Associate Professor

Email: ksiren@loyola.edu

Education

• Post-doctoral training: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institutes of Health (NIH) Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) Fellow
• Ph.D. in Speech Language Pathology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
• Graduate Honors Fellow
• M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, MO
• Martha Kirkpatrick Scholar
• B.A. in Speech-Language Pathology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
• Honors in Speech and Drama with highest distinction, Mary Miller Martin Memorial Scholar

Publications

• Siren, K. (2021). Podcasts as teaching tools to facilitate student discussion and reflection of complex course material, ICERI2021 Proceedings, 14th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, p. 9138-9143. ISBN: 978-84-09-34549-6. ISSN: 2340-1095.    
• Siren, K. (2020). The best of both worlds: Expanding the depth and breadth of multiple-choice questions. INTED2020 Proceedings, International Association of Technology, Education and Development (IATED) Academy, p. 7173-7177. ISBN: 978-84-09-17939-8. ISSN: 2340-1079. 
• Siren, K. (2018). Improving the learning potential of in-class examinations with preparatory student collaboration. EDULEARN18 Proceedings, International Association of Technology, Education and Development (IATED), p. 9949-9953. ISBN: 978-84-09-02709-5.
• Siren, K. (2017). Improving the learning potential of take-home examinations with follow-up student collaboration. EDULEARN17 Proceedings, International Association of Technology, Education and Development (IATED), p. 6503-6509.  ISBN: 978-84-697-3777-4 
• Siren, K. (2016). Honest learning with take-home examinations: A case for encouraging student collaboration. EDULEARN16 Proceedings, International Association of Technology, Education and Development (IATED), p. 3429-3434. ISBN: 978-84-608-8860-4
• Siren, K. (2015). The relationship between peer teaching, student learning, and student perception of course challenge.  EDULEARN15 Proceedings, International Association of Technology, Education and Development (IATED), p. 6412-6415. ISBN: 978-84-606-8243-1. 
• Siren, K. (2014).  Cleft Lip and Palate (chapter).  In M. Kerins (Ed.), Child and Adolescent Communication Disorders: Organic and Neurogenic Bases.  San Diego, California: Plural Publishing. ISBN13: 978-1-59756-656-8
• Siren, K. (2014).  Spectrographic analysis as an indicator of perceived progress in speech therapy.  Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics. 18(1), 060008. 

Areas of Specialization

Dr. Siren’s areas of clinical and research interest include the acoustic analysis of speech and voice and the use of technology to remediate articulation and phonological disorders. Her scholarship also focuses on best practices in speech science education, with a particular focus on inclusive classroom strategies to facilitate learning of complex topics.

Presentations

• Siren, K. (2021). Teaching speech acoustics concepts in an undergraduate speech science course: Are distributed or massed practice lab assignments more effective? Paper presented at the 181st Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, November 29 – December 3, Seattle, Washington.
• Siren, K. (2021). Collaborative learning & student perception of course challenge in a speech science course. Presented at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, November 18-20, Washington, D.C. 
• Siren, K. (2021). Teaching speech acoustics with adaptable Praat labs. Paper presented (virtually) at the 180th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, June 8-10.
• Siren, K. (2018). First year graduate students’ knowledge regarding speech sound disorders.   Presented at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, November 15-17, Boston, Massachusetts.
• Siren, K. (2015). The clinical importance of speech disorders nomenclature. Presented at the ASHA Schools Conference, July 10-12, Phoenix, Arizona.
• Siren, K. (2014). Effectiveness of distributed vs. massed practice for application of learned concepts in an undergraduate speech acoustics course.  Paper presented (virtually) at the 6th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies, July 7-9, Barcelona, Spain. 
• Siren, K. (2013).  Measurable acoustic variants as predictors of progress in speech therapy.   Presented at the 166th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, December 2-6, San Francisco, California.
• Katz, S. & Siren, K. (2012).  Use of spectrographic biofeedback during speech therapy with children. Presented at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, November 13-17, Atlanta, Georgia.
• Siren, K. (2012).  Tongue tip down production for /s/ in speech therapy.  Presented at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, November 13-17, Atlanta, Georgia.
• Siren, K. & Katz, S. (2012). Spectrographic analysis as an indicator of perceived progress during speech therapy. Presented at the 164th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, October 22-26, Kansas City, Missouri.
• Siren, K. (2012).  Independent vs. instructor-guided student collaborative learning: an analysis of student learning and the learning process during undergraduate speech acoustics lab instruction. Paper presented (virtually) at the EDULEARN 4th Annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies, July 2-4, Barcelona, Spain.