Rate My Professor Mark McDermott

Mark McDermott serves as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and Educator Preparation and Clinical Professor of Science Education in the University of Iowa College of Education. He provides leadership and oversight for the college's undergraduate programs, including the Teacher Education Program, Education Studies and Human Services major, and Counseling and Behavioral Health Services major, as well as the Baker Teacher Leader Center and services related to recruitment, admissions, field experiences, program completion, and licensure. A nationally recognized expert in STEM teaching and learning, McDermott joined the University of Iowa in 2014 after a distinguished career in K-12 education and higher education. He previously taught high school science for 14 years, including biology at New Hampton High School, chemistry at Roland-Story High School, and science in the Iowa City Community School District. Prior roles include assistant professor of science education at Wartburg College and content specialist at ACT, Inc. McDermott holds a Bachelor of Special Studies in biology and secondary education from Cornell College (1995), a Master of Science in science education from Iowa State University (2001), and a Doctor of Philosophy in science education from the University of Iowa (2009).

McDermott's research interests encompass STEM education, science education, writing-to-learn activities, multimodal writing-to-learn in science classrooms, and integrated STEM instructional approaches. He has co-edited the book 'Using Multimodal Representations to Support Learning in the Science Classroom' with Brian Hand and Vaughan Prain (2016) and authored numerous book chapters and refereed presentations on science curriculum, STEM literacy, STEM careers, professional development, and innovations in science teaching. His contributions include grant-funded projects such as a No Child Left Behind Title IIA grant, coordination of the online Master of Science in STEM Education program, and service on the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. McDermott has received the Iowa Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award from the National Association of Biology Teachers (2008), the Outstanding Service Award from the Iowa Science Teachers Section of the Iowa Academy of Science (2017), the Collegiate Teaching Award (2020-21), and selection as an Impact Academy fellow by Deans for Impact (2024). He is a member of the National Association of Research in Science Teaching, Association of Science Teacher Educators, and National Science Teachers Association, and co-hosts the podcast 'EDUcation Unscripted & Xplored.'