Bridgette Martin Hard, Associate Professor of the Practice of Psychology and Neuroscience, has received the 2021 Robert S. Daniel Teaching Excellence Award from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. This honor is well-deserved recognition for the outstanding leadership & incomparable pedagogy of Hard, who also serves as the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies in Psychology. Hard is the Principal Investigator and director of the BRITElab (Behavioral Research in Teaching Excellence) which aims to improve higher education by applying the theories and methods of psychology. Hard's research draws insights from the study of human cognition, emotion, social interaction, and culture to understand college students’ experiences and develop better educational practices, using the tools of science to find out whether and why different educational methods work.
The Robert S. Daniel Teaching Excellence Award recognizes excellence in teaching at a four-year college or university. In a social media post announcing the award, Hard stated: "I am so honored to be the recipient of this year's Robert S. Daniel Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (APA Div 02). This is only possible because of colleagues and students who taught me everything I know!"
Hard received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Developmental Psychology at the University of Oregon. Her first professional passion is teaching; her second is exploring the intersection of psychology and pedagogy. She uses data from the classroom to extend psychological theories and uses insights from psychology to inform new classroom practices. She enjoys mentoring undergraduates in research and helping them learn about the classroom through a psychological lens.
Dr. Hard is also a textbook author and co-organizes two conferences for psychology teachers, the Psychology One Conference and the National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology (NITOP).
Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
