Associate Professor

Biography

Gary J. Skolits is currently a tenured associate professor in the Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement PhD program. He has published more than a dozen research articles, two book chapters, and several dozen evaluation studies. Fomerly, he was director of the Institute of Assessment and Evaluation, leading multiple external evaluation projects in Tennessee and other states, preparing proposals for evaluation and research contracts, as well as supervising a staff of professional evaluators and support personnel (with more than $4 million in funding awarded).

Skolits enjoys Tai Chi, music (classical violin and contemporary ukulele), and walking (distance).

Research

• School-Based Academic & College Access Interventions
• Evaluation Practice & Pedagogy
• Higher Education Accountability in Community Colleges

Education

• EdD, Higher Education Administration/Policy, East Tennessee State University, 1999
• MPA, Public Administration, The Pennsylvania State University, 1976
• BA, Political Science, State University of New York, 1975
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Professor

Biography

Christopher H. Skinner has been recognized as one of the most productive authors and successful trainers of applied school psychology researchers. He has co-authored over 180 peer-review journal articles. Skinner brags that his accomplishments can be directly traced to his work with exceptional graduate students and practitioners (most public school personnel). He is happiest when partnering with his doctoral students to work with educational professionals to address presenting problems. In doing so, he often finds that he can advance his field with creative interventions and insights, while also benefiting his collaborators and their students (e.g., K–12 students in public education). Skinner has won three national research awards from the American Psychological Association including Outstanding Young School Psychology Researcher (when he was younger) and School Psychology Senior Scientist (lifetime research award when he was older – 2012). He also won APA’s Fred S. Keller award for empirically validating interventions. While he is pleased when his research is cited by others, he is most pleased by contacts from practitioners letting him know that they have implemented his interventions and they have worked (school-wide interventions, class-wide interventions, and interventions targeting specific students).

Research

• Developing and Validating Procedures Designed to Prevent and Remedy Student Problems
• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Single-Subject Design Research
• Academic Intervention

Education

• PhD, School Psychology, Lehigh University, 1989
• MA, Special Education, Johnson State College, 1983
• BA, Psychology, Lafayette College, 1982
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Associate Professor, Graduate Certificate Coordinator, Program Coordinator

Biography

In the past 12 years, Jennifer Ann Morrow has been awarded more than $750,000 in external funding from a variety of local and federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education. She has published 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has written more than 120 evaluation and grant reports. She is a member of the American Evaluation Association (active in Assessment in Higher Education and the Teaching Evaluation TIGs), the American Psychological Association (active in Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics and Teaching of Psychology Divisions), and the American Statistical Association.

Research

• Program Evaluation
  • Higher education & health promotion programs
  • Effective strategies for teaching novice evaluators
• College Student Development
  • Utilizing collaborative & applied pedagogies in statistics education
  • Student-friendly methods for teaching research methods
• Teaching Research Methods & Statistics
  • College students’ sense of belonging
  • Strategies for reducing substance misuse in college students

Education

• PhD, Experimental Psychology, University of Rhode Island
• MA, Psychology, Rhode Island College
• BA, Psychology, University of Rhode Island

Associate Professor, Program Co-Coordinator, Associate Department Head, Director of Graduate Studies

Biography

Much of Misawa’s scholarly work examines the positionality of agents (faculty, students, and administrative staff) alongside policies in adult and higher education using learning theories and sociocultural concepts such as Critical Theory, Feminist Theory, Critical Race Theory, and Queer Theory to understand how agents influence each other’s educational experiences and determine the ways in which adult and higher education institutions can more effectively serve diverse populations in contemporary society.

Prior to working at UT Knoxville, Misawa was a graduate faculty member and the director of the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Memphis. He was also an assistant professor at the University of Georgia where he taught a doctoral qualitative research methods course. Misawa also worked as a training director and a policy researcher at Central State Hospital where he trained medical doctors, nurses, and administrators on state and federal policies and developed and conducted a couple of the quantitative and mixed methods policy research studies.

Research

• Adult bullying & incivility
• Intersectionality of race, gender & sexual orientation
• Learners in adult, higher & continuing professional education
• Positionality in social justice research & practice
• Professionalism

Education

• PhD, Adult Education, University of Georgia, 2009
• Interdisciplinary Qualitative Studies Graduate Certificate, University of Georgia, 2009
• MEd, Adult Education, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2004
• BA, Economics, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2002

Publications

Misawa, M. (Ed.). (2016). The meaning of citizenship and violation of social justice due to bullying, incivility, and the violence in adult, higher, continuing, and professional education. Proceedings from the first bullying, incivility, and violence in adult, higher, continuing, and professional education pre-conference. Charlotte, NC.

Fought, R., & Misawa, M. (2016). Effective leadership in academic health sciences libraries: A qualitative phenomenological study. Journal of Library Administration, 56(8). [Digital Editions version].

Misawa, M., & Chang, B. (Eds.). (2016). The 9th AERC Asian Diaspora Pre-Conference Proceedings.

Misawa, M. (2015). The color of the rainbow path: An examination of the intersection of racist and homophobic bullying in U.S. higher education. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 173, 93-112.

Misawa, M. (2015). Cuts and bruises caused by arrows, sticks, and stones in academia: Theorizing three types of racist and homophobic bullying in adult and higher education. Adult Learning, 26(1), 6-13.

Misawa, M., & Rowland, M. L. (Eds.). (2015). Academic bullying and incivility in adult, higher, continuing, and professional education. Adult Learning, 26(1).

Misawa, M., & Rowland, M. L. (2015). Academic bullying and incivility in adult, higher, continuing, and professional education. Adult Learning, 26(1), 3-5.

Misawa, M., & Chang, B. (Eds.). (2015). The 8th AERC Asian Diaspora Pre-Conference Proceedings.

Presentations

Misawa, M. (2016, November). Developing constructionist positionalogical policy research on anti-bullying in adult, higher, continuing and professional education. Accepted for presentation at the 65th Annual Conference of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, Albuquerque, NM.

Misawa, M. (2016, November). Investigating cyberbullying in higher education: A pilot study Accepted for presentation at the 65th Annual Conference of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, Albuquerque, NM

Misawa, M., & Walker, A. (2016, November). A new era: Financial implications of Division I intercollegiate athletics on an institution. Accepted for presentation at the 2016 North American Association of Sports Economists Conference. Washington, DC.

Misawa, M. (2016, October). Examining the critical intersectionality of racism, heterosexism, and homophobia in academia: A queer-crit perspective of anti-bullyism to promote social justice for queer people of color in higher education. Accepted for presentation at the OUTstanding 2016 Seminar. Knoxville, TN.

Misawa, M. (2016, June). Psychosocial and positional terrorism on cyber campus environments: A pilot study on cyberbullying in higher education. Paper presented at the First Bullying, Incivility, and Violence in Adult, Higher, Continuing, and Professional Education Pre-Conference. Charlotte, NC.

Misawa, M. (2016, June). Positionalogy for social justice research: Theorizing a way to analyze sociocultural identities and power structures in adult and higher education. Paper presented at the 57th Annual Adult Education Research Conference. Charlotte, NC.

Misawa, M. (2016, May). Positionalogy for sociocultural power analysis in qualitative research. Paper presented at the 12th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry. Champaign-Urbana, IL.

Misawa, M., & Walker, A. (2015, November). Who “greens” the field? An examination of donor characteristics and motivations at a Division I athletics institution. Paper presented at the 2015 North American Association of Sports Economists Conference. New Orleans, LA.

Misawa, M. (2015, November). Implementing constructionist positionalogical policy research on anti-bullying in adult higher education: A queer crit perspective. Paper presented at the 64th Annual Conference of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, Oklahoma City, OK.

Hughes, E. S., & Misawa, M. (2015, November). Faculty accreditation standards: A review of CAPTE’s standard for core physical therapy faculty. Paper presented at the 64th Annual Conference of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, Oklahoma City, OK.

Misawa, M. (2015, May). Positionalogy: Theorizing a way to analyze sociocultural power dynamics in social context in adult, higher, and continuing education. Paper presented at the 56th Annual Adult Education Research Conference. Manhattan, KS.

Misawa, M. (2015, May). Paving the rainbow path in academia: The Asian-Queer-Crit perspectives on professional journeys in adult and higher education. Paper presented at the 8th Asian Diaspora Pre-Conference. Manhattan, KS.

Misawa, M. (2015, May). Positionalogy: A constructionist sociocultural power analysis. Paper presented at the 11^th Congress of Qualitative Inquiry. Champaign, IL.

Professor, Program Coordinator

Biography

Merilee McCurdy began at the University of Tennessee in 2014 and serves as the Coordinator of the School Psychology program. For 14 years, she was on the faculty at the University of Nebraska in the School Psychology program. McCurdy’s research is focused on helping students become better writers and she develops and evaluates classroom interventions that can be used by teachers. McCurdy enjoys spending time with family, reading, and cheering on her college sports teams (of which there are many).

Research

• Interventions to Improve Student Writing Performance
• Assessment of Student Writing
• Student Motivation for Writing

Education

• PhD, School Psychology, Mississippi State University, 2002
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Publications

Cazzell, S., Skinner, C., Ciancio, D., Aspiranti, K., Watson, T., McCurdy, M., & Skinner, A. (2017). Evaluating a computer flashcard reading intervention with self-determined response intervals in elementary school students with intellectual disability. School Psychology Review.  

Cazzell, S., Taylor, K., McCurdy, M., Skinner, A., Beeson, T. Skinner, C., Ciancio, D., & Cihak, D. (2017).  Evaluating a computer flashcard reading intervention with self-determined response intervals in a post-secondary student with intellectual disability. Journal of Applied Research and Intellectual Disability.

Cazzell, S. S., Browarnik, B. L., Skinner, A. L., Cihak, D. F., Skinner, C. H., Coleman, M. B., McCurdy, M., & Forbes, B. E. (2016). Extending research on a computer-based flashcard reading intervention to post-secondary students with intellectual disabilities. Submitted to School Psychology Forum.

Black, M. P., Skinner, C. H., Forbes, B. E., McCurdy, M., Coleman, M. B., Davis, K., & Gettelfinger, M. (2016). Cumulative instructional time and relative effectiveness conclusions: Extending research on response intervals, learning, and measurement scale. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 9, 58-62.

McCurdy, M., Clure, L., Bleck, A., & Schmitz, S. (2016). Identifying effective spelling intervention using a brief experimental analysis and extended analysis. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 32, 46-65.

McCurdy, M., Holtz, J., & Roehling, J. (2016). Evidence-based Interventions for Written Language Disorders in Children and Adolescents. In L. Theodore (Ed.), Handbook of applied interventions for children and adolescents.

Holtz, J. W., McCurdy, M., & Roehling, J. V. (2015). Examining core curricula in writing for grades 3-5. Research in the Schools.

Presentations

Hart, L. A., Chwat, C., Krider, S., Igancio, P., VanMaaren, V., & McCurdy, M. (2016, August). Performance feedback as a single-subject intervention to improve writing production in students. Poster session to be presented at the APA Annual Convention in Denver, Colorado.

Turnbull, S., Taylor, K., Skinner, C., McCurdy, M., Skinner, A., Ciancio, D., Beeson, T., Cihak, D. (2016, May). Evaluating a computer flashcard reading intervention with self- determined response intervals in a post-secondary student with intellectual disability. Paper presented at the annual meeting of Applied Behavioral Analysis International, Chicago.

Cazzell, S., Taylor, K., Skinner, C., McCurdy, M., Skinner, A., Ciancio, D., Beeson, T., & Cihak, D. (2016, February). Evaluating a computer flashcard reading intervention with self-determined response intervals in a post-secondary student with Intellectual Disability. Poster presented at the University of Tennessee Gallery of Excellence, Knoxville TN.

Hart, L. A., Chwat, C., Igancio, P., VanMaaren, V., & McCurdy, M. (2016, February). Computer-mediated performance feedback in student writing. Poster session presented at the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana.

White, A.S., McCurdy, M., Clure, L.F., & Holtz, J. (2015, February). Writing CBM: Psychometric Properties of an Accurate-Production Variable. Poster to be presented at the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention, Orlando, FL.

Holtz, J., McCurdy, M., & White, D. (2015, February). Administering a Second Prompt in Curriculum-Based Measurements in Writing. Poster to be presented at the annual meeting of the National Association of School Psychologists, Orlando, FL.