Chair, Department of Education
Associate Professor
Susan D. Johnson, Ph.D. is associate professor of Special Education and chair of the Education Department. Her primary teaching areas are in high and low incidence disabilities, family and community relationships in education, and autism spectrum disorders. Prior to teaching at Mercyhurst, Dr. Johnson was employed for 15 years as a public school and private agency speech/language therapist and special education teacher. She has been at Mercyhurst since 2010.
Dr. Johnson specializes in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders and emotional and behavioral disorders of children. Her scholarly interests coalesce around educational justice, particularly in rural, disadvantaged areas and with children and families in poverty.
Dr. Johnson prides herself on being a master teacher who is passionate about preparing students for excellence, in and out of the classroom. She has established University-to-school partnerships with some of the area’s most at-risk school communities and seeks to develop capacity for leadership in both undergraduate and graduate student populations.
- Ph.D., Organizational Learning & Leadership, Gannon University, Dissertation: “A Phenomenological Study of Pre-service Teacher Perceptions of Children in Poverty and Families who are Poor”
- M.S. Ed., Special Education, St. Bonaventure University, Thesis: “Facilitating and Increasing Turn-taking Skills in Children with Autism Using Neurotypical Peers as Models for Communication”
- B.S. Ed., Speech Pathology and Audiology, State University of New York at Fredonia
- Johnson, S.D. (2023). Implications for Special Education. In Bauschard, S. ChatGPT: Navigating the Impact of Generative AI Technologies on Educational Theory and Practice: Educators Discuss ChatGPT and other Artificial Intelligence Tools. ISBN-13: 979-8390851524
- Johnson, S. D., & Arghode, V. (2022). Pre-service teachers' perceptions of poverty: A phenomenological approach. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 35(1-4), 4-16.
- Johnson, Susan D. in Lozar Glenn, Joanne M. (2018). Creating a safe learning environment: Perspectives on bullying intervention and prevention. Business Education Forum, 72(3), 22-31.
- Podcast via bamradionetwork.com
- Dr. Susan Johnson, presenter
- “What do we need to know to help students with disabilities use ChatGPT effectively?”
- https://www.bamradionetwork.com/track/what-do-we-need-to-know-to-help-students-with-special-needs-use-chatgpt-effectively/
- Webinar via Pedagogy.Cloud
- Dr. Susan Johnson, presenter. "Generative AI and Chat GPT: The Short and Long-Term Implications for Education Instruction and Assessment” https://pedagogy.cloud/webinar-generative-ai-and-chat-gpt-the-short-and-long-term-impacts-on-education-adaptations-for-instruction-and-assessment/
Undergraduate
EDUC 305: Family & Community Relationships in Education
EDUC 109: Psychology of Diverse Learners
EDUC 307: Low Incidence Disabilities: Effective Instructional Practices
EDUC 308: Low Incidence Disabilities: Clinical Experience
EDUC 309: High Incidence Disabilities: Instructional Practices
EDUC 310: High Incidence Disabilities: Clinical Experience
Graduate
EDUC 540: Introduction to Autism
Awarding Agency: Pennsylvania Department of Education
PA Smart Advancing Grant
STEM & Vine: A Learning Ecosystem that Advances Rural Equity in CS/STEM Access and Opportunity
Role: Primary Investigator
Award: $500,000
Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of Education
21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Cohort 10 (2019-2024)
Mercyhurst Early Learning Innovation Academy (MELIA)
Role: Primary Investigator
Award: $3,000,000
Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of Education
21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Cohort 10 (2019-2024)
Carpe Diem Academy
Role: Grant Writer
Award: $2,000,000
Awarding Agency: Pennsylvania Department of Education
Innovative Prep2Practice Grant
NextGen814: Preparing Erie’s Next Generation of Teachers
Role: Grant Director
Award: $100,000
Commencement 2023: Susan Johnson receives Teaching Excellence Award. https://www.mercyhurst.edu/news/commencement-2023-susan-johnson-receives-teaching-excellence-award.