Lecturer | Department Coordinator

Jennifer Best, MSEd, CFLE, CFCS, HDFS, BCC

Teaches Developmental Psychology courses and Research Methods. Her specialty is in human growth and development, family sciences, and applied research and evaluation.

Contact Us

Contact Jennifer Best for information on Psychology

Ambrose Hall 220H

563-333-6199

BestJenniferA@sau.edu

Education and Training

Post-Graduate Certification, North Carolina State University, Family Life Coaching
Master of Science in Education, Western Illinois University, Education and Interdisciplinary Studies
Bachelor of Arts, University of Northern Iowa, Psychology

Presentations

School Administrators of Iowa Conference: Therapeutic Services within Multi-Tier Systems of Support: A tool box for transforming supports, Aug. 8, 2024, Des Moines, IA
NAMI Iowa Annual Conference: Therapeutic Classrooms within K-12 Education, Nov. 8, 2023, Des Moines, IA
Iowa BEST (Behavioral, Equitable, Social-Emotional, Trauma Informed Health in Schools) Summit: It’s NOT another thing…Embedding a Therapeutic Classroom within Tier 3 Services in K-12 Education, Oct. 6, 2023, Des Moines, IA
Institute for Person Center Care Annual Conference: Trauma Informed Health Care, March 10, 2022, Davenport, IA
Children Exposed to Violence Conference: Understanding Attachment and its Relationship to Childhood Trauma, March 5, 2020, Moline, IL
Children Exposed to Violence Conference, March 7, 2019, Moline, IL
School Counselor Academy, Western Illinois University, Oct. 12, 2018, Moline, IL
American Evaluation Association Conference, Nov. 9, 2017, Washington, DC
Children Exposed to Violence Conference, March 16, 2017, Moline, IL
National Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning, Center Summer Institute, July 28, 2015, Dallas, Texas

Courses Taught

Lifespan Developmental Psychology
In this course, we explore the forces that shape human lives from conception through death. Students will develop an understanding of how humans change physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally at various points in the lifespan, and how individual differences can modify their developmental trajectories and outcomes. The role of research and theory in guiding our understanding of development across the lifespan will be highlighted throughout the course.

Advanced Child and Adolescent Development
This course is developed to go beyond a general survey of information and instead cover topics that are more in-depth with regard to child and adolescent development. Journal articles and other advanced readings from the discipline of psychology that are related to cognitive, emotional, and social development in children and adolescents will be covered. Students will have opportunities to apply research skills used in the field of developmental psychology to deepen their understanding of different populations studied in this course. The course goes beyond basic identification of different developmental theories for child and adolescent development and focuses on application of theory to understanding the best way to work with groups of children and teens across American cultures from a psychological perspective.

Research Methods
An introduction to research methods used in studying human and animal behavior and cognitive processes. Provides skills for critical evaluation of research literature. Topics include the science of psychology, experimental and non-experimental methods of investigation, ethics in psychological research, internal and external validity and discussion of basic and multiple independent variables designs.

Honors and Awards

Student Success Champion Award, St. Ambrose University, May 2022

Faculty Member of the Month, Department of Resident Life, St. Ambrose University, December 2019 and February 2018

Field Instructor of the Year, Master's in Social Work Program, St. Ambrose University, 2016

Honored by Honors Freshman Recognition, St. Ambrose University, 2016

HUG: Helping Us Grow Award, Davenport Community Schools, 2012

Program of the Year Award, Scott County Sheriff's Department, 2011

Excellence in Extension Program Innovation Award, Iowa State University, 2011