Rate My Professor David Feldon

David Feldon serves as Honorary Professor in the School of Education at the University of Newcastle, Australia, following his appointment after serving as a Fulbright Scholar funded by the university during 2025. He concurrently holds the position of Professor in the Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences at Utah State University since 2017. Feldon's academic background includes a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Southern California in 2004, an M.S.Ed. in Instructional Technology from the same institution in 1999, and a B.A. in Cognitive Science with a minor in Philosophy from Johns Hopkins University in 1997. His career history features leadership roles such as Director of Graduate Program Assessment and Development at Utah State University from 2016 to 2017 and Director of the STE²M Center from 2013 to 2016. Previous appointments include Associate Professor at the University of Virginia from 2012 to 2013, Assistant Professor positions at Washington State University from 2008 to 2009 and the University of South Carolina from 2005 to 2008, and postdoctoral fellowships at UCLA and USC from 2004 to 2005.

Feldon's research centers on the development of expertise in STEM disciplines, cognitive components of problem-solving and instruction, research skill development in graduate students, cognitive load theory, and instructional design using simulations and mixed methods. He has published key works such as "Graduate students’ teaching experiences improve their methodological research skills" in Science (2011), "Null effects of boot camps and short-format training for Ph.D. students in life sciences" in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017), and "Cognitive load as motivational cost" in Educational Psychology Review (2019). As principal investigator or co-investigator, he has obtained major National Science Foundation grants exceeding $7 million, including projects on STEM workforce trajectories and biology doctorate skill progressions. Awards include the 2019 American Educational Research Association Division D Award for Significant Contribution to Educational Measurement and Research Methodology, Utah State University Researcher of the Year in 2017 and 2018, and an invitation as panelist for the National Academies of Sciences on graduate STEM education. Feldon has edited Instructional Science, served on editorial boards for Educational Researcher and CBE—Life Sciences Education, and delivered a guest lecture at the University of Newcastle in April 2025 on mixed methods in measurement.