John Gomez, PhD
Professor of Psychology
Moye Hall, Room 408
210-431-6577
jpgomez@ollusa.edu
Areas of Expertise
Clinical psychology (psychological disorders). Research methods and quantitative analysis. College student development, notably career development during the college years. Mentoring and online outreach methods.
Teaching Philosophy
My classroom approach follows three principles: show enthusiasm for teaching, create an engaging environment, and vary the type of instruction. Enthusiasm for teaching and mentoring is paramount in the ability of an educator to connect with students, and it drives students to want to know more about our area of study while fostering an attitude of enthusiasm toward general inquiry and learning. Creating an engaging classroom makes students more likely to pay attention to the material, discovering interesting real-world connections that allow students to grasp the material and connect it to their own lives and daily experiences. Finally, it is important to cater to different learning styles by varying the type of instruction. I try to find relevant videos, GIFs, and images that I can incorporate into my lecture to increase the engagement on certain topics that may otherwise just be a list of vocabulary words on an upcoming exam.
Awards and Honors
- Second-place award in OLLU’s One Percent for Saints Success Challenge for designing “Double Major in Four Years Degree Plans”, May 2023.
- OLLU Fleming Endowed Award (exemplary faculty service), May 2019.
- OLLU 1895 Commemorative Award for Faculty Excellence (superior teaching), May 2018.
Education
- Postdoctoral Study in ethnic minority mental health research, Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- PhD - Psychology, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Master of Arts - in Psychology, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Bachelor of Arts - Psychology, St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas