The Academic Minute from 10.14 – 10.18
Monday, October 14th
Megan Gerhardt – Miami University
Managing Generational Differences in the Workplace
Megan received her doctorate at the University of Iowa in 2003 in organizational behavior and human resource management. She is currently a Professor of Management at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she also serves as co-director of the Isaac & Oxley Center for Business Leadership in the Farmer School of Business.
Dr. Gerhardt has been conducting research in the field of management and organizational leadership for 15 years, and has been delivering leadership workshops since 2009. She enjoys working with a wide range of professionals across a variety of industries, delivering workshops across the United States, as well as internationally.
Tuesday, October 15th
Steve Joordens – University of Toronto Scarborough
Peer Assessment
Professor Joordens teaches a very large Introduction to Psychology course at the University of Toronto Scarborough. In addition, he is Director of the Advanced Learning Technologies Lab which is focused on building and accessing effective educational technologies. His work has won himself and his technologies a number of awards at the institutional, provincial and national level, including him being named a 3M National Teaching Fellow in 2015. In addition he is also cofounder of Cogneeto, and Educational Technology start-up company that supports peerScholar, an evidence-based formal approach to the development of transferable skills.
Wednesday, October 16th
Lee Farquhar – Butler University
Happiness, Life Satisfaction, and Comparing Oneself to Others on Facebook
Dr. Lee Farquhar is an associate professor of Journalism and Sports Media. Prior to arriving at Butler, he worked for eight years at Samford University, teaching broadcast news and sports media courses. His professional experience is primarily in radio and television broadcasting. He has also worked as a freelance videographer, shooting video for Kansas State University and MTV. His research combines social media and social psychological theories. He current research focuses on social media use, parenting styles, and parent-child value congruence.
Thursday, October 17th
Thomas Adam – University of Texas at Arlington
From Public Good to Personal Pursuit
Thomas Adam is professor of transnational history at the University of Texas at Arlington. His research and teaching focusses on topics such as philanthropy, higher education, and holiday rituals such as Christmas. Adam is the editor of the Yearbook of Transnational History which is published with Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. He is currently finishing a book on the history of college affordability, which will be published with Lexington Books.
Friday, October 18th
J.J. Ruscella – Shenandoah University
Virtual Reality and Job Interviews
An innovator in immersive learning and experience design, J.J. Ruscella leads the Shenandoah Center for Immersive Learning (SCIL) as Executive Director at Shenandoah University. Ruscella was tapped to found SCIL Labs as an outgrowth of his work in simulation and training. Entities served include the State Department, United Nations, Border Patrol, George Washington University, as well as various law enforcement, fire, EMT departments and hospitals. His unique application of digital stages and role player training creates opportunities for arts students to enhance STEM educational experiences. Most recently, his VR 360 experience “An Atmosphere of Hate,” was featured in USA Today’s 5th Annual Black History Month magazine, recognizing the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination.
