Rate My Professor Paula Lemons

Paula Lemons serves as Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Innovation in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia. She earned a B.S. in Biology from Southern Wesleyan University in 1994, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Kentucky in 1999, and completed postdoctoral training at Duke University. In her administrative role, Lemons leads the Office of Academic Innovation, overseeing program review and assessment processes, student learning outcomes, undergraduate research through the Vertically Integrated Projects initiative, and scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate students. She supports the development of new academic programs, enhances existing ones, promotes inclusive excellence, integrates entrepreneurship and career-leadership preparation into curricula, and fosters faculty and staff leadership development within the Franklin College community.

Lemons directs a research group focused on discipline-based education research in biology, investigating undergraduates' development of conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills in biochemistry. Her studies explore how instructional activity sequences affect learning, the role of students' intuitive ideas and prior knowledge in building skills, and effective approaches to maximize success in science classrooms. She has received the 2023-2024 University Professor designation from the University of Georgia, the 2021 General Sandy Beaver Teaching Professorship, and the 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Key publications include 'A new method for assessing critical thinking in the classroom' (2006, with A.N. Bissell), 'It’s personal: Biology instructors prioritize personal evidence over empirical evidence in teaching decisions' (2015, with T.C. Andrews), 'Questions for assessing higher-order cognitive skills: It's not just Bloom’s' (2013, with J.D. Lemons), and recent works such as 'Switching within STEM: Examining the motivational concerns that college students report considering when changing career plans within STEM fields' (in press, Journal of Educational Psychology) and 'Assessor in Action: Assessment literacy development in a biochemistry context' (2023, Chemistry Education Research and Practice). Lemons led the NSF-funded UGA DeLTA project to reform teaching evaluation policies toward evidence-based practices, equity, and continuous improvement.