Rate My Professor Heather Heager

Heather Haeger is an Associate Professor of Educational Policy Studies and Practice in the College of Education and Research Director of the STEM Learning Center at The University of Arizona. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies and Practice, an M.A. in Higher Education, and a B.A. in Psychology, all from The University of Arizona. Haeger's professional career emphasizes equity and inclusion in higher education, particularly in STEM fields. From 2011 to 2014, she worked as Assistant Research Faculty at Indiana University’s Center for Postsecondary Research, where she designed and administered student engagement surveys such as the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE). From 2014 to 2021, she served as Associate Director of Educational Research at the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center at California State University, Monterey Bay, acting as Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Hispanic Serving Institution grant titled Inclusive and Integrative STEM Education through Undergraduate Research, and Co-Principal Investigator on a U.S. Department of Education Title III HSI-STEM grant. Additionally, from 2016 to 2020, she was Assessment and Research Coordinator for the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), developing assessment tools, studying faculty mentoring in tenure processes, and leading studies on undergraduate research impacts for first-generation and low-income STEM students.

Her research interests focus on equity in educational practices, barriers to participation in STEM education, and developing inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments. Haeger has made significant contributions through publications, including the book Designing and Implementing a Successful Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Program (2024, Routledge) co-authored with H. E. Unruh, J. E. Banks, and W. Dong; “Participation in Undergraduate Research Reduces Equity Gaps in STEM Graduation Rates” (CBE—Life Sciences Education, 2024); “Steps Towards Decolonizing Study Abroad: Host Communities’ Perceptions of Change, Benefits, and Harms from Study Abroad” (Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 2024); and “Two Stories to Tell: Different Student Outcome Measures Correlate with Different Instructor Adaptations to COVID-19” (Online Learning, 2023). She currently serves on CUR’s Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and as a counselor in the Undergraduate Research Program Division. Her work influences programmatic interventions and mentoring practices to support traditionally marginalized students in STEM.