Andrea Christensen, Ph.D.

Andrea Christensen is the Director of Education, Schooling and Society, and teaches core courses and electives for ESS and psychology. She is a former school teacher, who received her bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame in psychology, with a minor in ESS. Andrea received her Ph.D. in the Department of Psychology at Notre Dame under the direction of Julie Turner. While in graduate school, she was the recipient of one of Notre Dame’s prestigious Presidential Fellowships, and she received a Kaneb Center TA Award in recognition of her excellence in teaching. Andrea’s research concerns effective teacher instruction and classroom practices that support student motivation to learn. She is currently working on a project with Julie Turner investigating how teachers’ involvement in long-term, collaborative professional development focused on students’ motivation influences teacher change and subsequently students’ engagement. She has taught courses in both ESS and psychology, to wide acclaim, and she will also teach Development and Moral Education in Childhood and Adolescence for the ACE Teaching Fellows summer program.

Listen to Andrea's episode of Think. Pair. Share. 

Degrees

• 2012 Ph.D., Developmental Psychology, University of Notre Dame
• 2009 M.A., Developmental Psychology, University of Notre Dame

Awards

• 2021 Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, University of Notre Dame
• 2019 Arthur Quigley, Ph.D. Award for dedication to education and service to Northeast neighborhood, Robinson Community Learning Center, South Bend, IN