Employee Information

Barb Houle

Phone: 507-433-0584
E-mail: Barb.Houle@riverland.edu
Department: Psychology
Job Title: Faculty
Austin Campus: East Building C106-F

About Barb

It is my honor to be a part of the educational journey of the students! I greatly enjoy teaching psychology and sharing in the students' successes. One aspect that I especially appreciate and convey to students is that psychology is all around us. For example, I tell students that Developmental Psychology is the story of us--we are all somewhere in the lifespan! A part of learning psychology is the ability to apply psychological concepts in everyday life to create a better understanding of human nature. My own personal topic of interest is volunteerism and this theme has run through different areas of my life--from being a volunteer in the Peace Corps, to researching motives for volunteering, and finally, initiating the Read to Recovery program

Area(s) of Expertise

Throughout my years as a Psychology instructor, I have taught a variety of courses utilizing different learning formats--classroom, hybrid, online, and field experience. These courses include: General Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Social Psychology, Stress Management, and Psychology of Community Engagement--Field Experience.

Credentials

Northern Illinois University, Ph.D. 2001 (Social Psychology) Dissertation Topic: The Functional Approach to Volunteerism: An Investigation of Motives, Choice, and Task Framing (click here to read research publication).
University of Northern Iowa, M.A. 1995 (Experimental Psychology) Thesis Topic: The Effects of Self-Care Information on Intentions to Engage in Preventive Health Behaviors of Healthy and Ill College Students College of Saint Benedict, B.S. 1985 (Natural Science)
Mental Health First Aid

Professional Associations

American Psychological Association
Midwestern Psychological Association

Volunteer and Community Service Activities

Friends of the Austin Library
Friends of the Hormel Nature Center

Awards and Honors

2020 Saint Benedict Benedcitine Service Award Nominee
April 2022 - Notable Women of Austin - Austin Daily Herald
Quality Matters Online Certified Courses--General Psychology (2012) and Developmental Psychology (2013)
College of Saint Benedict Notable Alumni Award Recipient, May 2015 (click here to read about receipt of award)
United States Peace Corps Volunteer Completion of Service Award, December 1987

Student Instructional Activities

Psychology of Community Engagement--Field Experience Course

I developed this course to provide students with an opportunity to experience community engagement work under the supervision of experienced workers. The goal is for students to learn to apply psychological concepts and theories in the context of community service projects, be better prepared for future service opportunities, and gain a lifelong appreciation for civic engagement.

More about Barb Houle

Read to Recovery Program, Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland before its name change in 2018), Africa

I started the Read to Recovery program with a Swazi colleague/friend during a return trip to Eswatini, Africa, in 2010. Since starting the program, we have distributed donated books to health centers and hospitals throughout Eswatini for patients to read while hospitalized to reduce their stress and improve recovery. More recently, we connected with Books For Africa and expanded the program to include books for school libraries in Eswatini. After a vigorous fundraising campaign for shipping costs, books were shipped and arrived in Eswatini during spring 2019. In summer 2019, the Read to Recovery team (myself and four other volunteers) helped sort and distribute the 22,000 books to hospitals, health centers and schools throughout Eswatini; the excitement and gratefulness was amazing and heartwarming! Click here for more information about the project and book deliveries.

Ongoing Efforts and Milestones for the Books for Africa Project

Riverland Community College