Pam Lundeberg, a graduate student studying applied social psychology, is the recipient of the 2018 College of Natural Sciences Graduate Student Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award. This award recognizes graduate students for excellence in their work with students, and is based on three criteria: quality, initiative, and breadth.
Lundeberg has demonstrated her devotion to teaching and mentoring through her work with psychology students at both Colorado State University and Front Range Community College. Over the last three years, she has taught 24 courses at CSU and FRCC, all while maintaining a full credit load as a doctoral student. She is not only an excellent instructor, but one of the psychology department’s most prolific teachers during this time.
Quality
Lundeberg began serving as a teaching fellow for the General Psychology courses under the supervision of Psychology Assistant Professor Karla Gingerich in 2016. Gingerich observed that Lundeberg’s teaching demonstrated quality excellence through her energetic presentations, which included activities and provided the opportunities for students to improve their learning by moving around during class. Students would find themselves not only hearing about the functions of the brain, but grouping together and physically enacting them.
“To me, excellence in instruction means that students are excited to come to class and are motivated to learn. They should find classes engaging, relevant, and accessible for every student who walks into the classroom” said Lundeberg. “An excellent instructor finds a way to encourage students, promote learning, and foster an inclusive and supportive classroom environment.”
Lundeberg’s advisor, Psychology Associate Professor Dan Graham, also noted that Lundeberg has been recognized for her teaching quality with many previous awards and recognitions, including the Carol Baird Scholarship for high performance in social psychology research and Colorado State University’s Group Fitness Instructor of the Year.
Initiative
Lundeberg goes above and beyond her appointment as a graduate assistant, displaying great initiative.
“Pam has prepped and taught at least six unique classes in three years, all while maintaining a full credit load as a doctoral student, completing with distinction all of the course requirements and research obligations within her program,” said Graham. “I have been impressed with the quality of Pam’s work, the initiative that she takes, and how she is able to successfully balance her many, many roles and responsibilities.”
Lundeberg is quick to credit her initiative to undergraduate students with whom she has worked.
“The students I have mentored have been truly stupendous. Their level of passion and commitment is astounding, and they are constantly searching for opportunities to advance their knowledge and develop new skills,” she said. “It is incredibly rewarding to see all their hard work pay off as they succeed in their pursuits.”
Likewise, Lundeberg’s students are eager to praise her teaching abilities.
“Pam is an extremely engaging and passionate instructor,” said Jasmine Guajardo, Lundeberg’s current undergraduate teaching assistant for Psychology of the Individual in Context. “She constantly encourages everyone to participate in ways that are not only useful in understanding material, but also make class genuinely fun. She is accessible and friendly both in class and out, which really makes you feel like she cares about your experience in the class.”
Breadth
The breadth of roles that Lundeberg has taken is also impressive. Over the past three years, Lundeberg has served as an instructor, co-instructor, teaching assistant, teaching fellow, research mentor for undergraduate and graduate students, honors thesis advisor, laboratory supervisor, advisor for CSU’s chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success, and guest lecturer.
“For each course she teaches, Pam has created her own presentations and developed interactive demonstrations, supplemental media, and exam questions,” said Gingerich. “She has also become quite experienced in managing a teaching team consisting of graduate teaching assistants, writing assistants, and undergraduate teaching assistants.”
Lundeberg’s teaching extends beyond academia, as well. Fitness is Lundeberg’s passion outside of psychology, and she is especially partial to any fitness activity that can be done outdoors. She devotes time to teaching boot camp fitness classes at CSU’s Student Recreation Center and kickboxing at the Ascent Studio climbing and fitness facility in Fort Collins.
Lundeberg will be presented with her award at the 2018 CNS Awards Ceremony and Professor Laureate Lecture on Monday, December 3 at 4:30 p.m. in the Cherokee Park Ballroom of the Lory Student Center, with a reception to follow in honor of all award recipients.
