Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

For students of Dr. Mark Hoyert, Associate Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department at IUN, it is not enough to master a body of knowledge (though that's certainly important). Dr. Hoyert also strives to help his students "understand the process that leads to the discovery of knowledge" and develop the intellectual skills that will allow them to use their acquired knowledge effectively. He wants his students to join him in being a lifelong learner and believes that "faculty and students should learn and grow together." He states, "I treat my students with respect for the life experiences and knowledge that they bring to the class and I invite them to explore psychology together in a partnership." His dedication to his students and his effectiveness as a mentor are reflected by his many students who have worked with him on his research and gone on to win undergraduate research awards, co-presented with him at research conferences, and continue their education in psychology or related fields.

In addition to valuing teaching as a craft, Dr. Hoyert has also become interested in teaching as an area of scholarship. While his passion for teaching is evident, he believes that his "strongest pedagogical contribution may occur outside of the classroom through [his] research examining motivation for academic achievement." Based on his research on this topic, he developed a motivational intervention in the form of a tutorial that cut the failure rate of Introductory Psychology students in half. In recognition of the success of this program and to support further work in this area, Dr. Hoyert was awarded a prestigious P.A. Mack Fellowship through IU's Mack Center for Inquiry on Teaching and Learning, whose mission is to promote, recognize, and honor inquiry in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).

In addition to the Mack Fellowship, Dr. Hoyert has received numerous recognitions for his teaching including 3 Teaching Excellence Recognition Awards, 2 Trustees Teaching Awards, and FACET. He is also a three time IUN Founder's Day Finalist. Demonstrating his passion for learning, Dr. Hoyert is dedicated to becoming an "ever more successful teacher" and pursues this goal by trying new teaching techniques, observing colleagues, reading teaching-related journals, and attending and presenting at teaching-related conferences. He states, "Developing a lifelong love of learning is one of the noblest goals of education. I hope that I might have played a small role in encouraging its development in my students."