Editor Spotlight

Dana S. Dunn, PhD, is a professor of psychology, department chair, and director of academic assessment at Moravian College.

Tell us a bit about your background: What is your area of research? What is your most recent journal-editing experience?

I am an experimental social psychologist by training. I publish in two distinct areas: the scholarship of teaching and learning in psychology and the social psychology of disability. I’ve been a consulting editor for Rehabilitation Psychology since 2000 and served as a consulting editor for Teaching of Psychology three times during my career, most recently from 2006 to 2008. I’ve also served on the boards of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, Psychology Learning and Teaching, and the now defunct PsycCrtiques: APA Review of Books. I’ve been a consulting editor for STL since it began in 2014.

Briefly, what are your main priorities? For example, how will you grow readership, what type of scholarship would you like to see in the journal, and what kind of content are you hoping to attract?

I will continue STL’s important influence by publishing teacher-ready reviews on psychological science that help high school, community college, college, and university teachers improve what they do in the face-to-face classroom and in online and hybrid venues.

Publications that deal with ways to present psychological theory, research, pedagogical practice, and topical materials are both needed and readily used by STL’s readers, especially those who are new to teaching and early in their careers. The teaching and pedagogy tools available through STL directly affect how well students at all levels learn about psychological science and retain its insights for use in their education and daily lives.

In short, I want STL to continue to represent the very best basic research and application of psychological science where teaching and learning issues are concerned.

Why is this journal important for the field? What is its relevance to society/public health? What are the hot issues in your area right now.

STL is one of the main publication outlets for writing, research, and theory on teaching and pedagogy. STL is focused on reporting high-quality experimental investigations that demonstrate what works (and what doesn’t).

I believe that STL attracts a particular readership interested in theory-guided and data-driven studies. Of course, theory-based articles and reflective pieces are also welcome, as long as they explore critical issues and are rigorous in content, scope, and arguments.

Hot issues include the search for evidence-based practices that can transferred from the lab and applied to the classroom; maximizing course design to effectively promote student learning; assessing quality teaching systematically and using findings to demonstrate student learning; engaging students in conducting and applying psychological science; determining best teaching practices based on class size; and preparing students for work and graduate study.

What challenges, if any, lie ahead for the field?

Psychology educators are always searching for new and improved ways to enhance student learning. The dramatic shift to virtually total online teaching in spring 2020 due to the pandemic was a huge challenge, which I suspect will shape education for quite some time.

Psychology educators are also increasingly interested in finding ways to help students learn skills tied to our discipline (e.g., critical thinking) in addition to traditional content concerns (e.g., retention of psychology facts, findings, and theories).

We need high-quality controlled studies done in the classroom, online, and in some field settings to demonstrate what pedagogical innovations or interventions actually affect academic performance and prepare students for the workforce or further education.

Do you have plans for a special issue or changes to the editorial process? Are you making any changes?

We live in unusually exciting times, and I want STL to reflect that fact. We put out a call for papers dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on teaching and learning. We know that psychology educators have had to implement a variety of changes in their teaching practice since early 2020, and the need for creativity will likely continue for the foreseeable future. We will have a rapid review process in place to get selected articles online and in print quickly.

A second special issue planned for 2021 is dedicated to highlighting key aspects of the introductory psychology course. Our goal is to characterize the current state of the introductory course and explore ways to improve it, including helping instructors enhance how they teach the course and helping students learn skills and content tied to psychological science.

STL is still a young journal. While I do want to grow both readership and article submissions, for the near term I want to stay the strong course where content and article types are concerned. However, I do welcome suggestions from our readers, authors and would-be authors, and consulting editors—STL will be flexible and innovative.

• Read more about Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology
• Return to Editor Spotlight homepage