Dr. Farkas earned her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Youth Ministry from Oral Roberts University, graduating with honors. She then earned both a M.Ed. with an emphasis in Instructional Psychology and Technology and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Oklahoma. In both 2009 and 2010, Dr. Farkas was awarded the William B. Ragan Memorial Scholarship from the University of Oklahoma. This competitive scholarship is awarded based on the “likelihood of future scholarly and professional contribution to education.”
Prior to her tenure at ORU, Dr. Farkas had nearly 10 years of professional experience as an instructional designer within the realm of corporate America. She designed and created highly technical computer-based training programs for FEMA and the CDC. During her time at Williams, a Fortune 500 oil and gas company, Dr. Farkas served as a company-wide training project manager whereby she built training metrics, trained numerous departments nationally, qualified potential training instructors, and was an invited guest speaker at the national conference for the International School of Hydrocarbon Measurement (ISHM) on the “importance of training a gas operation technician.”
In addition to her corporate experience, Dr. Farkas has taught as an instructor at the University of Oklahoma, Platt College, and the University of Tulsa. Within those institutions she taught a variety of undergraduate courses, including Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Cognition and Motivation in Classroom Management, and Abnormal Psychology.
Dr. Farkas’ teaching philosophy begins with her own passion for learning and the excitement she experiences as she shares this knowledge with others. In this regard, the materials she creates are geared towards making learning interactive, fun, and meaningful. In order to promote active learning and personal growth, Dr. Farkas designs classroom assignments which encourage lively discussions, challenge presuppositions and present diverse perspectives on classroom topics. Dr. Farkas’ pedagogical approach integrates current theories and research, while promoting practical application of knowledge to the students’ broader spiritual, social, and academic world. “I believe the best teachers act as mirrors, and in doing so, reflect the academic strengths that each student possesses through mentoring, scaffolded learning experiences, and reinforcing the notion that progress, not perfection, should define academic identity. I want to encourage students to find their passions, develop into independent thinkers, and pursue their callings as spirit empowered leaders.”