Center for Success of Women Faculty

What is your current job title and responsibilities ?
Instructional Designer at the Center for Distributed Learning; I assist instructors as they design, develop, implement and evaluate their online and blended courses. I also engage in research and projects concerning online pedagogies. My areas of interest include digital textbooks, feminist pedagogy in online environments, and online discussion strategies.

What is your history at UCF and before UCF?
I have been an instructional designer at UCF since June 2011. Before that, I taught psychology, sociology, and education courses at the community college and university-level in Cincinnati, Ohio. I also served as a technology consultant for a K-8 school.

What is your academic background?
I earned a B.A. in Psychology from UCF in 2000, an M.A. in Academic Psychology from East Carolina University in 2005, and an EdD. In Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of Cincinnati in 2011.

What is your favorite UCF memory?
It is hard to pick one. I will choose attending the football rally last year at the CFE Arena – there was a sense of pride and energy I had not felt before at UCF. It made me proud to see how far the school has come since I attended 15 years ago.

If you could change one thing at UCF, what would it be? ($ and time no object)
I know how challenging it can be for instructors to engage students in very large classes, so I wish smaller classes were the norm.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with your colleagues?
Reach out to colleagues outside of your own department. By attending events here and there, I have made some great contacts and friends along the way.

If UCF was going to name something in your honor, what would you like it to be and why?
The Aimee deNoyelles Center for Classroom Research has a certain ring to it! I’m a big proponent of conducting research right where teaching and learning is occurring, in the moment. There are many ways to conduct this type of research, and I would be thrilled if there was a place that could bring interested parties together.

If you could have lunch with anyone at UCF (who you do not normally eat lunch with), who would you choose and why?
I’d have to say President Hitt. I’d love to know what a typical day is for him and see how he handles the pressure of being the lead of such a large institution for so many years.

Who at UCF would you like to thank for your success?
Everyone at the Center for Distributed Learning, especially the Instructional Design team. The level of support I have received professionally and personally is much appreciated.

Name and describe a teacher or researcher from your past who truly inspired you and why.
Miriam Raider-Roth from the University of Cincinnati served on my doctoral committee and opened my eyes to qualitative feminist research methodology. She showed me that research could be personal and even emotional, while still being rigorous. I’m thankful to continue engaging in this type of research with Cecilia Rodriguez Milanes, an English professor here at UCF.

What undergraduate or graduate class/program/experience inspired you the most and why?
I remember the undergraduate psychology class about the process of learning, when I taught a mouse to touch a bar to get food in a digital simulation. Sounds a bit silly, but it was one of the first times to “see” these theories in action and I was really intrigued by it. Perhaps my interest in education and the virtual goes back farther than I first imagined!

What is your favorite restaurant or food?
I can’t get enough Italian – Stefano’s is my favorite restaurant in the area.

What is your favorite movie, book or music?
Right now, I’m reading a lot of baby books since I’m having a baby in March! The Happiest Baby on the Block was a good read, as it really made me think from the baby’s perspective rather than my own.

What is your favorite vacation destination?
Locally, Disney. The coolest place I’ve ever been is Alaska. Still would like to travel to Western Europe. I’ve been to Ireland and England (lovely places) but would like to see France, Germany, and Italy someday.