Assistant Professor
Kortnie L. Fisher, M.S., LBS, BCBA, is an assistant professor of Education, as well as the program director for the Mercyhurst Autism Support Initiative (ASI), and the faculty advisor for the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Professor Fisher is a Licensed Behavior Specialist (LBS) in the state of Pennsylvania and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She brings years of experience as an educational and behavioral consultant with local school districts and organizations.
- PennWest University – Edinboro
- Graduate Certificate in Educational Leadership, Supervisor of Special Education
- Mercyhurst University
- M.S., Applied Behavior Analysis
- B.A., Early Childhood (PreK-4) and Special (PreK-8) Education
- EDUC 206 Inclusive Practices PreK-12
- EDUC 306 Observation & Assessment II
- EDUC 309 High Incidence Disabilities
- EDUC 310 High Incidence Disabilities Clinical
- EDUC 501 Introduction to ABA: Behavior Interventions I
- EDUC 504 Introduction to ABA Clinical
- EDUC 521 Psychology of Diverse Learners
- EDUC 522 Inclusive Practices PreK-12
- EDUC 645 Behavior Interventions II
- EDUC 650 FBA & Behavior Interventions III
- EDUC 673 Graduate Special Education Internship
- DiSanti, B.M., Eikeseth, S. Eldevik, S., Conrad, J.M., & Cotter-Fisher, K.L. Comparing structured mix and random rotation procedures to teach receptive labeling to children with autism. Behavioral Interventions. 2019; 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.1694.
- Fisher, K.L., Conrad, J.M., Gulick, R.F., & Krugger, F.M. (2018). Outcomes in Instruction informed by PEAK: DT versus a Non-Behavior Analytic Approach. Poster session presented at the Association for Behavior Analysis 45th Annual Convention, San Diego, CA.
- Cotter, K.L., Ivy, J.W., Kitchen, T.P., & Smith, C. (2014). A preliminary analysis of mastery criteria in behavioral programming for individuals with autism. Symposium conducted at the Behavior Analyst Research Colloquium, State College, PA, and at the Association for Behavior Analysis 41st Annual Convention, San Antonio, TX.
- Ivy, J.W., & Cotter, K.L. (2014). A parametric analysis of backup reinforcer class size. Poster session presented at the 17th Annual Conference of the Pennsylvania Association for Behavior Analysis, Hershey, PA, and (Chair) at the Association for Behavior Analysis 41st Annual Convention, San Antonio, TX.
- Award: $122,041.50
- Role: Program Director
Professor Fisher is passionate about synthesizing the art of education with the science of behavior. Her philosophy of education rests on the importance of utilizing evidence-based practices to facilitate meaningful, measurable progress in an equitable educational framework for all students, even those at the college level. Professor. Fisher incorporates the importance of data-driven, systemic feedback loops into each of her courses, a pivotal skill set in current educational landscape. Her priority is providing her students with instruction in the skills critical to measuring and monitoring student progress regardless of variables such as placement, age, and disability.
Professor Fisher has interests in translational and applied research in the fields of Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis. Most recently, she completed professional development with a cohort of graduate students in the Practical Functional Assessment (Hanley, 2022). These skills were utilized with a case study in a school-based application of the protocol. Professor Fisher plans to continue to broaden the scope of her research to her other areas of interest including skill acquisition using instruction rooted in Stimulus Equivalence and Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and conceptual systems related to motivation and preference in existing technologies such as token economies.
Mercyhurst Autism Support Initiative, Girard School District (2023-2024)