Haley Keglovits is a fourth-year student in the Cognitive Science doctoral program where she has taught courses at a variety of sizes and levels. Mind, Brain, and Behavior is the department’s flagship course for up to 300 students; Happiness in Philosophy and Psychology, is a course for 40 students across two discussion sections. Keglovits has been a successful TA for both.
In the Mind, Brain, and Behavior course, nominator and Senior Lecturer Elena K. Festa shares, “her natural teaching ability was evident in her talent for engaging students in the classroom.
She immediately connected with the students and had their full attention by framing some high-level concepts about cognitive control in terms of real-life examples that they could appreciate.”
Keglovits’ mentoring style allows students to learn the underlying concepts, rather than just provide answers to set questions. She encourages students to engage with the material, understand it deeply, and apply it in new contexts.
Most recently Keglovits was the instructor for Introduction to Programming, a course that introduces programming to undergraduate concentrators for the first time.
“Like many others, when I was first learning to program I found it very intimidating, so we worked to create a supportive environment where students could gain confidence in their new skills. Watching someone learn a new way of thinking and being with them for that transformation is a really rewarding aspect of teaching to me,” shares Keglovits.
Keglovits has also worked as the in-lab instructor and mentor to multiple undergraduate students engaged in research projects.
“She has been incredibly generous with her time, willing to meet with students both on her team and with others in the lab. Indeed, she is one of the first people all lab members go to with questions or problems in her areas of strength, such as programming and math,” said nominator, Professor and Chair, Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, David Badre.
Additionally, student nominators share that “Haley is the most encouraging, supportive mentor I have ever had the chance to work with,” and “Haley inspired me and many others to tackle even the most challenging concepts with confidence.”
“Being selected for this award is a huge honor, because teaching is something I love doing and find very gratifying. My trajectory in life has been positively shaped by my teachers so I do my best to be a positive influence when I am in that role for others,” says Keglovits.
When not teaching and mentoring, Keglovits is focused on her dissertation work, which uses fMRI and computational models to understand how the human brain supports flexible behavior.
Olivia Lafferty, kristen iemma, Haley Keglovits, and Kristin Kimble received Excellence in Teaching Awards at the University Awards Ceremony on May 1, 2023.