Rate My Professor Marie Thomas

Marie Thomas is a Professor Emerita of Psychology at California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM). She joined the CSUSM faculty in 1995, following positions as a faculty member at the College of Mount St. Vincent in New York and as a Personnel Research Psychologist at the Navy Personnel Research and Development Center in San Diego. Thomas earned her Ph.D. from Fordham University in 1981. Throughout her career at CSUSM, she taught a range of courses including statistics, psychological testing, psychology of women, the teaching of psychology, and positive psychology. She served two terms as Chair of the Psychology Department, from 2000 to 2003 and from 2004 to 2005. Additionally, she contributed to interdisciplinary programs such as Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Child and Adolescent Development.

In 2002, Thomas discovered Team-Based Learning (TBL), a pedagogical method that transformed her teaching practices. She implemented TBL in courses like intermediate psychological statistics, psychology of women, and positive psychology, achieving significant student engagement and learning outcomes. As a TBL Consultant for the Team-Based Learning Collaborative, she has provided mentorship to faculty in liberal arts, social sciences, and undergraduate education, spanning disciplines such as biology, communication, English, geography, history, math, psychology, and sociology. Post-retirement, she continues to advance contemplative practices through collaboration with Mindful CSUSM, promoting mindfulness in pedagogy and supporting the creation of a Center for Contemplative Practices. Her research interests encompass positive psychology, mindfulness, and health-related psychological factors. Key publications include "Conceptualizing Mindfulness for Health and Physical Educators" (co-authored), "Positive Traits Linked to Less Pain through Lower Pain Catastrophizing" (2011), and "Female Smokers Show Lower Pain Tolerance in a Physical Distress Task" (2013). Thomas has also served on national committees, including the STP Model Teaching Competencies task force, and as a Learning Outcomes Assessment Fellow. Committed to student success, she advises first-generation students on graduate school applications, resume preparation, study and test-taking skills.