Dr. Kathryn O鈥橳oole knew North Park was the right fit for her because of the close-knit community among students, faculty, and staff. 鈥淚 eschew the traditional instructor-student relationship, in which the teacher teaches and the student listens, in favor of one that is more cooperative, collaborative, and bidirectional,鈥� she says.
Teaching is her passion, and she finds that North Park excels at fostering the professional growth and development of its professors. 鈥淭his support allows me to strengthen my pedagogy,” she says, “which in turn benefits the students.鈥�
O鈥橳oole believes that the variety of psychology courses offered meet the needs of all students. 鈥淣on-majors will benefit by developing critical thinking skills and applying psychology to their own lives,鈥� she says. Psychology majors will also develop scientific thinking skills to prepare them for success in graduate school and their future careers.
Many of O鈥橳oole鈥檚 students gain experiential learning through internships in Chicago at nonprofits, hospitals, businesses, and schools. “I like to point out opportunities for students to apply what they learn in the classroom to the Chicago context,鈥� says O鈥橳oole.