Biography
McCollum received his doctorate from Simon Fraser University in the Greater Vancouver Region of British Columbia, Canada and has worked at universities in Canada and the United States. He has published more than 50 papers and book chapters in the fields of muon spin spectroscopy, chemistry education research, and the scholarship on teaching and learning.
In 2019, McCollum was inducted into the 3M National Teaching Fellowship, Canada’s highest honor for educational leadership and excellence in teaching in Higher Education.
Dr. McCollum also serves as the College of Science’s Associate Dean of Student Success in STEM.
Research Statement
The McCollum Research Group supports student success through Chemistry Education Research (CER) and creating resources that support the application of evidence-based instructional methods.
One of the group’s research areas focuses on student development of representational competencies in chemistry and the connection to academic reading and student achievement. Team members employ a variety of research methods – both quantitative and qualitative – to investigate human experience in the learning process.
Awards
Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations Distinguished Teaching Award (2021)
MRU Student Association Open Education Champion Award (2020)
3M National Teaching Fellowship (2019)
MRU Undergraduate Research Supervision Award (2019)
Alberta Institutes and Colleges Faculties Associations’ Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award (2012)