Consult
Instructional Technology and Learning Innovation
Instructional technology and learning innovation is the use of technology in the instructional process to enhance both teaching and learning by infusing instructional design and development with tools that promote engaging, active, and motivated learning.
I am the Director of Learning Innovation at the Faculty Development and Innovation Center. I am beginning my 17th year at EIU and I have worked in the College of Education as well as the Center for Academic Technology Support before becoming a founding member of the FDIC. I have worked at two other higher education institutions as the Director of Instructional Technology and Coordinator for Online Learning. I have experience teaching in K-12 schools, and I have been teaching online classes in higher education since 2000.
I serve as the lead consultant for instructional design and I provide leadership, training, and consultation to assist EIU faculty in creating and implementing effective learning strategies that incorporate technology into their curriculum. I serve as an administrator for several instructional technologies on campus. I assist faculty and departments in the design and development of online courses and programs and I developed the OCDi (Online Course Development Institute) through which over 450 EIU faculty have completed since it was established in 2008.
Consultation Specialties:
- Online course development and design
- Innovative strategies for online teaching and learning
- Training and development for instructional technologies
- Quality Online Course certification
Instructional Design and Innovation
Instructional design is the process of identifying learning outcomes, determining the assessment and evidence of learning to meet the outcomes, and planning learning experiences, activities, and materials to address learning outcomes. This process is connected to pedagogy and andragogy, and applicable across all course delivery modalities.
Group & Individual Programs
Planning for individual, department, college or university-wide programs and workshops.
I am the Director of the Faculty Development and Innovation Center and Professor of Sociology. Now in my 14th year at EIU, I have taught courses in social statistics, the senior sociology capstone, sociology of poverty and social welfare, sociology of the family, and introductory sociology. Pedagogically, I focus on active and project-based learning, real world applications in statistics, simulated learning experiences, and service learning.
My areas of interest include informal faculty-student interactions, empathy and student learning, alternative and formative assessments, and program development. My approach to teaching and learning is rooted in collaboration, inquiry, empathy, empowerment, and a growth mindset. I believe, fundamentally, that effective educators are committed learners.
Consultation specialties:
- Program development
- Mentoring
- Student engagement
- Scholarship of teaching and learning