2025 Award Recipients

Each year, STP’s Committee on Teaching Awards reviews applications and selects recipients for the Excellence in Teaching Awards in six categories. Award winners will be honored during STP’s Annual Conference on Teaching. 

STP Committee on Teaching Awards congratulates the outstanding teachers of psychology who are recipients of this year’s awards:

STP Committee on Teaching Awards congratulates the outstanding teachers of psychology who are recipients of this year’s awards:

The recipient of the Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award is Amy Rouleau, an adjunct professor at both Eastern Michigan University and Baker College.  Amy’s teaching philosophy centers on creating an inclusive, student-focused learning environment that empowers students to become lifelong learners, critical thinkers, and compassionate individuals. In her classes, she emphasizes active engagement, differentiated instruction, and constructive feedback to support diverse learning needs and foster growth. She prioritizes cultivating critical thinking by encouraging inquiry, linking theory to practice, and promoting intellectual risk-taking in a safe, supportive classroom. Her goal is to make education a transformative experience that inspires students to reach their full potential and contribute meaningfully to society. 

The recipient of the Jane S. Halonen Teaching Excellence Award for faculty in their first 10 years of teaching is Molly Metz, an Associate Professor in the Psychology department at the University of Toronto. Molly views learning as a collaborative conversation shaped by students’ diverse needs and backgrounds and her teaching is highly adaptive to course context and student needs, with assessments designed for transparency, authenticity, and active engagement. Evidence from student evaluations and colleagues’ observations confirms the effectiveness of her approach, highlighting lasting impacts on students’ skills, confidence, and academic performance beyond the classroom. Molly has been formally recognized for her outstanding teaching numerous times and has received several teaching awards. 

The recipient of the Robert S. Daniel Teaching Excellence Award for 4-year college and university faculty is Kristi Multhaup, a Vail Professor of Psychology at Davidson College. Kristi is an exceptional educator whose teaching is marked by innovation, clarity, fairness, and genuine care for her students. She is celebrated for creating community-based service learning projects, supervising student research that leads to competitive grants and publications, and earning national recognition such as the Women in Cognitive Science Mentorship Award. Her scholarship in Teaching of Psychology and related outlets, along with NSF-funded projects and participation in best practices conferences, demonstrates her commitment to advancing teaching and learning. Beyond the college, she engages the public through talks, outreach, and media appearances, making psychology accessible and impactful for a wide audience. 

The recipient of the Wayne Weiten Teaching Excellence Award for 2-year college faculty is Ladonna Lewis, a residential faculty member at Glendale Community College. Ladonna is a highly accomplished teacher, mentor, and scholar whose work has had a transformative impact on psychology education at the community college and national levels. She has received numerous awards and multiple campus teaching honors in recognition of her instructional excellence across diverse courses and modalities. Her extensive scholarship on teaching -including publications on Black Psychology, community college pedagogy, and national guidelines for undergraduate psychology - has shaped the field and provided valuable resources for educators. She has served in influential leadership roles through APA committees, task forces, and national conferences, advancing diversity, equity, and best practices in psychology education. 

The recipient of the Wilbert J. McKeachie Teaching Excellence Award for graduate students is Joshua Lovett, a Ph.D. candidate in Community and Applied Developmental Psychology at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Josh is an exceptional educator and scholar whose teaching, mentorship, and leadership consistently earn top evaluations and multiple honors, including UIC’s Graduate Student Excellence in Teaching & Mentoring Award. He inspires student interest in psychology through high-impact outreach and mentorship, evidence-based workshops, and innovative course design. A builder of teaching culture, he founded a TA support group, created department-wide resources on accessibility and active learning, and leads campus initiatives in partnership with the Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence. His scholarly record demonstrates rigor and a commitment to advancing teaching and learning. 

The recipient of the Mary Margaret Moffett Teaching Excellence Award for high school teachers is Paula Hylton from the Cannon School in North Carolina. Paula is a dedicated psychology educator whose passion and vision have transformed her school’s program into one of the strongest in the region. A respected leader and mentor, she has inspired change across her school community, from influencing homework policies to spearheading professional development initiatives and fostering a culture of lifelong learning. She has built a thriving psychology curriculum that now includes four sections of AP Psychology and a handcrafted Honors Psychology course. Paula’s impact extends beyond campus through conference presentations, collaboration with national organizations, and mentoring colleagues in psychology education. Above all, she continues to shape future generations, with countless students crediting her with sparking their passion for psychology and pursuing the field in college and beyond.

List of Past Award Recipients: 1980-present

Call for Applications

The Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP; Division 2 of the American Psychological Association) announces its 2025 awards program for outstanding teachers of psychology. Consistent with our Mission Statement and the Statement on Addressing Systemic Racism and Inequity in STP, we encourage applications from colleagues who are from underrepresented groups and have diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Awardees will receive either a monetary award of $1500 or up to $1500 in travel reimbursement for attending STP's Annual Conference on Teaching during the award year and a plaque for outstanding performance in each of six categories:

Applicants are eligible to apply for only one award each year. Applicants should be currently teaching. The applicant must compile all documentation in support of the application. Responsibility for accumulating supporting documentation cannot be assumed by the STP Awards Committee. 

Winners will be notified in advance. The awards will be presented during a special STP ceremony to be held in a public manner appropriate for the prestige of the award. 

First-time applicants who do not receive an award will be contacted by the Chair of the committee during the following fall, at which time they may opt to have their applications rolled over to the next award year. Applicants whose status has changed may not be eligible to roll over their application from the previous year into the same category (e.g., graduate students who graduated would no longer be eligible for the McKeachie award). Applicants may update their materials before the next deadline. If, after being held over for another year, applicants do not win an award, they may update their materials and re-submit them in the appropriate category. Applicants who do not opt to roll over their applications will not be reviewed the subsequent year. 

The deadline for submissions is January 15 of the award year.

Application Criteria

Please review the award-specific criteria.

Materials to be submitted

1. Cover sheet (prepared by the applicant) that includes: 

Applicant’s name, address, telephone number, and email address;
Category of award for which the person is applying

• Wayne Weiten Teaching Excellence Award (2-year college)
  
• Mary Margaret Moffett Memorial Teaching Excellence Award (high school)
  
• Wilbert J. McKeachie Teaching Excellence Award (graduate student)
  
• Jane S. Halonen Teaching Excellence Award (early career)
  
• Robert S. Daniel Award (4-year college)
  
• Adjunct Award

Name and address of who (Department Head, Principal, Supervisor) should be informed if the applicant wins the STP Teaching Award; 
Specific teaching duties
A short (1 to 2 page) summary of the evidence being presented and its bearing on each criterion for the award.

2. Evidence of STP membership for the current membership year (e.g., include a PDF of membership card).

3. Current curriculum vitae that includes:

educational history of applicant
professional work history
membership in professional organizations
previous recognition or awards
publications and presentation, and participation in professional development activities or conferences (e.g., as presenter or attendee). 

4. Letters of recommendation from at least three (3), but not more than five (5), persons, each of whom can speak to the qualifications of the applicant in light of the appropriate criteria. (Note:  Letter writers are not required to be STP members.  The applicant collects and includes the letters in the submission packet.)

5. Statement of teaching philosophy (a maximum of two double-spaced pages).

6. Evidence to illustrate award criteria, with a brief narrative (limited to 500 words) for each criterion presented.

Instructions for applicants to submit these materials (Requires login)

Contact

For more information, please contact the Director of Awards at teaching-awards@teachpsych.org.

Fund for Excellence

The Fund for Excellence is an endowment fund that devotes its earnings to supporting the STP Excellence in Teaching Awards and other awards and grants programs. The Fund's assets are derived entirely from donations from generous individuals and organizations that seek to promote and recognize excellence in the teaching of psychology. Korn (2009) describes the establishment of the Fund.

Your online, tax-deductible donation would be greatly appreciated!