Stephen F. Austin State University

A Stephen F. Austin State University faculty member will present his award-winning dissertation at the American Association of Teaching and Curriculum’s 14th annual conference this October in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dr. Mark Seaman, assistant professor in SFA’s Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership, has been notified that his dissertation “First Year, Second Time Around: A Narrative Self-Study of Teaching Higher Education” earned the association’s 2007 Distinguished Dissertation in Teaching Award.

According to Betty Alford, chair of the Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership, Seaman brings the same professionalism to the classroom that he exhibited in writing his paper.

“Dr. Seaman’s students are very complimentary of his teaching skills,” Alford said. “They have been impressed with his willingness to help and his sincere desire to see them succeed.”

Seaman’s dissertation compares his first year teaching in higher education to his first year teaching in public schools 16 years prior. He hopes his personal experiences inspire fellow and future educators in the classroom.

“To receive national recognition from a group of experts in my field is quite an honor,” Seaman said. “I don’t really think of myself as a writer, so I am humbled anytime someone reads my work. In the dissertation, I simply relive experiences from the first year and analyze which teaching methods worked and which ones didn’t. I offer these stories to other teachers in hopes that they may take something from it.”

Seaman, now in his second year of teaching at SFA, holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Texas A&M - Commerce, a master’s degree from the University of Houston at Victoria and a doctorate from the University of Houston.