Michael B. Madson, Ph.D.

OVERVIEW

As a fellow of the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), Dr. Madson’s main priority as an instructor is to be intentional and transparent in all aspects of the educational process. His goal is to establish an environment that facilitates collaboration between students and himself as they actively learn the material. He believes students become more interested in and can apply information to real life when they are actively engaged in the learning process. Further, Dr. Madson believes that active involvement fosters critical thinking. As a result, he designs his courses to be active, engaging, and to emphasize critical evaluation of the material while relating it to real life, while also recognizing the diversity in how students learn and adapting to meet these various learning needs. From this perspective, he tries not to only teach the material students need to develop basic understanding but actively engages them in activities that help them apply and evaluate the information. Thus, the students not only learn about the class topics, but they also gained experience conducting on how to apply the information in the assessment, prevention and treatment of substance use disorders.

Feedback and problem solving is also a vital part of this learning process, and he works with students to critically evaluate their work to identify areas of strength and areas for development. Students have commented on how this approach to learning has deepened their knowledge of substance use treatment. His strong belief is that in graduate school, students learn best when they are doing things and challenging themselves beyond what they already know or what is in the book. Through actively engaging students the material becomes more interesting, relevant, and students become more confident in their knowledge and skills.

When teaching addictions related classes, such as Assessment and Treatment of Addictive Behaviors and Biopsychosocial Aspects of Addiction, he integrates social justice initiatives to combat addiction stigma and enhance advocacy for those with addictions who are often marginalized by society. Thus, he often includes activities that challenge students’ assumptions of addictive behavior and addictions while facilitating critical and analytical thinking about how the information learned can be used to combat addiction and advocate for those struggling with addiction.

MEMBERSHIPS + ASSOCIATIONS

• American Psychological Association Division 28: Pharmacology and Substance Abuse.
• American Psychological Association Division 50: Society of Addiction Psychology.

PRESENTATIONS + PUBLICATIONS