Biography

Dr. Hill is a broadly prepared cognitive developmentalist who studies lifespan changes in cognition as an Associate Professor of Psychology at Utah Valley University, tenured in 2018. She is an internationally recognized scholar on teaching and learning and an award-winning educator who incorporates culturally relevant and learner-centered teaching across delivery modalities. All her work centers on student success and improving student learning outcomes, such as when she served as Director of the UVU Excelerate program. Dr. Hill implements high impact practices (HIPs) in her general psychology, cognitive psychology, and principles of learning classes as well as graduate and undergraduate seminars in the teaching of psychology. She also provides HIPs faculty development, such as during her time as Director of Project-Based Learning. A seasoned grant writer and researcher, Dr. Hill was awarded UVU’s first National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation grant. As a strong advocate for women leaders, she co-created the Utah Women's Leadership Exchange and served as the Inaugural Academic Director for UVU's Research Institute at UVU’s Women's Success Center. In recognition, Dr. Hill was awarded UVU's Presidential Award of Excellence for leadership for her work developing women leaders at UVU and throughout the state of Utah and the Faculty Service Award from UVU's Women's Success Center. She has been appointed as one of three Inaugural Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Faculty Fellows, and has recently focused her work providing equitable access to education for marginalized groups, including membership on UVU’s Executive Inclusion Committee. She serves on the Roots of Humanity Board, contributing to their mission of fostering esteem and unity through art and education.

Education

Ph D, Florida State University, 2010

Major: Developmental Psychology

MA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2003

Major: Visual Cognition and Human Performance

BS, Florida State University, 1998

Major: Psychology

Teaching

PSY 3420

Cognitive Psychology WE, Spring 2024

PSY 3420

Cognitive Psychology WE, Spring 2024

Presentations

Hill, Jessi , Overono, Acacia , Taylor, James , Roots of Humanity Foundation, "How we see art is how we see". (March, 2023)
Hill, Jessi , Harrison, Jeremiah , Literacies & Composition Department Faculty Seminar, "Project-based learning". (February, 2023)
Hill, Jessi , Hauck, Nancy , Roots of Knowledge series, "When women lead". (September, 2021)
Perez, June , Hill, Jessi , Utah Valley University Spring Showcase, "Students’ academic achievement with online and face-to-face classes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic". (April, 2021)
Hill, Jessi , Hauck, Nancy , Utah Women in Higher Education Annual Leadership Conference, "Talking about leadership_ The role of formal development programs and mentoring within USHE". (April, 2021)
Hill, Jessi , Hauck, Nancy , Utah Board of Higher Education, "The role of formal development programs and mentoring within USHE". (February, 2021)

Scholarly/Creative Works

Hill, Jessi , Jorgensen, Claudia , Horn, Matt , Wilson-Ashworth, Heather , "Partial versus full implementation of Process-Oriented Guided-Inquiry Learning (POGIL) in psychology course" .
Hill, Jessi , Jorgensen, Claudia , Horn, Matt , Wilson-Ashworth, Heather , "The efficacy of Process-Oriented Guided-Inquiry Learning (POGIL) in large and small psychology courses" .
Wagstaff, Christiana , Leroy, Tatiana , Hill, Jessi , Hopkin, Cameron , Darowski, Emily S., (2023) "Domestic violence among Utah women_ A 2023 update" .
Hill, Jessi , Rinzel, Jill , (2023) "Parts of the brain" .
Hill, Jessi , Toy, Tasha , Christensen, Maren , (2023) "The experiences of Black Utah women" .
Hill, Jessi , Nkunzimana, Liliane , (2023) "The future of education" .

Awards

Champions of Inclusion Award Nominee

Office of Inclusion, Utah Valley University

The UVU Champions of Inclusion Award is designed to recognize UVU Students, Faculty, Staff, Departments, and Community partners who advance the core themes of Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity within the university.

Presidential Award of Excellence Winner (Leadership Category)

Utah Valley University

The University Awards of Excellence program recognizes full-time faculty and staff who dedicate their time and talents to students, scholarship, and the advancement of higher education. Annually, the UVU Board of Trustees elects to recognize four employees for their contributions to strengthening UVU's mission. Additionally, the Presidential Awards of Excellence highlight four more faculty and staff for their efforts in key areas related to UVU's mission, values, and action commitments.

Faculty Service Award Winner

UVU's Women's Success Center - October, 2022

The Faculty Services Award recognizes those faculty at Utah Valley University who embody the Women's Success Center mission through their scholarship, teaching, and services. Their dedication helps the Women's Success Center as we work toward our goal to keep women in.

Best Online Design Nominee

Office of Teaching and Learning

The Flexible Teaching Awards for Best Design and Best Delivery are meant to recognize the exemplary work of online and hybrid faculty at UVU. Awards are selected by peer review within the College Flexible Learning Councils.

Charles L. Brewer Distinguished Teaching of Psychology Award Nominee

American Psychological Association

Teaching Mentorship Award Nominee

Society for the Teaching of Psychology - February, 2021

This award recognizes various forms of mentoring of teachers, including sharing knowledge and expertise, providing support and encouragement, offering feedback on performance, helping to identify opportunities and resources, and serving as a professional role model.