Patrick Cheek

My academic training and expertise lie in the areas of family science and developmental psychology (sometimes referred to as “Human Development and Family Studies”). Broadly speaking, I engage in the scientific study of why people change over time, especially in the context of families and relationships.

Throughout my professional career, I have been engaged in a number of teaching, scholarship and outreach activities. At UMA, I served as a Teaching Assistant in philosophy for Professor Greg Fahy and assisted Professor Jodi Kosakowski in her dissertation research on concept mapping and information seeking behavior. The encouragement and mentorship I received from these experiences early in my undergraduate studies fueled my desire to further my education.

As a graduate student at UMaine, I had the opportunity to TA for and eventually teach large, lecture-style courses such as Child Development. I also assisted faculty on their research projects on human sexuality, family violence, and rare brain disorders.

As a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota, I was a graduate teaching assistant for its large lecture, online, and capstone courses. I also completed two teaching internships where I designed and taught my own courses in areas such as academic and professional writing as well as nonresident fatherhood research. I conducted research on both institutional and state-wide levels including a university-wide assessment of student learning outcomes and Minnesota’s Family Assets for Independence (FAIM) first-time home buyer and small business projects. I also worked as an instructional designer, where I assisted faculty in building online courses, which inspired my dissertation research on the role of technology in nonresident father-teen relationships.

When I completed my Ph.D., I moved back to Maine where I worked as a part-time instructor at KVCC and held a 3-year visiting professorship in UMaine’s Child Development and Family Relations program, where I taught both undergraduate and graduate students. At UMaine, I oversaw the program’s internship practicum and capstone, significantly expanded online course offerings, increased student research conference participation, and helped students engage with Maine policymakers.

I joined the UMA faculty in Fall 2019, right before the outbreak of COVID-19. My primary focus at UMA is teaching, particularly our online introductory psychology and developmental psychology courses. I am active in the local and university communities. In the past I have served on the board of local agencies such as Literacy Volunteers of Kennebec (LVK) and as a faculty representative to the UMS Board of Trustees.

As a proud UMA graduate, I consider joining the UMA faculty and having the opportunity to work alongside my former mentors as one of the happiest moments of my career.

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