Jan 29, 2009 - Claremont, Calif. - Assistant Professor of Psychology Debra Mashek will co-chair the 2009 edition of the annual Claremont Symposium on Applied Social Psychology, Saturday, March 28, at Claremont Graduate University (CGU).

The topic for this year’s symposium is “Enhancing Teaching and Learning: Lessons from Social Psychology.” Mashek’s co-chair is Elizabeth Yost Hammer, professor of psychology and director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching at Xavier University of Louisiana. Xavier is co-sponsoring the conference with CGU.

In addition to her duties as conference co-chair, Mashek will give the opening remarks and moderate the session “How do Professors’ Behaviors Impact Student Motivation and Learning?”

The conference will consider questions such as:

• How and why do student experiences in higher education differ?
• How can educators best support student well-being?
• From where does student motivation come?
• How can we help our students become better citizens and better people?
• How do professors’ behaviors impact student motivation and learning?
• What constitutes a high-quality, engagement-fostering relationship between student and teacher?
• How can professors bridge racial, ethnic or generational divides?
• How can the scholarship of teaching and learning optimize teaching and enhance student learning?

Over the past 22 years, the Claremont Symposium on Applied Social Psychology has examined a broad range of topics crucial to the understanding of human relationships and the building of a healthy, diverse society. This year’s symposium will continue this tradition by considering applications of social psychology to teaching and learning.

The conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Albrect Auditorium on the CGU campus. Additional information about the location and how to register can be found at the conference website.