Employee Directory

Heather Scott

Assistant Professor of Psychology and Counselor Education, Department Chair

Gerber Hall 109

Ph.D. Psychology, Grand Canyon University
M.S.Ed. Counseling, Northern State University
B.S. Psychology, Northern State University

Dr. Heather Scott is an assistant professor and department chair with over 20 years of professional experience in higher education. She earned her Ph.D. in psychology from Grand Canyon University, specializing in the integration of technology, learning, and psychology.

Throughout her career, Dr. Scott has held a variety of administrative positions, including assistant vice president for academics, director of institutional research, and director of assessment. She has extensive experience working with specialized programmatic and regional accreditation organizations. Notably, she has served as an institutional liaison for both the Higher Learning Commission and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), preparing documentation and supporting accreditation processes. 
 

Research Interests

• Technology, communication, and learning
• Metacognitive strategies and distance learning
• Socio-emotional presence and distance learning
• Distance learning pedagogy

Service and Organizational Memberships

• American Psychological Association (APA)
• APA Division 15: Educational Psychology
• Association of Counseling Education and Supervision (ACES)
• Assessment Committee, Millicent Atkins School of Education
• Curriculum Committee, Millicent Atkins School of Education
• Faculty Chair of Psychology Club (Student Organization)
• Aberdeen Area Arts Council Board member
   

Chelsee Shortt, CSCS

Assistant Professor of Physical Education & Human Performance, Sports Sciences Department Chair, Faculty Athletics Representative, Strength and Conditioning Program Director

Gerber Building 209

At the University of South Carolina, Dr. Shortt studied physical literacy, K-12 sport and physical activity (PA) policy, and child/adolescent PA behaviors in and out of educational settings. The publication of Dr. Shortt’s dissertation, "Conceptualizing Physical Literacy for Assessment of High School Students in the United States," can be found at University of South Carolina Scholar Commons.

Dr. Shortt is Northern's SPL graduate coordinator, chair of the Sports Sciences Department, and faculty athletic representative. She is a member of the International Physical Literacy Association and serves as a country lead. 

Dr. Shortt is dedicated to enhancing undergraduate and graduate research and providing advanced hands-on learning opportunities at Northern. 

Hyunseok Song

Assistant Professor Sports Science

Gerber Hall 208

Cheryl Wold

Professor of Special Education

Gerber Building 218

Cheng Hsien Wu

Assistant Professor of Teacher Education

Gerber Building 203

Ph.D., Interdisciplinary Education, West Virginia University 

M.A., Educational Psychology, West Virginia University

B.A., Language and Literature in Education, National Taitung University in Taiwan (National Taitung Teachers’ College) (NTTU)

CV

Dr. Cheng Hsien Wu, a certified teacher in Taiwan, joined Northern State University in 2023. She and her husband, Ian, started their U.S. journey in North Carolina in 2003. 

Wu earned a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary education in 2013 from West Virginia University, studying in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Her doctoral concentration was curriculum, literacy and cultural studies and her dissertation was "Resilient Journeys: A Case Study of Why and How Low Income Families Practice Homeschooling." 

In 2007, she earned a master's degree in educational psychology from West Virginia University, studying in the Department of Educational Psychology and College of Human Resources and Education. Her thesis title was "Social Skills Intervention: Improving Peer Interaction for an Asian Child." 

She earned a bachelor's degree in language and literature in education in 1999 from National Taitun University in Taiwan, formerly known as National Taitung Teachers' College or NTTU. Studying in the Department of Liberal Arts, Wu completed an honors thesis in Chinese: "The Characters' Analysis of Hsin Shi His' Adolescent Chapter Books."

From 2014 to 2023, Wu was professor of education at Oklahoma Panhandle State University, where she was named most inspiring professor of the year and served as faculty senate president and education club advisor.

Wu’s research has focused on fostering teacher candidates’ critical thinking within the context of a teacher education program. She emphasizes ways teachers can develop critical consciousness in students, bringing attention to inequalities and promoting social justice at school. Her teaching practices involve culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy.

Research Interests

• Social classes - associating cultures, classes, races, and power to understand advantaged and disadvantaged groups in school
• Homeschooling and school choice programs
• Parental engagement in schooling and education
• Pre-service teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK ) application in school settings 

Awards

• 2023 Most Inspiring Professor of the Year Award from Oklahoma Panhandle State University
• 2017 SOEA (OAEA) Outstanding Local Chapter Advisor Award from Oklahoma Aspiring Educators Association

Professional Associations

• American Psychology Association (APA)
• American Educational Research Association (AERA)
• Eastern Educational Research Association (EERA)
• Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT)

Recent Publications

Wu, C., Kale, U., & Clausell, C. (2014/Winter). WebPACK: Future teachers' plans and practices with emerging tools. Journal for Computing Teachers, 43-54.

Wu, C., Hursh, D. E., Walls, R.T., Stack, S. F., & Lin, I. (2012). The effects of social skills training on the peer interactions of a non-native toddler. Education and Treatment of Children, 35(3), 371-388.

Select Presentations

Wu, C. (2023, February) Exploring Pre-service Teachers’ Technology Integration

Self-Efficacy under the Teacher Education Program at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Educational Research Association, Myrtle Beach, SC

Wu, C. (2022, February) Active Learning Strategies on the Zoom Format, paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Educational Research Association, Clearwater, FL

Wu, C. (2021, April) Seeking Diversity in Oklahoma’s Teacher Preparation Programs and the Teaching Force” panel, OAEA Spring Convention

Wu, C. (2021, February). Culturally Responsive Practice in the Teacher Education Program. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Educational Research Association, Virtual conference

Wu, C. (2020, March) Presentation Tools in an Education Setting. Presenter at OAEA Spring Conference, Lawton, OK

Wu, C. (2020, February) Social Justice Practice in the Teacher Education Program. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Educational Research Association, Orlando, FL

Wu, C. (2018, August) Club-Advising: Lesson Learned. Presentation for Professional Development at Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Wu, C. (2017, October) The experiences sharing from the Outstanding Local Chapter Advisor of SOEA. Presentation for SOEA 2017 Fall conference at University of Central Oklahoma

Proposal Reviewer

2020-2023, February, Eastern Educational Research Association, Myrtle Beach, SC

2022, May, American Educational Research Association Open

Personal Interests

Wu is active in campus events and community activities, through which she learns more about students, colleagues, and the community. At OPSU, Wu played trumpet in concert band and sang in choir, and was involved in production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” at OPSU in the spring of 2022. 

In Aberdeen, Wu plays in a women's volleyball league. Her husband, Ian; older son, Hercules; and younger son, Aristotle, have visited more than 200 national parks! South Dakota is Wu’s fourth state of residence, and she looks forward to learning different cultural perspectives from you, Northern, and the area.

Dawn Zimmerman

Senior Secretary

Gerber Building 125