Catherine Burnham, Dr.

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This description is area of expertise, not research. Catherine Burnham has taught clothing construction and design at post-secondary institutions for the past thirty-two years. Her expertise is in curriculum development, as well, and she has developed programs for custom sewing and design (BYU-Idaho when it was still Ricks College) and developed many courses there, at Eastern Illinois University, and here at BYU - Provo. The curriculum at BYU - Provo as listed in the current catalog can be somewhat expanded, under Dr. Burnham's special topics courses, and students can pursue individual interests with her. Dr. Burnham's dissertation topic was studying how the human mind interprets and uses written instructions for procedural tasks, and how to best present such tasks for producing the best product and her interest in this has continued to this day. Expert presentation of procedural knowledge continues to be the top priority in her courses. Her goal is to make information accessible to students in a memorable and interesting way. Recently she has undertaken the task of presenting course materials in video format, along with powerpoint presentations. Many sewing procedures, with expert narration, including many course samples, can be found at http://familylife.byu.edu/sewingvideos.