Michael Marsiske, Ph.D.

Hear how I pronounce my name

Courses Taught

Teaching Philosophy

I consider myself primarily a researcher, with principal interests in (a) longitudinal methodology and statistics, (b) development of assessment instruments to measure everyday cognitive functioning in older adults, and (c) evaluation of intervention approaches to improve and maintain late-life cognitive function. These interests have come together in my teaching, which is focused on measurement, statistics, and cognitive aging. Beginning in 2013, I shifted my classes to hybrid or “flipped” learning. Students received didactic information in short videos that they watched (and passed mastery quizzes on) prior to coming to class. In class, students work in small (assigned) groups to conduct collaborative data analysis and interpretation on authentic, real-world data sets. This approach turned out to be a watershed moment, in that it improved my motivation to teach, and improved student outcomes (detailed below). It also motivated me to increase my participation in teaching-related continuing education. The core tenets of my teaching philosophy, reflected in my blended learning classes, are: (a) andragogy, recognizing that graduate students are adult learners with rich experiences, and a desire for practical knowledge; (b) depth maximization, meaning that I aim for higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy (application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation); and (c) problem-based learning, meaning that I aim to support applied users who can deploy what I have taught in the problems that confront them in research and practice. I believe in continuous quality improvement, and survey students mid-semester and end-of-semester, making responsive changes to my classes based on feedback. With regard to educational leadership, my role has primarily been as a facilitator (assisting my colleagues with e-learning, academic technology, and awareness of blended learning). My goal is to inform colleagues of evidence-based best teaching methods. With regard to educational leadership. I have already played a coordinator role in my department (coordinating teaching evaluations), and I have served on the college’s Teaching Excellence and Blended Learning committees. I also direct an NIH-funded training grant in aging research.

Areas of Interest

• Cognitive Aging
• Cognitive interventions
• Longitudinal research design and data analysis
• Social determinants of racial and ethnic disparities in late-life cognition

Academic Articles

Presentations