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Photo of James Olson

James N. Olson, Ph.D.

Professor

Department of Psychology

UT Permian Basin

I want my students to employ informed skepticism and evidence-based criticism of concepts to which they are exposed.

I want to see light bulbs come on. In order to maximize the likelihood that this occurs in my classroom and online courses, I try to create an environment which has as its foundation an unconditional positive regard for the student. I assume each student is competent to learn and that nurturing prompts, encouragement, and positive comments go a long way toward transforming each student's ability into skillful and insightful performance.