Colleen Kuusinen

I love to talk about creating meaningful learning experiences for students through equity-oriented, student-centered assessment and teaching practices. I work closely with faculty across campus to support scholarly teaching and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and serve as the organizational lead on the end-of-term confidential course feedback survey, the Forward FOCUS (Feedback on Course Understanding and Skills). You can also find me conducting midterm course assessments and facilitating workshops on assessment, soliciting, interpreting, and responding to student feedback, and engagement strategies.

I’ve taught courses on Developmental and Psychological Perspectives on Education, College Teaching, Human Development at the undergrad, master's, and doctoral level at the University of Michigan and the University of Georgia. At UMass, I teach a first-year seminar called, “Beyond the Mat: The Ethical Practices of Yoga.”

I hold a PhD and MA from the University of Michigan (Education and Psychology; Education Studies) and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley (English). However, my most transformational learning experiences were teaching 7th grade English and Social Studies in Oakland, California and living and teaching abroad in Spain and France. 

Selected Conference Presentations 

LaCross, L. Kuusinen, C. M. & Deschamps, A. (2023, November 16-19). Can Icebreakers be Saved? Considering Social Anxiety and Neurodivergent Learners [Roundtable Session]. Professional and Organizational Development Annual Meeting. Pittsburgh, PA.

Trust, T. & Kuusinen, C. M. (2022, February 10). Using Self-Reflection to Ungrade Our Classes and Develop Independent Thinking [Interactive Online Workshop]. New England Faculty Development Consortium Spring Conference.

Kuusinen, C. M. (2022, March 1). The Art and Science of Inclusive Teaching and Motivation [Invited Online Workshop]. Eastern Connecticut University Professional Development Webinar Series. Willimantic, CT.

Kuusinen, C. M. & Tooker, N. (2021, May) Re-thinking and re-framing course evaluations with the Forward FOCUS. [Online Presentation]. University of South Alabama Conference on Teaching and Learning. Mobile, AL. 

Kuusinen, C. M. (2018, January). Performing educational research in Reacting to the Past settings. In T.C. Hagood & C.E. Watson (Co-chairs), Panelist at American Association of Colleges and Universities Annual Meeting (AAC&U), Washington D.C. [email @email for accompanying book chapter]