Rate My Professor Lisa Smith

Professor Lisa F. Smith is an Emeritus Professor in the College of Education at the University of Otago. She holds an Ed.M. and an Ed.D. from Rutgers University, where her doctoral thesis examined the effects of motivation and anxiety on test performance. Prior to joining the University of Otago in 2005, Smith spent 15 years teaching at the tertiary level in New Jersey and conducting research in prominent museums such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, often collaborating with her partner, Jeffrey K. Smith. At Otago, she advanced through the ranks to full Professor and served as Dean of the College of Education, contributing significantly to teacher education and assessment practices.

Smith's research focuses on affective factors influencing performance on standardized tests and classroom assessments, preservice teacher concerns and teaching efficacy, and the psychology of aesthetics, particularly in educational contexts. She co-founded the peer-reviewed journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts for the American Psychological Association and is a foundation member of the New Zealand Assessment Academy. Her contributions have earned her teaching awards in both the United States and New Zealand, as well as two international career awards for her research. Notable publications include Smith, L. F., Smith, J. K., & Tinio, P. P. L. (2017). Time spent viewing art and reading labels. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity & the Arts, 11(1), 77-85; Smith, L. F., Smith, J. K., Arcand, K. K., Smith, R. K., & Bookbinder, J. A. (2015). Aesthetics and astronomy: How museum labels affect the understanding and appreciation of deep-space images. Curator, 58(3), 282-297; Smith, L. F., Smith, J. K., Arcand, K. K., Smith, R. K., Bookbinder, J., & Keach, K. (2011). Aesthetics and Astronomy: Studying the Public's Perception and Understanding of Imagery from Space. Science Communication, 33(2), 201-238; and Smith, L. F., Corkery, G., Buckley, J., & Calvert, A. (2013). Changes in secondary school preservice teachers' concerns about teaching in New Zealand. Journal of Teacher Education, 64(1), 60-74. Smith's work has had a lasting impact on educational assessment and aesthetic education fields.