Founded in 2004, The Southwest Consortium for Innovations in Psychology in Education (SCIPIE) has a permanent
relationship with its founding universities: Arizona State University, Oklahoma State University, University of
Nevada,Las Vegas, and The University of New Mexico. SCIPIE's home and conference rotates between these four
institutions, and the officers are elected from their faculty.
The goal of The Consortium is to capitalize on the vibrancy of the Southwest to develop a center for innovation
in the psychological study of learning. SCIPIE was created to bring together the knowledge, skills, and resources
of the Southwest in education and the learning sciences, and to use this leverage to advance the study of learning
nationally and internationally. We have a strong presence in the American Psychological Association, American
Educational Research Association, American Psychological Society, and the many domain specific organizations, such
as the National Reading Association. Although large, and inclusive, these organizations focus either on general
topics in psychology, or general topics in education.
At the core of SCIPIE are the biannual Workshops that will allow for extended conversations about innovative
research projects at the intersection of these two areas. The emphasis will be on research currently in progress,
or “sticky problems” that researchers face in these areas. The workshops are also intended to provide graduate
students with opportunities for legitimate peripheral participation in authentic
conversations about difficult, cutting-edge research problems.
The first conference was held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.