Daniels Program team presents at top research conference

Members from Liberty University’s Daniels Program had the opportunity to present their research at the Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching and Learning in Newport Beach, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 20. Liberty was the only student team accepted to present at the conference this year.

The Daniels Program, housed under the Department of Psychology, gives students the opportunity to collaborate with faculty on a variety of research projects intended to solve real-world problems. Through the program, students improve their research skills and grow their passion for excellence in the area of psychology.

This is the first time that Liberty University has presented at the Lilly Conference. The conference provides a forum for professionals to share and model a scholarly approach to teaching and learning. Students and faculty present their research during 100-minute workshops, 50-minute sessions, 20-minute sessions, traditional plenary addresses, 30-minute round table discussions, and poster sessions. Presentations are selected through a blind peer-review process.

Liberty’s team presented a 20-minute session on the relationship between gaming addictive behavior, student housing, satisfaction, and success in computer-based learning. The team included senior Sisi Heidorn, senior Kaitlyn Radka, and alumna Ariel Ligowski, who finished her B.S. in Psychology in December. Ligowski is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Columbia University.

Dr. Marlene Carrilho, associate dean in School of Behavioral Sciences, was the faculty advisor for the team’s research.

“This is a great opportunity for our students, especially at the undergraduate level, to gain experience and begin building their résumés,” she said. “The majority of our Daniels Program students will continue their studies in graduate programs. Presentations and publications are very significant in this field, and we try to provide our students with as many opportunities as possible to help them grow as young professionals.”

• Read more about the Daniels Program and other health degrees in the latest issue of the Liberty Journal.