Joel Goodin, PhD
Full-Time Faculty, Department of Psychology
Dr. Goodin grew up in Batesville, Arkansas, a small rural town in a low-
SES region of the United States. From a young age, he learned and put
to use skills in teamwork, leadership, and innovation, which would afford
him early opportunities to thrive as a young adult. He graduated Magna
Cum Laude from the University of Arkansas with a BA in Psychology and
was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honor's Society in 2001. After
working as a mental health paraprofessional and casually performing in
the local music scene, he returned to school.
In 2006, he completed a dual degree MS and EdS program in Counseling
and Human Systems then a PhD in Educational Psychology, both at Florida
State University, with emphases in the educational psychology issues
of motivation, emotion, stress, and performance. His early research on
resilience during times of disruption and uncertainty led his Theory of
Activating Uncertainty, which he is using in current research to understand
doctoral students' distal planning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Goodin is an expert research methodologist, motivational theorist, and
respected scholar of expertise and performance optimization. His passion
for motivation, expertise, and performance compliment his background
in counseling and his skill in research methodology as he serves doctoral
students in coursework and dissertation mentorship. Currently, his primary
line of research is focused on all aspects of the dissertating student,
including success, family support, and mitigating failure at ABD stages.
He is currently innovating his mentorship processes to provide more self-
regulated dissertation resources and support. He serves on the strategic
planning committee for NCU, coordinates the educational psychology
internship, and serves as curriculum lead in psychology where he reviews,
revises, and develops new courses and programs.
Outside of work, Dr. Goodin is a songwriter, musician, comedian, public
speaker, life coach, and consultant. For "fun," he studies politics, with
current interest and advocacy for social justice efforts based on a platform
of peaceful dialogue. He also follows college sports, with a clear bias
for the Arkansas Razorbacks, and great interest in building upon current
uses of sports analytics. Simply put, Dr. Goodin is a motivated citizen,
academic, thinker, and innovator. He loves being part of the NCU team
and "is just getting started" as a changemaker and critical player at NCU.
Hear him share more on his background and how it led him to his current
work as an educational psychologist at https://commons.ncu.edu/
group/3533/videos/ncupa-professional-series-educational-psychology
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