He received his PhD in 1996 from the University of Colorado at Boulder in Social Psychology. He taught at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin for five years before moving to UHCL. He teaches research methods, statistics, social psychology, and critical thinking in psychology. He has published in several different areas, but his main research interests are in media effects and improving classroom teaching. At UTPB he received the Chancellor�s Council Outstanding Teaching Award and the Golden Windmill Award for junior researchers. He has been the co-director of his university�s Teaching-Learning Enhancement Center and is currently a consulting editor for Teaching of Psychology. He is currently an Executive Director of the Texas Faculty Development Network and organized its first conference in 2007.