Patricia A. Shewokis, PhD, is a professor who integrates her interdisciplinary, collaborative research experiences that focus on the transfer of learning and cognitive load theory while addressing the interaction of the brain, consequent behaviors and the attainment of outcomes and goals within an array of learning environments. During the training of medical and health professions personnel, the inclusion of virtual environments is important for learning skills that may potentially be risky in nonsimulated environments. She has worked with surgeons, nurses and other health professionals in creating training protocols for the acquisition of medical skills in simulated environments with the rationale that these skills will be performed in the real-life conditions with lower cognitive effort, increased accuracy and less time. She has over 14 years’ experience working with noninvasive neuroimaging (e.g., functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG)) along with extensive experience with physiological, kinematic, kinetic and outcome measures. Her teaching integrates her research interests in transfer and learning and cognitive load theory in the design of the courses she teaches. Over her teaching career, she has focused on instruction on statistical analyses, measurement principles, research methods, applications of learning principles, task analyses along with memory/generalizability protocols and assessments. Over the past five years, she has developed various methods to quantitatively assess cognitive workload using neuroimaging and behavioral outcomes that are based on some human factors work from the Netherlands.

Academic Distinctions

Tenured (2004) and Promoted to Full Professor (2012) – Drexel University

Tenured (1999) and Promoted to Associate Professor (1999) – Bowling Green State University

Professional Society

Selected Publications

Shuggi, I. M., Oh, H., Wu, H., Ayoub, M. J., Moreno, A., Shaw, E. P., Shewokis, P. A., & Gentili, R. J. (2019). Motor performance, mental workload and self-efficacy dynamics during learning of reaching movements throughout multiple practice sessions. Neuroscience 423, 232-248.

Liu, Y., Ayaz, H. & Shewokis, P. A. (2017) Multisubject “learning” for mental workload classification using concurrent EEG, fNIRS, and Physiological measures. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 11:389. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00389.

Shewokis, P. A., Shariff, F. U., Liu, Y., Ayaz, H., Castellanos, A., Lind, D. S. (2017). Acquisition, retention and transfer of simulated surgical tasks using fNIR and a contextual interference paradigm. American Journal of Surgery 213, 336-345. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2016.11.043.

Hu, A., Shewokis, P. A., Ting, K. & Fung, K. (2016). Motivation in computer-assisted instruction. The Laryngoscope 126, S6, S5-S13. DOI: 10.1002/lary.26040.

Shewokis, P. A., Ayaz, H., Panait, L., Liu, Y., Syed, M., Greenawald, L. Shariff, F. U., Castellanos, A., & Lind, D. S. (2015). Brain-in-the-loop learning using fNIR and simulated virtual reality surgical tasks: Hemodynamic and behavioral effects. In D. Schmorrow & C. Fidopiastis (Eds.), Foundations of Augmented Cognition Vol. 9183 (pp.324-355): Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Grant participation:

Shewokis has brought in over $4.5 million in funds to the University as a Principal Investigator (PI), Co-PI and Co-Investigator from federal and external foundations including the Department of Defense (DoD), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Academies Keck Futures Initiative (NAKFI), American Heart Association (AHA), United Cerebral Palsy Foundation (UCP) and The U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command (USAMRMC).

Editorial review board membership:

Associate Editor, Perceptual and Motor Skills

Research Interests

• Brain & Behavior Interactions in Various Learning Environments
• Transfer of Learning & Task Analyses
• Neuroimaging & Wearable Technologies
• Statistical Analyses, Measurement Principles & Research Methods
• Cognitive Load Theory Applications
• Applications of Learning Principles & Tenets to Memory/Generalizability

Specialization

1988-1993 • PhD, Psychology of Motor Behavior, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Cognates: Research Design/Statistics and Biomechanics
Graduate certificate: Women’s Studies

1984-1985 • EdS, Adult Fitness, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

1983-1984 • MS, Biophysical – Physical Education, East Stroudsburg University
East Stroudsburg, PA

1977-1981 • BS, Health and Physical Education, East Stroudsburg State College
East Stroudsburg, PA