Get to Know Karen Bedell, Lec III in Psychology

Name: Karen Bedell
Title: Lecturer III
Department: Psychology

Classes I teach: Introductory Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Principles of Research Design and more! I’ve also taught Organizational and Group Behavior, Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Human Relations, and Death & Dying.

Professional Interests, Activities, or Publications: This year I presented at the American Educational Research Association’s annual conference in Chicago. Before studying Educational Psychology and Education Technology, I earned a master’s in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and worked in institutional research. Therefore, my publications (see below) are in employment selection, memory, student engagement, and online cooperative learning. I also enjoy reviewing psychology textbooks (for publishers), developing curricula, and instructional design.

Research or Specific Areas of Interest: My research interests are in educational psychology, specifically factors affecting adult student engagement and motivation. I am interested in how the presence of other people (physically or virtually) affects learning and motivation. Finally, I am interested in factors that support online cooperative learning, as well as the educational and psychological outcomes associated with cooperative learning.

Awards: Dissertation Completion Fellowship, Graduate Student of the Year

Degree(s)/Education: I am a member of the first hybrid PhD cohort in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology (EPET) at Michigan State University. I’m currently conducting research for my dissertation on the effects of exclusion and communication synchrony on online cooperative learning.

Memberships: I am a member of the American Education Research Association (AERA), the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE), Philanthropic Education Organization (PEO), and the American Psychological Association (APA).

How I fell in love with my field: I have been interested in people, teaching, and human psychology since I was a child. I worked in Human Resources after finishing my Master’s degree in 1994. After I started teaching college courses in 2001, I developed an interest in educational psychology which led to going back to school for in 2010. Teaching is my first love!

What I hope for my time at UM-Flint: My hope is to be the best teacher I can and serve the university in as many ways possible. I look forward to meeting people and becoming an active member of the university community through my work and service.

What I hope for students in my field: I hope they will come to appreciate the complexity, breadth, and depth of psychological research and the value it brings to every aspect of human life. I hope studying psychology will foster critical, reflective thinking, and a deeper appreciation for similarities and differences among people.

Three things you should know about me: I live in Fenton, I’m married with 2 daughters in high school, and I’m always learning!

Publications
Bedell, K., Peterson, A. & Roseth, C. (2015). Effects of Student Context and Synchronicity in a Hybrid Course. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2015 (pp. 3074-3081). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

Bedell, K. & Roseth, C. (2015). Effects of computer-mediated communication and synchronicity in a hybrid course. In Proceedings of the 2015 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Chicago, USA. April 16-April 20, 2015.

Bedell, K.V. (2013). From research to practice: Student engagement. Educational Technology and Management Academy, 1, 8-11.

Hazer, J.T. & Bedell, K.V. (2000).  Effects of seeking accommodation and disability on pre-employment evaluations. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 30, 1201-1223.

Bottrill, K.V. & Borden, V.M.H. (1994).  Appendix: Examples from the literature. In V.M.H. Borden & T.W. Banta (eds.) Using performance indicators to guide strategic decision making.  New Directions for Institutional Research, 82.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Bottrill, K.V. & Hazer, J.T. (1995, May). Effects of disability and seeking accommodation on pre-employment evaluations.  Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Lake Buena Vista, FL.

Highhouse, S. & Bottrill, K. (1995).  The influence of social (mis)information on memory for behavior in an employment interview. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 62, 220-229.

Bottrill, K.V. & Borden, V.M.H. (1994).  Performance indicators: History, definitions, and methods.  In V.M.H. Borden & T.W. Banta (eds.) Using performance indicators to guide strategic decision making. New Directions for Institutional Research, 82.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.