DANBURY, Connecticut — The start of a new academic year at Western Connecticut State University brings with it a number of ceremonies and celebrations. Among them are the Entering the Gates Ceremony, which welcomes new students to campus, and the Opening Faculty Meeting, at which the university president lays out the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Also at the Opening Meeting is the announcement of the annual Provost’s Award for Teaching. This year, Provost Dr. Stephen Hegedus bestowed that honor upon Professor of Educational Psychology Dr. Adam Brewer.
“Following in the footsteps of our fearless leader, Dr. Stephanie Kuhn, who won the Provost Teaching Award a few years ago, I am truly honored to bring this teaching award back home to the WCSU ABA program,” Brewer said. “A heartfelt thanks to my family, mentors, students, and teaching communities that supported me unconditionally. I am beyond thankful for their investment in my many failures/opportunities for growth and joyful moments. I have been blessed. I’d like to dedicate this prestigious award in the memories of my grandmother, Phyllis Bullman, who was a teaching assistant in rural West Virginia and my late great friend, Nate Smith, from graduate school. Raise it.”
Brewer, who teaches in WestConn’s Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) graduate program, was nominated by the Provost’s Teaching Award Committee, which, in its nomination letter stated, “Dr. Brewer is highly committed to designing his courses so that every student can be successful and feels supported. He extends and augments his own rich experience and expertise as an online teacher by staying up to date with best practices in online course design.” The committee also shared feedback from Brewer’s students: “Dr. B was a constant source of support and encouragement which made learning fun. He helped us achieve our goals and helped us work towards them. He didn’t just give us the right answers, but instead he structured this course that guided us to find the right answers and have a growth mindset.”
The nomination letter further stated, “Dr. Brewer’s excellence in supporting student achievement is also evidenced in a year-over-year increase in student pass rates for the BCBA exam for ABA graduates. Previously in the 4th edition task list for the Behavior Analysis Certification Board, the ABAs program’s pass rates averaged 59.75%. Upon Dr. Brewer joining the program and collaborating with Dr. Stephanie Kuhn, they made substantial instructional improvements for the new 5th BACB task list. As a result, their pass rates significantly increased to 82% and most recently 88.24% (the national average is 64%). Their pass rates are recognized as the highest in the world for an online graduate program (Green, 2022).”
As a result of Brewer’s efforts as a core member of the ABA team that revitalized coursework resulting in significantly higher pass rates on graduates’ board certification exams, in 2023 WestConn’s ABA program was named a top online master’s program by Forbes, and was also ranked No. 1 by Applied Behavioral Analysis Programs Guide, EduMed.org and Collegefactual.com.
The Teaching Award Committee also pointed out: “Dr. Brewer has a strong track record of scholarly and professional student mentorship that includes seven student awards, 14 peer-reviewed publications, 14 peer-reviewed posters, and 12 peer-reviewed symposia. In Spring 2024, he nominated his student/research assistant for the prestigious CT ABA award for an exceptional graduate student (in honor of Rachel D’Avino, a behavior analyst who lost her life at Sandy Hook).”
Brewer has served as the director of the university’s Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. He also co-edited an open educational resource on Behavioral Pedagogies and Online Learning. Recently, Brewer developed the Translational Human Operant-Respondent laboratory that investigates basic learning processes underlying fear/phobias, anxiety, avoidance, and relapse with an eye toward treatment using virtual reality technology.
His other research interests include gaining a better understanding of the negative aspects of positive reinforcement related to transition-induced emotion dysregulation and the behavioral economics of “impulsive” and “self-control” decision making. Across institutions, his students have earned awards and disseminated their research at conferences and in publications. He has held key service roles such as co-founder of the Annual Fall Conference for Northeastern Applied Behavior Analysis and president of the South Carolina Association for Behavior Analysis.
Brewer also has chaired committees for Western Research Day and online education at both the university and Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system levels. Additionally, he serves on journal editorial boards including Perspectives on Behavior Science, Behavior Analysis in Practice, and the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin.
Brewer received his doctorate at the University of Kansas in Behavioral Psychology. He gained postdoctoral experience at the Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research at Texas Tech University and the Beatrice H. Barrett Behavior Analytic Neuroscience Initiative at the University of North Texas. Thereafter, he taught and mentored students at the Florida Institute of Technology as an Assistant Professor and Site Director.
Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.