Feature
Alan M. Lesgold, PhD
Lesgold, professor and dean of the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh, is being recognized for his contributions to educational technology.
Lesgold received his PhD in psychology from Stanford University in 1971 and joined the University of Pittsburgh that same year. Until July 2000, he served as executive associate director of Pitt's Learning Research and Development Center. Since then, he has been professor and dean of the School of Education. Lesgold founded and initially directed Pitt's interdisciplinary doctoral program in cognitive science and artificial intelligence. He holds an honorary doctorate from the Open University of the Netherlands and is a fellow of APA Divs. 3 (Experimental), 15 (Educational) and 21 (Applied Experimental and Engineering). He was secretary/treasurer of the Cognitive Science Society from 1988 to 1997, and continues to serve on its Board of Governors. In 1995, APA and Educom awarded him the Educom Medal for contributions to educational technology.
Lesgold served on the National Research Council Board of Testing and Assessment from 1993 through 1998. He served on two Congressional Office of Technology Assessment advisory panels and was the chair of the Visiting Panel on Research of Educational Testing Service.
Lesgold and colleagues developed a technology for intelligently coached learning-by-doing from 1986 to 1999, with sponsorship by the U.S. Air Force, US WEST and Intel Corp. More recently, he and colleagues also developed a technology for supporting collaborative engagement of students and professionals with complex issues and complex bodies of knowledge, including professional development for teachers.
APA Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training Award
Ludy T. Benjamin Jr., PhD
Benjamin, professor of psychology and educational psychology at Texas A&M University, is honored for his outstanding contributions to psychology education and training.
He is holder of the Murray and Celeste Fasken Chair in Distinguished Teaching and a University Professorship in Teaching Excellence. After receiving his PhD in experimental psychology from Texas Christian University, he began his academic career at Nebraska Wesleyan University (1970-78), served two years as APA director of educational affairs (1978-80) and then joined the faculty at Texas A&M, where he has been for 21 years. He is the recipient of two distinguished teaching awards from Texas A&M as well as the American Psychological Foundation's Distinguished Teaching in Psychology Award in 1986.
Benjamin has been a strong advocate for increasing active learning in psychology classrooms. To that end he has co-edited two of APA's four volumes in the series "Activities Handbook for the Teaching of Psychology vol. 1," and volume 4, the two volumes of the "Handbook for the Teaching of Introductory Psychology," and has written many articles and book chapters on active learning. He was founding editor of the G. Stanley Hall Lecture Series for teachers of psychology.
Benjamin has also been involved with the development of psychology teaching in high schools. He hosted a series of summer workshops at Texas A&M for high school teachers funded by the National Science Foundation. He helped to establish the national organization for high school psychology teachers (TOPSS--Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools), and served as chair of the committee that developed the first Advanced Placement Examination in Psychology for the College Board.
In addition to his work in teaching, Benjamin has maintained an active program of scholarship in the history of psychology with six books and more than 75 articles on that subject.
