Kate Williams, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Transformative Teaching and Learning
A psychology instructor with a background in experiential learning, service learning, and career services, Kate Williams has more than 25 years of experience in higher education in staff, faculty, and leadership roles. She previously served as department head at a South Carolina community college where she gained expertise in faculty development and evaluation, curriculum assessment, and strategic planning. After serving as faculty co-director of the design phase of the Leaders in Progress and Service Quality Enhancement Plan, Williams currently leads the initiative’s Faculty Development Academy, which assists academic units with course design, creates instructional resources, and onboards new program instructors and mentors. As associate director for Transformative Teaching and Learning, Williams created and leads a faculty development program to embed experiential learning and high-impact practices within traditional course structures in support of the Institute’s strategic plan.
kate.williams@gatech.edu
Office
Clough 457
Teaching Interests
General psychology
Educational psychology
Pedagogy theory and practice
Course design strategies
Active learning and other student-centered teaching approaches
Grading and assessment practices
Research Interests
Curricular transformation that embeds experiential learning and high-impact practices withing traditional classroom environments.
Education
Clemson University, Clemson, SC:
Ph.D. Industrial-Organizational Psychology
M.S. Applied Psychology, December 2008
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
M.Ed. Student Personnel Services
Stetson University, DeLand, FL
B.B.A. Marketing with Psychology minor
Recent Publications
Recent Scholarly Output | Publications
McSorley, M ., Webb, D., Williams, K., Lyles, W., & Botchwey, N. (2025). Can Self-Understanding Foster Feelings of Professional Responsibility among Planning Students? Journal of Planning Education and Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X251367378
Williams, K.Z. (2023, October 17). Transforming the Classroom Through Experiential Learning. Times Higher Education. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/transforming-classroom-through-experiential-learning.
Williams, K.Z. (2022). No More Extra Credit: Rethinking assessment with emerging grading techniques. The Best of the 2022 Teaching Professor Conference. Magna Publications.
Recent Scholarly Output | Presentation
Williams, K.W. & Carruth, L. (June 2025). Building Institutional Strategic Alignment through High-Impact Relationships. Transforming Institutions Conference, St. Louis, MO.
Williams, K.W. (September 2024). Building a Curriculum that Improves Student Problem Solving Skills through Experiential Learning. Invited Faculty-in-Residence, Corvinus University, Budapest.
Williams, K.Z., Borela, R., Doremus, S., Urmanbetova, A., Willkens, D., Rudchenko, T. (April 2024). Transforming Teaching with Experiential Learning in the Classroom, University System of Georgia Teaching and Learning Conference, Athens, GA.
Williams, K.Z. & Kim, N.L. (November 2023). Developing our Field’s Future: Assessing Graduate Teaching Consultant Programs, POD Network Annual Conference, Portland, OR.
Williams, K.Z. (June 2023). No More Extra Credit: Rethinking Assessment with Emerging Grading Techniques, Invited Pre-Conference Workshop at The Teaching Professor Conference, New Orleans, LA.
