Teomara Rutherford

Dr. Teomara Rutherford is an associate professor in the University of Delaware School of Education affiliated with the Learning Sciences and the Educational Statistics and Research Methods programs, with additional faculty affiliations in Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Computer and Information Sciences. Dr. Rutherford received her PhD in Learning, Cognition, and Development from University of California, Irvine, her JD from Boston University School of Law, and her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Computers in the Classroom from Florida International University.

Dr. Rutherford’s research focuses on learning and motivation, especially in STEM and in digital contexts. She has been awarded over 5M in federal grants as PI or Co-PI and has published in outlets such as Contemporary Educational Psychology, Learning and Instruction, and Computers and Education. Her most recent National Science Foundation-funded project examines students’ in-the-moment motivations and emotions as they work within a digital mathematics learning tool.