylor, A. L., Wheat, L. S., & *Szepe, A. (2018). Transformativelearning for peer mentors connected to a postsecondary education program forstudents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. International Journal ofResearch on Service-Learning & Community Engagement, 6(1), Article 10.Retrieved from https://ijrslce.scholasticahq.com/

Wheat, L. S. (2018). Review of the book, Handbook of social justice in loss and grief:Exploring diversity, equity, and inclusion, edited by D. L. Harris & T. C. Bordere.Omega, 77, 415-419. http://doi.org/10.1177/2F0030222817730469

Wheat, L. S., & Whiting, P. P. (2018). Sacred privilege: Using narrative reconstructionas a postmodern approach with grieving children and adolescents. In M. B.Scholl & J. T. Hansen (Eds.), Postmodern perspectives on contemporarycounseling issues (pp. 93-120)Oxford University Press.

DeDiego, A. C., Wheat, L. S., & Fletcher, T. B. (2017). Overcoming obstacles:Exploring the use of adventure based counseling in youth grief camps. Journal ofCreativity in Mental Health, 12(2), 230-241. http://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2016.1191403

Lopez-Baez, S. I., & Wheat, L. S. (2017). Older LGBTQ adults: Family and socialdevelopment. In C. B. Roland & L. D. Burlew (Eds.), Counseling LGBTQ adultsthroughout the life span (pp. 80-84). American Counseling Association.

*Pollard, B., & Wheat, L. S. (2015, May). Students helping students: The Grief OutreachInitiative. ADEC Forum: The Quarterly Publication of the Association for DeathEducation and Counseling, 41(2), 12-13.

Wheat, L. S., & Whiting, P. P. (2015). The forget-me-not book of reminders duringdeployment. In S. Degges-White & B. Colon (Eds.), Expressive arts interventionsfor school counselors (pp. 239-243)Sage.

Blueford, J. B., Diambra, J. F., & Wheat, L. S. (n.d.). Counselor preparedness tocounsel grieving clients: Insights and implications. Manuscript revision inpreparation for resubmission to Death Studies.

Wheat, L. S., Matthews, J. J., & Whiting, P. P. (n.d.). Grief content inclusion inCACREP-accredited counselor education programs. Manuscript revision inpreparation for resubmission to Journal of Counselor Preparation & Supervision.


Recent Presentations (*indicates student)

Wheat, L. S. (2020, April). Death & non-death loss in the lives of LGBTQ+ people.Accepted for presentation at the Association for Death Education & Counselingconference, Columbus, OH. Conference canceled due to COVID-19 stateclosure. Presentation moved to April 2021 virtual conference.

Wheat, L. S., & *Hightower, J. (2019, November). Loving, living, & losing: Loss inLGBTQ+ lives. Breakout session presented at the Tennessee CounselingAssociation conference, Nashville, TN.

Diambra, J. D., Gibbons, M. M., Spurgeon, S. L., Wheat, L. S., Brott, P. E., *Adams, C.,& *Blueford, J. M. (2019, October). Assessment in counselor education: Usingprogram dispositions as a gatekeeping tool. Education session presented at theAssociation for Counselor Education & Supervision conference, Seattle, WA.

Wheat, L. S., Matthews, J. J., & Whiting, P. P. (2019, April). Grief content inclusion inaccredited counselor education programs. Presented at the Association forDeath Education & Counseling conference, Atlanta, GA.

Cupit, I. N., Servaty-Seib, H. L., Varga, M. A., & Wheat, L. S. (2018, April). Teachingthat matters: Balancing the academic and personal. Panel discussion presentedat the Association for Death Education & Counseling conference, Pittsburgh, PA.

Wheat, L. S. (2017, November). Loss, belongingness, & identity: What counselorsshould know about Third Culture Kids. Content session presented at theTennessee Counseling Association conference, Nashville, TN.

Wheat, L. S. (2017, June). Loss in the lives of LGBTQ+ People. Invited webinarsponsored by the Association for Death Education & Counseling.

*Clark, J. M., & Wheat, L. S. (2017, June). Religion and the rainbow: A counselortrainee’s journey to help clients reconcile conflicting identities. Education sessionpresented at the American Counseling Association ILLUMINATE symposium,Washington, DC.

Varga, M. A., Wheat, L. S., & Pollard, B. L. (2017, April). The grief experiences ofGraduate counseling students. Education session presented at the Associationfor Death Education & Counseling conference, Portland, OR.

Wheat, L. S., & *Farrell, I. C. (2016, September). Bringing bereavement out of thecloset: Partner/spousal bereavement among LGBTQ+ individuals. Educationsession presented at the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & TransgenderIssues in Counseling conference, San Antonio, TX

Laura Wheat

Contact Information

  • 443 Claxton Education Building, 1122 Volunteer Blvd.
  • Phone: 865-974-3845
  • E-mail: lwheat@utk.edu

Associate Professor, Program Coordinator

Biography

I am delighted to have joined the learning community here at UT Knoxville in fall of 2016. Originally from China, I came to Laramie, Wyoming, from DeKalb, Illinois. For the past 14 years, I have served on the faculty of the Adult and Post-Secondary Education Program at the University of Wyoming. I have designed courses that help infuse global vision and international perspectives through comparative lenses. I have been advocating for learning from the Rest not just from the West. Through my research and teaching, I say that education and learning should promote not only lifelong learners but also life-wide learners, not only national citizens but also global citizens with holistic development especially cultural competency. I am a mother of two and I enjoy walking and swimming with my kids. I look forward to exploring East Tennessee with my family.


Research

  • Adult learning & transformative learning
  • International & comparative education
  • Lifelong learning & learning society
  • Cross-culture teaching & learning
  • Eastern philosophy & Confucianism for modern adult learning & education

Education

  • EdD, Adult and Continuing Education, Northern Illinois University, 2001

Publications

Sun, Q., & Roumell, E. A. L. (2017). Interrupting the mindset of educational neocolonialism: Critical deliberations from East and West international adult educators. Asia Pacific Education Review. doi:10.1007/s12564-017-9482-9

Kang, H. Lyu, L. & Sun, Q. (2016). Examining the impact of a DSP project through a comparative adult education lens: A snapshot of principal professional development for education internationalization in Beijing, China. Educational Considerations (USA), 43(3), 18-26.

Sun, Q., & Kang, H. (2015). Infusing work-based learning (WBL) with Confucian principles: A comparative perspective. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning (UK). 5(4), 323-338 DOI 10.1108/HESWBL-04-2015-0019. Note: The Outstanding Paper in the 2016 Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence.

Sun, Q. (2015). Transformative Learning In Practice: Insights from Community, Workplace, and Higher Education, by Jack Mezirow, Edward W. Taylor and Associates. San Francisco, CA: Jossy-Bass, 2009. 317pp., ISBN 978-0-470-25790-6.


Presentations

Sun, Q. (2017). Learning to transform from Newtonian thinking to quantum thinking: Understanding potentials of learning society in change. Keynote Speech for the 2017 International Conference on Educational research (ICER) to be held in Seoul, South Korea from Oct 18-20, 2017.

Sun, Q., & Kang, H. (2017). Paper to be presented at the 66th Annual AAACE: Transforming our mindsets: Stories of learning from the East by scholars from the West, to be held in Memphis, Tennessee from Oct 29-Nov 3, 2017.

Sun, Q., & Higgins, P. (2017). Paper to be presented at the 66th Annual AAACE: The experience of East Asian students on US campus support services: A case study, to be held in Memphis, Tennessee, from Oct 29-Nov 3, 2017.

Sun, Q., & Linkous, H. (2017). Paper to be presented at the 66th Annual AAACE: Answering the call for learning cities in a Western world, to be held in Memphis, Tennessee, from Oct 29-Nov 3, 2017.

Sun, Q. (2017). East meets West: What learning happens between Eastern students and Western faculty? Host of Opening Session Panel at the 10th Asian PreConference in conjunction with AERC in Norman, Oklahoma University June 8-11, 2017.

Sun, Q., Chang. B., & Kang, H. (2017). Reviewing past and envisioning future: Meaning making on our journey for bridging East with West in adult education research. The 10th Asian PreConference in conjunction with AERC in Norman, Oklahoma University June 8-11, 2017.

Sun, Q., & Higgins, P. (2017). Perception of campus life from international students of Confucian heritage cultural: A case study at a USA community college. Paper presented at the 10th Asian PreConference in conjunction with AERC in Norman, Oklahoma University June 8-11, 2017.

Sun, Q., & Linkous, H. (2017). Participation in lifelong learning via building learning cities: What can we learn from the East. Paper presented at the 10th Asian PreConference in conjunction with AERC in Norman, Oklahoma University June 8-11, 2017.

Kang, H., Sun, Q. & Lyu, L. (2016). Learning to transform in Eastern adult education context. The 65th Annual Conference of The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE). November 8 – 11, 2016. Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Sun, Q., & Yuan, D. (2016). Building a learning society via establishing learning cities in China: An updated review on progress and barriers of policy, research, and practice. The 65th Annual Conference of The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE). November 8 – 11, 2016. Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Sun, Q. & Kang, H. (2016). Learning from the East: Voices of international adult and higher education scholars from the West. The XVI World Congress of Comparative Education Societies, August 22 – 26, Beijing, China.

Sun, Q. & Kang, H. (2016). Think globally and act locally: Infusing transformative learning into education internationalization. The XVI World Congress of Comparative Education Societies, August 22 – 26, Beijing, China.

Sun, Q. & Kang, H. (2016). Learning from the East: Stories of the well-established international adult educators. The 9th Asian Diaspora Pre Conference in conjunction with the 57th Annual Adult Education Research Conference (AERC), June 2 -5, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Sun, Q., Kang, H., Chang, B., & Lausch, D. (2015). U.S. faculty perceptions of Confucian cultural learners. The 64th Annual Conference of The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) (Roundtable). November 17 – 20, 2015. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Sun, Q. & Kang, H. (2015). An Eastern learning model for transforming work-based learning in Western adult and higher education. The 8th Asian Pre Conference in conjunction with the 56th Annual Adult Education Research Conference (AERC), May 19, 2015, Manhattan, Kansas.

Sun, Q., Kang, H., Chang, B., Lausch, D. & Frush, K. (2015). Teaching international students from Confucian culture: A US faculty perspective. The 8th Asian Pre Conference in conjunction with the 56th Annual Adult Education Research Conference (AERC), May 19, 2015, Manhattan, Kansas.

Qi Sun

Contact Information

  • 519 Bailey Education Complex, 1126 Volunteer Blvd.
  • Phone: 865-974-5403
  • E-mail: qsun8@utk.edu

Associate Professor

Biography

I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work here as a Counselor Educator at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I arrived here in 2006; I have embraced the community and made some great connections here on campus. I was raised in the city but I have tried camping, hiking, and white water rafting since I have been here; I didn’t like them much but at least I tried! Even though the allergy problems have been somewhat of a challenge for my kids, we have embraced the Rocky Top experience! I have been a Counselor Educator for almost 20 years and have taught in 3 CACREP-accredited programs. I have worked for about 23 years in a variety of mental health settings, including private practice and family service agencies.  I believe that my life experiences definitely serve as a catalyst for my classroom engagement.


Research

  • African American Males & Wellness throughout the Life Span
  • Professional Counselor Identity Development

Research Grants and Sponsored Projects: 

Spurgeon, S. L., Minton, C. B., & Gibbons, M. M. (2020). Ensuring quality training on substance use disorders for counselors-in-training. Grant proposal funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Funded for $199, 703.

Spurgeon, S. L. (2010). African American males and academic retention in higher education: A qualitative analysis. Grant proposal funded by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Professional Development award committee. Funded at $1,250.

Cochran, J. L., Kronick, R., Spurgeon, S. L., & Gibbons, M. M. (2010). Preventing juvenile delinquency through targeted mental health counseling services in an urban title I school. Grant proposal funded by the Commission on Children and Youth. Funded at $33,000.


Education

  • PhD, Counseling and Counselor Education, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2002
  • EdS, Marriage and Family Counseling, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1998
  • MS, Community Counseling, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1998
  • Download CV

Publications

Spurgeon, S. L. (2017). Evaluating the unintended consequences of assessment practices: Construct irrelevance and construct underrepresentation. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 50(4), 275-281. DOI: 10.1080.07481756.2017.1339563

Kaplan, D. M., Shifflett, E. T., Francis, P. C., Hermann, M. A., Baca, J. V., Goodnough, G. E., Hodges, S., Spurgeon, S. L., & Wade, M. E. (2016). New concepts in the 2014 ACA code of ethics. Journal of Counseling and Development.

Levy, J. J., & Spurgeon, S. L. (2016). Addressing client diversity throughout the diagnostic process. In B. Flamez & C. J. Sheperis (eds.), Diagnosing and treating children and adolescents (pp. 81-100). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Profile photo of EPC Faculty, Shawn Spurgeon

Contact Information

  • 438 Claxton Education Complex, 1122 Volunteer Blvd.
  • Phone: 865-974-4181
  • E-mail: sspurgeo@utk.edu