Dr. Heather Haeger
Associate Professor, Educational Policy Studies
Practice and Research Director of the STEM Learning Center Policy
Dr. Heather Haeger is the Research Director for the Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) Learning Center and an Associate Professor in Educational Policy Studies and Practice. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies and Practice from the University of Arizona. From 2011 to 2014, she served as Assistant Research Faculty at Indiana University’s Center for Postsecondary Research, where she contributed to the design and administration of nationally recognized student engagement surveys, including the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE). Her work expanded further at California State University, where she was Associate Director of Educational Research at the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center from 2014 to 2021. There, she led multiple large-scale grant initiatives, including National Science Foundation (NSF) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) programs and U.S. Department of Education Title III HSI-STEM and Articulation Programs, all aimed at increasing STEM degree attainment among historically marginalized populations. As principal investigator, she also mentored undergraduate researchers through the STEM Education Research Group, advancing equity-driven evaluation efforts for these grants. Her research is focused on equity in educational practices and barriers to full participation in STEM education. Her research is used to inform programmatic interventions aimed at engaging students that have been traditionally marginalized in higher education and creating more inclusive and culturally responsive STEM learning environments.
"I love creating games and activities for students to work through concepts and seeing these games being used on other campuses and seeing students enjoying them and learning through them brings me a lot of joy."
Who do you draw inspiration from and why?
My grandmother inspires me as an educator and as a person. She taught kindergarten for decades at Ochoa Elementary School in Tucson and was an educator to her core. She saw everything as an opportunity to learn and trusted students to direct their learning through curiosity and play.
What are one or two accomplishments of which you are most proud?
I love creating games and activities for students to work through concepts and seeing these games being used on other campuses and seeing students enjoying them and learning through them brings me a lot of joy. I recently published my first book, which is available through the UA Library and features one of my games "Sticky Situations: An Ethical Decision-Making Game.”
"My grandmother inspires me as an educator and as a person — she saw everything as an opportunity to learn and trusted students to direct their learning through curiosity and play."
What advice would you give to your younger self?
To embrace failure and mistakes as part of the learning process.
What is something you are working on currently that you’re excited about?
I have just wrapped up a couple larger projects including working with a cohort of incredible scholars in the Research on Educational Equity and Diversity in STEM Postdoctoral Fellow Program. I'm excited to see what's next.