Rate My Professor Heather Wilson-Ashworth

Heather Wilson-Ashworth is a Professor of Biology in the Department of Biology, College of Science, at Utah Valley University, where she joined the faculty in 2000. She earned a B.A. in Math Education with a minor in Biology from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in Human Physiology and Cell Biology from Brigham Young University in 1999. From 2012 to 2016, she served as Associate Department Chair of the Biology Department. Her teaching portfolio includes courses such as Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology, College Biology (BIOL 1610), and General Biology (BIOL 1010). Professor Wilson-Ashworth is dedicated to enhancing student learning through innovative pedagogical approaches and fostering classroom community to promote retention and success in STEM disciplines.

Her research interests encompass the development and assessment of process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) activities for biology classrooms, the effects of social dynamics on student achievement in team-based undergraduate science laboratories, and strategies to improve student motivation and performance in college-level biology courses. She has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, including "Which Group Dynamics Matter: Social Predictors of Student Achievement in Team-Based Undergraduate Science Laboratories" (CBE—Life Sciences Education, 2022), "When Group Work Doesn't Work: Insights from Students" (CBE—Life Sciences Education, 2018), "Promoting Collaborative Classrooms: The Impacts of Interdependent Group Contingencies on Student Motivation in a College-Level Biology Course" (CBE—Life Sciences Education, 2018), and earlier works on lipid membrane properties such as "Combined use of steady-state fluorescence emission and anisotropy to monitor the effects of cholesterol on lipid order in model membranes" (PMC Biophysics, 2010). Professor Wilson-Ashworth has earned significant recognition for her contributions, including the 2018 Utah Valley University Award of Excellence, the 2024 Provost Award, the 2021 Alumni Award, Faculty Excellence Award in Biology, and the 2020 Post-Secondary POGIL Winner. She participates in the Undergraduate Research Mentoring Academy through UVU's SCULPT program and serves on the Faculty Senate.