Teomara Rutherford

Associate Professor

Dr. Teomara (Teya) Rutherford is an Associate Professor in the School of Education affiliated with the Learning Sciences PhD specialization and the Educational Statistics and Research Methods (ESRM) PhD. She received her PhD in Learning, Cognition, and Development from University of California, Irvine, her JD from Boston University School of Law, and her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Computers in the Classroom from Florida International University. Dr. Rutherford’s research focuses on learning and motivation, especially in STEM and in digital contexts.

Dr. Rutherford has been awarded over 5M in federal grants as PI or Co-PI and has published in outlets such as Contemporary Educational Psychology, Learning and Instruction, and Computers and Education. Her most recent National Science Foundation-funded project examines students’ in-the-moment motivations and emotions as they work within a digital mathematics learning tool. View her lab website, her Google Scholar profile, and follow her on Twitter at @DrTeyaR.

Dr. Rutherford is actively recruiting graduate students and undergraduate students interested in working on her research projects in the following areas:

• STEM Motivation
• Online STEM Courses
• Learning Analytics and Data Science
• Coding and CS Education
• Self-Regulated Learning
• Executive Functions and Working Memory

Interested students are encouraged to contact Dr. Rutherford by email. Summer research opportunities are available.