Faculty Advisor Program

The MyDevelopmentLab Faculty Advisor Program is a peer-to-peer mentoring program that partners experienced MyDevelopmentLab users with new and potential users to further enhance their knowledge, skill and understanding of how to successfully integrate MyDevelopmentLab in the classroom. Our Faculty Advisors (FAs) are committed to advancing the support for online learning and sharing their best practices with the MyDevelopmentLab community.

Meet Our Faculty Advisors

To contact a Faculty Advisor, email us at facultyadvisors@pearson.com. Please include your name, school and a description of your situation and needs. We will use this information to partner you with a MyDevelopmentLab Faculty Advisor who can most effectively answer your questions.

• 

  Julie Blaskewicz Boron, PhD

  Assistant Professor, Psychology
  Youngstown State University
  MyPsychLab, MyDevelopmentLab

  Julie Blaskewicz Boron is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Youngstown State University. She earned her Master's and Doctoral degrees in Human Development and Family Studies at The Pennsylvania State University, and completed postdoctoral training in Cognitive Aging at Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Boron's research considers the impact of personality and emotion across the adult lifespan, particularly in regards to cognitive functioning and everyday problem solving. Julie began using MyPsychLab in 2009 when teaching large sections of General Psychology, and has since expanded her integration to Lifespan Development and Social Psychology. Use of the MyLab programs is helpful for professors and students, especially in regards to understanding the applied aspects of psychology.

  Courses taught: General Psychology, Lifespan Development, Social Psychology

  Course format: Traditional

  Book in use: Morris & Maisto, Understanding Psychology; Berk, Exploring Lifespan Development; Arnett, Human Development: A Cultural Approach; Aronson, Wilson, Akert, Social Psychology

  Back to top

• 

  Janine Buckner

  Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
  Seton Hall University
  MyDevelopmentLab

  Courses taught: Adolescent Psychology, Child Psychology, Developmental Psychology (Lifespan)

  Course format: Traditional

  Book in use: Feldman, Life Span Development: A Topical Approach

  Back to top

• Mary Hughes-Stone

  Adjunct Professor
  San Francisco State University
  MyDevelopmentLab, MyVirtualChild

  Courses taught: Psych 330 – Child Development and Psych 431 – Developmental Psychology

  Course format: Traditional

  Book in use: Feldman, Child Development and Feldman, Life Span Development

  Back to top

• 

  Marion Mason

  Professor of Psychology
  Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
  MyPsychLab/MyDevelopmentLab

  Marion Mason is a Professor of Psychology at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. She teaches General Psychology in a mass lecture setting as well as Lifespan Psychology, Adulthood and Aging, and Psychology of Gender. Starting at Bloomsburg in 1992, Mason has been interested in the use of technology in education since the early days of email, continuing across the years using various types of student response systems and course management software packages. With a heavy course load of 4/4, she knows the value of the time-saving tools found in the MyLabs.

  In addition to providing enthusiastic support for MyPsychLab and MyDevelopmentLab, Mason is also a Pearson author, publishing the first edition of Adulthood and Aging in 2011. "My passion is communicating the exciting, vibrant world of psychology to my students in the classroom and beyond with quality materials delivered in multiple forms of media."

  Courses taught: General Psychology 101; Lifespan Psychology, 210

  Course format: Traditional

  Book in use: Ciccarelli/White, Psychology; Feldman, Child Development

  Back to top

• 

  Sandy Neal

  Assistant Professor
  Centralia College
  MyDevelopmentLab, MyVirtualChild

  I have a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with a specialization in gerontology from The University of Akron. I have a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in adolescence from Eastern Washington University. I have been teaching for the past 20 years, primarily at community colleges, but I have also taught some upper-division and graduate courses for Cleveland State University and Brandman University, Lacey, WA campus. Currently, I teach primarily at Centralia College and Lower Columbia College, both in western Washington State, with periodic upper-division and graduate courses at Brandman University's Lacey campus.

  The courses I teach regularly are General Psychology, Lifespan Psychology, and Abnormal Psychology. I use a Pearson text for Lifespan Psychology, and have MyDevelopmentLab and MyVirtualChild as a major component (approximately 50% of the grade). I have created an expansion of MyVirtualChild to cover the entire lifespan, and utilized my variation of the questions posed in the program as the basis for Parent Forums (assigned small groups which discuss the material from the program and integrate it with text and lecture material).

  I created the first online classes in General Psychology and Lifespan Psychology for Lower Columbia College.

  I have been awarded a grant from the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to develop an Open Course Library course in Abnormal Psychology. That will be completed by Spring 2013.

  Courses taught: Lifespan Psychology

  Course format: Traditional, hybrid, and online

  Book in use: Feldman, Discovering the Lifespan

  Back to top

• 

  Mary-Ellen O'Sullivan

  Adjunct Professor of Psychology
  Southern Connecticut State University
  Housatonic Community College
  MyPsychLab, MyDevelopmentLab, MyVirtualChild

  Before returning to college to major in Psychology, Mary-Ellen was an Executive Secretary for major New York City corporations and also was Supervisor for Connecticut's Foster Grandparent Program.

  Mary-Ellen has been teaching undergraduate Psychology for more than 17 years at both the university and community college levels. Specific interests include general psychology, motivation, child development and learning. In addition, she tutors students studying psychology who are learning disabled or physically challenged.

  An enthusiastic user of MyPsychLab, she is available for campus visits and assistance via telephone or email for new users or to those considering this technology. She recently demonstrated MyPsychLab at the Farmingdale State College Teaching Of Psychology Conference and did an interview with the Connecticut Post newspaper regarding e-texts and MyPsychLab.

  “I really enjoy using the technology and continually learn new areas. My students are very enthusiastic about their ability to keep up-to-date on what was going on in class through the announcement page, as well as be apprised of their grades whenever they wanted them. I hear rave reviews from students also about the flash cards and practice exams within MPL.”

  Courses taught: Intro to Psychology, Infant-Child Development, Adolescent Psychology, Motivation, Experimental Psychology (Learning), and Research Design and Development

  Course format: Traditional

  Book in use: Zimbardo, Johnson & McCann, Psychology Core Concepts; Kail, Robert V., Children and Their Development, MyVirtualChild

  Back to top

• Amy Reesing

  Lecture and Online Programming Coordinator
  Arizona State University
  MyVirtualChild

  Amy Reesing earned her B.S. in Psychology, as well as her M.S. and Ph.D. in Family Studies and Human Development from The University of Arizona. Following this she did a post doc at Arizona State University which led to a full time Lecturer position. In addition to teaching several classes per semester she is the Coordinator for Online Programming for the School of Social and Family Dynamics at ASU.

  Amy has been using the My Virtual Child program with her Introduction to Parenting course since the spring of 2009 and has noticed that the program brings the course material to life for students in a way that no other program could do. Students rave about how much they have learned and enjoyed using this program.

  Courses taught: FAS 301 Introduction to Parenting

  Course format: Online

  Book in use: I use My Virtual Child with a non-Pearson textbook: Brooks, The Process of Parenting

  Back to top

• 

  Christine Shea-Hunt

  Psychology Instructor
  Kirkwood Community College, IA
  MyVirtualChild; MyVirtualLife

  Christine Shea-Hunt earned her B.A. in Psychology and her M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling from The University of Iowa. Christine began her career as a counselor, serving individuals with substance abuse issues and women in crisis. She became a counselor at Coe College where she began teaching Student Success classes and Alcohol Education classes to probationary students. In 2005, she was hired as an adjunct psychology faculty member at Kirkwood Community College which eventually led to a full-time position. Christine's interests include student success, positive psychology, and team-based learning. She has been using the MyVirtualChild program with her Developmental Psychology course since the fall of 2012 and has noticed that the program brings the course material to life for students and increases student engagement.

  Regarding MyVirtualChild, Christine says, "Many students are just out of high school and have no idea of what it is like to be a parent. MyVirtualChild allows students to raise a child and really brings the content of the textbook to life. Many students report feeling attached to their virtual child. Students have fun comparing and contrasting what is going on in their child's life, while relating developmental milestones to their children. It has definitely transformed my classroom."

  Courses taught: Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and College 101

  Course format:Online, Face-to-face, Hybrid, KTS (Kirkwood Telecommunications System)

  Book in use: Exploring Lifespan Development by Berk

  Back to top

• 

  Teresa Stalvey

  Psychology Instructor
  North Florida Community College
  MyDevelopmentLab, MyPsychLab

  Teresa Stalvey is the Department Chair for History and Social Sciences and a Psychology Instructor at North Florida Community College where she has worked since 1993. In addition to teaching psychology, she has also served as an academic advisor, vocational/career counselor and recruiter. She was NFCC's 2001 & 2002 “Instructor of the Year.”

  As a faculty advocate for MyDevelopmentLab and MyPsychLab, Teresa has demonstrated how to use MyDevelopmentLab to enhance learning and engage students in a traditional, blended and completely online course. She has presented her work at various conferences, including the 26th Annual National Institute for the Teaching of Psychology in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida, and the 57th Annual Texas Community College Teacher Association Convention, in Fort Worth, Texas. Since the release of MyDevelopmentLab, Teresa has provided training at many colleges and universities in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. She is available to assist you in the year ahead.

  Courses taught: General Psychology and Human Development

  Course format: Traditional, Online and Hybrid

  Book in use: Ciccarelli and White, Psychology; Feldman, Discovering the Lifespan

  Back to top

• 

  Stephanie Stein Stalvey

  Professor of Psychology and Department Chair
  Central Washington University
  MyDevelopmentLab, MyVirtualChild

  Dr. Stephanie Stein is a Professor of Psychology and Department Chair at Central Washington University. She received a BA in Psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz in 1981, an MA in School Counseling from University of California, Santa Barbara in 1984, and a Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of Oregon in 1987. She worked as a School Psychologist in Bend, Oregon for two years before joining the faculty at CWU in 1989. Her primary research interests include curriculum-based measurement and social/behavioral problems in children and adolescents.

  Courses taught: Developmental Psychology

  Course format: Online

  Book in use: Berk, Development Through the Lifespan

  Back to top