Susan Wagner Cook
Associate Professor
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
PhD, University of Chicago
Joined UI faculty in 2008

I appreciate your consideration for the opportunity to serve on the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee (UEPCC). I am a psychologist who studies learning and communication. I earned my undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Chicago, in Mathematics and Psychology (2000) and in Psychology (2006), after which I completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Rochester. I joined the University of Iowa as an assistant professor in 2008.

Undergraduate education is the backbone of any university. It is also an area where institutions must balance enduring values with changing conditions for student success. For example, the rapid spread of generative AI raises questions about assessment and academic integrity while also highlighting the need to support students’ critical use and evaluation of AI outputs. At the same time, growing student mental health concerns and basic-needs pressures can make it difficult to sustain appropriate rigor while building the flexibility students need. I would be excited for the opportunity to contribute to thoughtful, evidence-informed deliberation on curriculum and policy decisions on UEPCC.

My commitment to undergraduate education is grounded in my experience of teaching and mentoring. I have taught courses that vary in format and class size, from large lectures to lab-based upper-level courses. Each semester, I also supervise 4–6 undergraduate research assistants in my lab, supporting their development as scholars and collaborators. In recognition of this work, I received the 2024 Honors Mentoring Award. As an instructor, I have pursued a range of professional development opportunities to strengthen my own teaching and to better understand how students experience my courses. These include participation in Center for Teaching workshops and serving as a pilot user of the Course Activity Insight dashboard. I am always experimenting with course designs and have implemented multiple instructional technology tools to support learning, feedback, and engagement (e.g., Team-Based-Learning Tools, Note Depot, and Top Hat).

My research interests also align with the work of UEPCC. My scholarship examines the cognitive processes that support learning and communication, with one particular focus on mathematics learning. Bridging levels from the individual learner to curricular and policy choices is an exciting challenge, because what is effective in one classroom or course sequence may look different across programs and student populations.

As a member of UEPCC, I will work to support collaborative, evidence-informed deliberation. I bring a research perspective from learning and communication, practical experience across course formats, and an appreciation for the complexity of translating evidence into policy in instructional contexts. I would value the opportunity to contribute to the committee’s work in support of student success.

Andrew Forbes

Professor, Department of Biology

PhD, University of Notre Dame

Joined UI faculty in 2010

Hi there. I’m excited to have been nominated for the UEPCC. I’ve been at Iowa for 16 years now and I have found great fulfillment in opportunities to make contributions to the broader undergraduate experience in CLAS. Though I run an active research lab here in Biology and greatly enjoy my scholarly work, I think those who know me well would agree that I care just as much about student learning here at Iowa. I’m particularly interested in how we can use curricular design and our positions as teachers and mentors to foster intrinsic motivation among students (as opposed to relying on the extrinsic motivation of grades and GPA). In other words, I want to find ways for Iowa’s students to learn to love learning itself. I’ve seen an organic push in this direction across campus, and I would sit on UEPCC determined to support policies that encourage creativity in pedagogy and curricular design (both at the course and departmental level). 

My bona fides: 1) I served once previously on UEPCC (2017-2020) and was its secretary for some of that period; 2) I practice what I preach: I have incorporated many student-focused teaching strategies into my own classes, including active/team learning, “ungrading,” discussion-based coursework, and exploration-based science labs; 3) I have played a significant role in curricular design at a programmatic level, both here in Biology and in the former Environmental Sciences program, the latter which I directed / co-directed for almost a decade; 4) along with the inimitable Jen Sterling over in American Studies / SJMC, I started a faculty learning community focused on the role of assessment in learning; we studied equity-focused approaches to grading and successfully recommended to UEPCC the new (and far more learning-focused) CLAS rules for grading systems: https://resource.clas.uiowa.edu/grades-undergraduate-policies-and-guidelines; 5) most recently I served as the faculty chair of the General Education Curriculum Committee, where we focused our efforts on communicating and celebrating the critical importance of the general education program and helped start the annual “CLAS Teaching Showcase” (everyone should go next fall – it is really fun!). 

Thank you for considering me as one of your representatives.

Shawn Goodman

Associate Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders

David Gooblar

Associate Professor, English

Director, General Education Literature

PhD in English, University College London

Joined UI Faculty in 2015

I am honored to be considered for a position on the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee (UEPCC). I’ve devoted the past decade of my career to improving teaching in higher education; I’d love the chance to do my part to help improve education across Iowa’s classrooms.

I began my career at Iowa as a Lecturer in the Rhetoric department, where I taught for four years. After a year as the Associate Director of Temple University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching, I returned to Iowa in 2020 on the tenure track, as an Assistant Professor with a split appointment in English and GWSS. In 2024, I moved my line entirely to English.

I teach classes on American literature, on writing, and on higher education. In all of my classes, I strive to center students and their goals for themselves. I invite students to bring their whole selves into class, to imagine how their education can transform their lives, to see themselves as part of a community of learners that helps them all succeed. My research and scholarship is mainly about teaching and learning; I work hard to build my courses on a foundation of evidence as to how best to help students learn. 

This past fall, I began serving as Director of the General Education Literature (GEL) program. The program administers 150 sections of The Interpretation of Literature across the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Taken by approximately 3,000 Iowa undergraduates every year, the course is a crucial part of the GE CLAS Core, helping students develop their skills in reading, writing about, and discussing literary texts. In my role, I supervise the instructors—most of whom are graduate students—who teach the course, and work with them to improve their teaching. I teach two courses (Teaching Literature I and II) that help graduate instructors new to GEL understand fundamental pedagogical ideas and develop as teachers. 

I am the author of two books about universities and teaching. My latest book, One Classroom at a Time, makes the case that if universities want to increase equitable outcomes, they should invest in better teaching practices. We know so much about how teaching can help all of our students succeed; that knowledge too seldom makes its way to the administrators and committee members who shape university policy. As a member of UEPCC, I would push for policy and curriculum changes that make it easier for faculty to be better teachers, look for ways to continue to advance equity efforts, and hold the line against austerity, AI adoption, and anticipatory obedience.

Kendra Strand
Associate Professor, Japanese Program
Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures
Joint Appointment in the UI Center for the Book
PhD, Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Michigan
Joined UI Faculty in 2016

I am honored to be considered for a seat on the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee (UEPCC). I teach Japanese literature and visual culture at all undergraduate levels, including two GE courses. I love being in the classroom and, while I have advised MFA and PhD students from programs in Literary Translation, English, Dance, and the Center for the Book, my primary commitments are to undergraduate education. 

I have benefited from consistent engagement with the Office of Teaching, Learning & Technology, both as a participant and later as an occasional presenter in their Early Career Faculty Academy, Course Design Institutes, and Faculty Learning Community programs. Most recently, I participated in the first World Language Pathways Faculty Learning Community, where I adapted a course that would be among the first to be offered for the World Language and Cultural Exploration GE at UI. 

In my teaching, I prioritize projects that encourage students to develop critical thinking skills through a process of experiential learning, in which students make intellectual connections between the course themes and their academic and professional interests through self-designed research. I am also committed to reducing barriers in education through strategies such as using open access materials and building accessibility into assignments. I try to model resilience and creativity while remaining transparent and realistic about my experiences as a person with learning disabilities. 

As a faculty member in the Japanese Program, I have taken on a leading role in the recent formation of the Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures (LLLC). In the year leading up to the transition (2024-25), I served on a working group to draft a new Manual of Operations and Procedures for LLLC. I have since turned my focus more specifically to issues of undergraduate education by serving on the LLLC Undergraduate Recruitment and Retention Committee and by participating in a departmental working group dedicated to fostering effective and excellent teaching. I have appreciated each of these opportunities to learn more about the fifteen areas housed in what is now among the largest departments in CLAS. I am continually impressed by the range of teaching and pedagogy practices that each area has developed, and I have found the collaboration that goes into identifying common needs and implementing practices to support a balance of autonomy and consistency across the department deeply rewarding. 

Having also served on the CLAS Faculty Assembly for nine years (the latter three as an elected representative from Humanities), and one year as interim DUS in the former Department of Asian and Slavic Languages and Literatures, I am eager to apply my recent experiences at the collegiate level by serving on the UEPCC, particularly in student retention through access and empowerment.

Jean-François Charles

Associate Professor of Composition & Digital Media

School of Music

PhD in Music, Harvard University

MSc in Electrical Engineering, Institut National des Sciences Appliquées, Lyon, France

Joined UI Faculty in 2016

Dedicated to helping every student learn and develop their personal projects during their time at the University of Iowa, I am honored to have been nominated to serve on the Undergraduate Educational Policy & Curriculum Committee. 

As a member of the UEPCC, I will prioritize choices that help students develop curiosity, critical thinking, and the ability to work as part of a team, because these are crucial in professional life. An important goal of mine is that, despite the growing influence of private artificial intelligence companies in the education field, we offer students the best opportunities to learn and grow as independent thinkers in their communities. I will prioritize the nurturing of critical thinking and human creativity and the development of authentic reading and writing practices, which allow students to think, feel, and learn. Whenever possible, I will advocate for the reinforcement and the development of hands-on, experiential learning, labs, and research opportunities.

Since I started teaching at the University of Iowa in 2016, I created four new undergraduate courses focusing on helping the student develop projects at the crossroads of music and technology. These courses include MUS:3280 The Spectral Nature of Sound, MUS:3285 Creating New Musical Instruments, and MUS:2820 Electronic Music Production. The latter course is designed to help any student who already makes music using their computer develop listening and technical skills to improve the quality of their productions. This is the first course dedicated to undergraduate students that has been taught in the School of Music’s Electronic Music Studios (previously, only 4000+ courses were taught there).

This year, I have worked on a new version of MUS:2800 Introduction to Coding for Interactive Arts, which was recently approved for General Education credit. In this course, the students develop software and hardware components for art installations; during the second part of the semester, they work in teams to create original works and present them at an end-of-the-semester Interactive Arts Fair.

Involving under-graduate students in research can make a huge difference in their University of Iowa journey. In 2024-25, an under-graduate student and I were awarded an Office for Under-Graduate Research grant to assist with the production of a short musical film. This helped me realize that the OUR program is among our college’s greatest assets to prepare students for their professional careers.

Dedicated to course accessibility, I work regularly to ensure my teaching materials are compliant with official guidelines. More importantly, I keep improving the accessibility of my courses by designing more meaningful learning experiences and by making my materials more integrated and multisensorial.

I hope that my extensive international experience and my dual education in arts and sciences will be assets to serve all students with equity and compassion.

T.J. Dedeaux-Norris

Associate Professor, School of Art, Art History & Design

Faculty, African American Studies

EdD Candidate, Maharishi International University

MFA, Yale University

BA, University of California, Los Angeles

I am honored to be nominated for service on the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee. As an Associate Professor in the School of Art, Art History & Design and faculty member in African American Studies, my work bridges studio practice, cultural inquiry, and institutional leadership. My doctoral studies in Transformational Leadership and Coaching at Maharishi International University further deepen my commitment to undergraduate curriculum as both an intellectual framework and a developmental ecosystem for students.

I served as Area Head of Painting and Drawing from 2022 until 2025, when I stepped away upon receiving a Professional Development Award to support my appointment as a Rome Prize Fellow at the American Academy in Rome. During my time as Area Head, I worked closely with our undergraduate advisor to reassess curriculum, evaluate course sequencing, and clarify learning outcomes in order to strengthen student pathways and program coherence. That work required collaboration, transparency, and steady leadership during a period of transition.

I also played an active role in discussions surrounding the proposed School of Social Inquiry, investing time in thought partnership with colleagues and engaging broader community concerns when the Board of Regents proposed changes to our curriculum. Throughout that process, I remained curious and hopeful, committed to protecting academic integrity while imagining innovative and sustainable undergraduate structures.

My own educational path from community college to UCLA and later to Yale University has shaped my deep belief in the transformative power of undergraduate education. I understand firsthand how curriculum can expand confidence, sharpen critical thinking, and cultivate a sense of belonging.

Through my doctoral work in leadership and systems thinking, I have developed a broader institutional lens that strengthens my ability to evaluate policy, group dynamics, and curricular impact at scale. I am particularly interested in:

• Supporting interdisciplinary undergraduate pathways that integrate creative practice with critical and cultural inquiry
• Strengthening assessment models that measure both technical proficiency and intellectual development
• Encouraging high-impact learning practices that foster adaptability, agency, and reflective thinking
• Helping departments navigate change with clarity, collaboration, and long-term vision

I believe I am well positioned at this moment to contribute meaningfully to UEPCC. My combined experience as a faculty leader, internationally exhibiting artist, Rome Prize Fellow, and doctoral candidate in leadership equips me with both on-the-ground knowledge and big-scope systems awareness. I am prepared to support the University, the College, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in strengthening undergraduate education with care and strategic insight.

If elected, I would approach this work with diligence, collaborative spirit, and a commitment to thoughtful governance. Undergraduate curriculum is not static policy; it is the architecture through which students learn to think, create, and lead.