Dr. Jennifer Hicks receives Excellence In Teaching Award

Press Release Date: 05-08-2009

DURANT, Okla. – Dr. Jennifer Hicks, associate professor of psychology at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, is a recipient of the 2009 Oklahoma Higher Education Conference Excellence in Teaching Award.

Hicks joined other faculty members from across the state at the awards luncheon during the 2009 Oklahoma Higher Education Conference last month at Northeastern State University.

"This is truly an honor for Dr. Hicks and for Southeastern Oklahoma State University," said Southeastern president Michael D. Turner. "She is an outstanding representative of our University and she is to be commended for this award."

The NSU Center for Teaching and Learning sponsors this annual conference that emphasizes the use of innovative teaching strategies to support higher education learning. Colleges and universities throughout Oklahoma and the surrounding region participate in this event that encourages establishing a network of colleagues who are interested in expanding their knowledge of innovative teaching strategies.

Hicks has taught both undergraduate and graduate-level courses in traditional, online, and IETV formats. She consistently receives positive evaluations from her students, incorporating issues relating to diversity and civic engagement in each class she teaches. Some examples of the creative instruction methods she frequently uses include in-class interviews with foreign exchange students, child observation experiences, symposium presentations, and role playing of counseling sessions.

Hicks is in her fifth year at Southeastern and recently was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences. She earned her B.A. at Southeastern and her M.S. and Ph.D. at Oklahoma State University.