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Acacia Overono

Faculty Member

Dr. Acacia Overono

Biography

Acacia is an Associate Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Utah Valley University. Her research focuses on how multimodality and retrieval influence the way we learn and remember information. Her research and teaching mutually inform each other, with creative and evidence-based practices in her classroom and with research in collaboration with students in her lab. She is also the current chair of the Psychology & Counseling department.

Education

PhD, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2019

Major: Cognitive Psychology

MS, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2015

Major: Cognitive Psychology

BS, University of California, San Diego, 2012

Major: Cognitive Science

Teaching

PSY 3425

Cognitive Psychology Lab, Summer 2025

PSY 490R

Independent Studies, Summer 2025

PSY 3425

Cognitive Psychology Lab, Spring 2025

PSY 4850

Introduction to Pedagogy, Spring 2025

Presentations

Marsh, Corin (Presenter & Author), Short, Brianna (Presenter & Author), Alkhatib, Shurouq , Atkinson, Marissa , Overono, Acacia (Author Only), Western Psychological Association Annual Convention, "Array". (May 2, 2025)
Moreno, Hugo (Presenter & Author), Reese, Jacob , Overono, Acacia , Rocky Mountain Psychological Association Annual Convention, " Exploring Perfectionism, Religiosity, and Internalized Negative Feelings in an Open Enrollment College ". (April 12, 2025)
Array, Marissa Atkinson (Presenter & Author), Marsh, Corin , Short, Brianna , Alkhatib, Shurouq , Overono, Acacia , SCULPT Showcase, "Array". (April 8, 2025)
McDougal, Tyler (Presenter & Author), Lingwall, Joseph , Overono, Acacia , SCULPT Showcase, "Array". (April 8, 2025)
Overono, Acacia , UVU's Teaching with Technology Tune-Up, "Experiencing the Potential and Pitfalls of AI with Google's Teachable Machine", Office of Teaching and Learning, UVU. (November 20, 2024)
Overono, Acacia , UVU's 2024 Symposium on Teaching and Learning_ Research and Practice, "AI Disclosure Statements". (March, 2024)

Scholarly/Creative Works

Clark, Spenser A, Rivers, Michelle L, Overono, Acacia L, (2025) "The role of answer justification in multiple-choice testing_ Effects on performance and metacognitive accuracy" . Behavioral Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15040477
Overono, Acacia , Ditta, Annie , (2024) "The Use of AI Disclosure Statements in Teaching_ Developing Skills for Psychologists of the Future" . Teaching of Psychology.
Overono, Acacia , (2024) "Exploring the Impact of Required Justifications in Multiple-Choice Elaboration Questions on Student Experiences and Performance" . Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Overono, Acacia , Ditta, Annie S, (2023) "The Rise of Artificial Intelligence_ A Clarion Call for Higher Education to Redefine Learning and Reimagine Assessment" . College Teaching.
Overono, Acacia , (2023) "The AI-lephant in the Room_ Discussing AI as a way of knowing with UVU Students" .
Overono, Acacia , James, Kelsey K, Storm, Benjamin C, (2021) "A little can go a long way_ giving learners some context can enhance the benefits of pretesting" (Issue: 9, vol. 29). Memory. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2021.1974048

Awards

Provost's Student Success Award

Utah Valley University - March, 2025

The Provost's Student Success Award recognizes outstanding contributions by UVU faculty and staff in fostering student achievement, engagement, and overall success.

Higher Education Academy - Fellow

Higher Education Academy - November, 2022

Higher Education Academy - Associate Fellow

Higher Education Academy - April, 2021