Education

M.A. with Distinction (Magna Cum Laude), English
University of Colorado Boulder

B.A. with Distinction (Summa Cum Laude), English
Metropolitan State University


Teaching and Research Interests

Critical pedagogy, digital pedagogy, scholarship of teaching and learning, open education, online learning, learning design, higher education pedagogy, social justice, critical imagination, and contemplative pedagogy.


Experience

VICE PRESIDENT, ACADEMICS

COURSE HERO
Redwood City, CA — 2022 - Present

The role of VP, Academics at Course Hero focuses on establishing relationships with faculty around the world to promote partnerships, professional development, and digital literacy.

I leverage lateral leadership and management skills to work cross-functionally with multiple stakeholders across the company with regards to: strategic planning, inclusive excellence and equity, and integrity and alignment with corporate vision. I am responsible for mapping key priorities and initiatives (KPI) to the company’s mission to become a leader in digital learning platforms, and for innovating initiatives that impact brand health and awareness.

I lead a team that handles growth of our educator audience through high-touch communication, partner-created content, professional development events, and product enhancements. I am responsible for forming corporate partnerships with institutions of higher education, educational non-profits, and other student- and educator-focused organisations. I'm responsible for Communications, as well, and advocate for students and teachers through media relations, speaking engagements, and written articles and op-eds. As the public face of the company, it’s my job to raise awareness of the relationship between educational technology and institutions of higher education.

Working with a data-driven research team, I apply creativity and curiosity to the development of new programs and outreach. I oversee a teaching grant program for educators aimed at promoting digital literacy and pedagogy, design the curricula for events focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, interface with product development to ensure data privacy and protection of intellectual property, and lead an internal committee charged as a watchdog for academic integrity.

SENIOR INSTRUCTOR

LEARNING DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY | SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
University of Colorado at Denver, CO — 2019 - 2022

As a senior instructor with Learning, Design, and Technology, I teach two courses per semester in subjects relating to digital learning, open education, critical pedagogy, digital storytelling, digital literacy, connected learning, critical instructional design, diversity and inclusion, and the intersections between critical pedagogy, social justice, and digital education. Additionally, I work with the university’s ThinqStudio—a think-tank design-studio tasked with exploring the future of teaching and learning, and advocating for creative and critical digital pedagogies—to offer faculty workshops, consultation, collaboration, and partnership for their work in and and around digital learning spaces.

I also serve the University in my capacity as Director of Digital Pedagogy Lab, bringing the international professional learning community gathering to campus each year.

DIRECTOR

DIGITAL PEDAGOGY LAB
DigitalPedagogyLab.com — 2013 - 2021

Digital Pedagogy Lab offered national and international on-ground institutes and training seminars, as well as online courses aimed at raising awareness of the practice of Critical Digital Pedagogy. As Director, I designed, developed, and managed projects that reinforced the mission of Digital Pedagogy Lab, namely to provide faculty, students, administrators, technologists, and others with hands-on learning that could affect digitally-influenced classroom practice. I was responsible for outreach to current and new faculty, as well as supervision of the development of curricula for institutes and courses.

DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL LEARNING

DIVISION OF TEACHING AND LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES
University of Mary Washington, VA — 2017 - 2019

As Director of Digital Learning, I worked closely with colleagues in the Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies (DTLT) to support efforts to expand online, hybrid, and continuing education at University of Mary Washington. I helped to plan and coordinate efforts across the unit to design and create digital learning environments, and worked to bring together teams aimed at collaborating on the development of new hybrid and online programs at the institution. In this, I collaborated with the Department of Information Technology (DoIT), the University Libraries, the Digital Knowledge Center, the Director of Continuing & Professional Studies and other campus partners.

In this position, I actively engaged in scholarly conversations around ethical and effective online pedagogies, online program administration, and/or technological innovation, and worked with faculty and other UMW colleagues to seek internal and external funding for specific projects and initiatives focused on the integration of technology in teaching, learning, and research.

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER

OFFICE OF DIGITAL LEARNING
Middlebury College: Middlebury, VT — 2016 - 2017

Middlebury College is a prestigious small liberal arts college currently expanding its digital learning efforts. As an instructional designer, I worked closely with faculty and staff to plan, design, and create inspiring and effective digital learning environments. I provided support for projects, help to explore new areas of digital learning, and provided insights to strategic decision-making processes related to digital learning. I primarily supported the Language Schools, Schools Abroad, and the Bread Loaf School of English and Conferences, while working closely with support teams for the undergraduate College and for the Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterey. Because of this broad scope, I worked collaboratively with other teams and provided advisement and support where needed.

SENIOR EDITOR

RESEARCH & EDUCATION
Instructure: Salt Lake City, UT — 2015 - 2016

The Research and Education department at Instructure provides research insights to the company and the public to enhance the development and use of Canvas, the company’s open-source learning management system. As Senior Editor, I provided conceptual and editorial support to a small team of writers and data researchers. I worked with the VPs of Research and Education and Marketing to engage in research into existing and emerging technologies — with an eye toward collaborative Web technologies and open educational content — and to stay abreast of current trends in K-12 and higher education. I also contributed a tactical and strategic perspective to the company’s vision of the effective use of technologies in teaching and learning.

DIRECTOR

HYBRID PEDAGOGY
HybridPedagogy.com — 2012 - 2014

Hybrid Pedagogy is a peer-reviewed digital journal of learning, teaching, and technology which has featured prominent national voices — such as Audrey Watters, Cathy N. Davidson, Howard Rheingold — as well as many international writers. As Director, I led a team of 12 editors and managers, and was responsible for sustaining the quality and the brand of the journal. I worked to pioneer our collaborative peer-review process, and to openly share and narrate that process through professional, public, online and on-ground presentations and ongoing dialogue with our community. I also oversaw the journal’s educational outreach efforts — largely in the form of Twitter hashtag chats and MOOCs — and recently developed an online professional development course as part of our hiring process for new editors.

DIGITAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZER

ADJUNCT ACTION
SEIU: Washington DC — 2014

Adjunct Action is a membership-based non-union effort by the Service Employees International Union to create a professional network for underrepresented adjunct and contingent teachers. As Digital Community Organizer, I developed awareness of the initiative through social media marketing, the design of a new website, live, open events with notable voices such as Sarah Kendzior, Maria Maisto, and Lee Skallerup-Bessette, and through the design and implementation of webinars aimed at supporting adjunct organizing efforts.

PROGRAM CHAIR

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
Community Colleges of Colorado Online: Denver, CO — 2006 - 2008

CCCOnline develops, administers, and teaches courses for use by the 13-campus system of community colleges in Colorado. As Program Chair, I supported the instructional technology needs of faculty in the English program, including instructional design training and support, consultation and collaboration on the development of new courses, and professional development. I engineered CCCOnline’s first use of open educational resources in Developmental English courses, and encouraged instructional innovation in online learning toward greater student agency and engagement.

SENIOR INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER

Alva Learning Systems: Denver, CO — 2001 - 2003

Alva Learning Systems was an instructional design firm that provided corporate training courses to companies, primarily in the financial market. As an instructional designer, I designed and developed web-based and performance-based training, conducted front-end analysis and developed design documents to specify course objectives and content deliverables, and wrote learning objectives that tracked required competencies.


Grants, Honors, Service

#REALCOLLEGE CURRICULUM
HOPE CENTER FOR COLLEGE, COMMUNITY, AND JUSTICE
Gates Foundation Grant, 2020-2021

In partnership with Digital Pedagogy Lab, Frontlines of Justice, and SoledadO’Brien Productions, the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice has been funded to create the #RealCollege Curriculum, which will provide skill building for faculty, staff, and leadership in higher education to support students’ basic needs and create cultural and systemic change.

As the director of Digital Pedagogy Lab, I assist with the development of the curriculum itself, contributing to the pedagogy, content, and design of modules featuring research, expert interviews, creative assessments and reflection, and more.

INTERNATIONAL FELLOW

WARWICK INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION ACADEMY (WIHEA)
University of Warwick: Coventry, UK - 2017

Organized along similar lines to a professional body, WIHEA aims to develop and embed outstanding learning and teaching at Warwick, in line with the distinctive nature of the university and the excellent reputation it has for academic achievement, both in research and teaching. As an international fellow, I facilitated a series of events for faculty and staff to explore various subjects in digital teaching and learning. Workshops included:

  • Student Agency in Digital Spaces: A workshop for undergraduates and postgraduate students on students as active partners in hybrid spaces.
  • Critical Instructional Design: A workshop for staff focused on an approach to course and learning design that investigates the place of social justice, student agency, and equity in digital spaces.
  • Digital Pedagogy Lab Warwick: A one-day intensive focused on Critical Digital Pedagogy. Faculty and other educators practiced hands-on solutions for the common challenges teachers and learners face when working digitally.

SERVICE AND COMMITTEES

PANELIST | PEDAGOGICAL COMPETENCY PROGRAM REVIEW
NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Trondheim, Norway - 2021

As a panelist for the review of a new compulsory pedagogical competency program at NTNU, I worked alongside other international experts in critical digital pedagogy to help the university improve and revise their professional development program.

JUROR
FALLING WALLS FOUNDATION | FUTURE LEARNING 2021
Berlin, Germany - 2021

As a juror for the Falling Walls Foundation, I evaluated—for impact, scalability and likelihood of replication, accessibility and efficacy, and novelty—international submissions of special projects in:

Life Sciences • Physical Sciences • Engineering and Technology • Social Sciences and Humanities • Art and Science • Future Learning • Science and Innovation Management • Emerging Talents • Science Start-Ups • Science Engagement


Presentations

INVITED TALKS AND WORKSHOPS

"Resilience as an Engine for Change: Critical Digital Pedagogy and the Production of Tomorrow." Plenary keynote. OEB Global Conference. Berlin, Germany. 2021.

"Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: What DEI means after COVID-19." Workshop. OEB Global Conference. Berlin, Germany. 2021.

Panel on Pedagogical Competency. Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Trondheim, Norway. 2021.

"Critical Digital Pedagogy: a Panel." University of Michigan-Dearborn. 2021.

"How to Ungrade." Workshop. The #RealCollege Journey. Temple University. 2021.

"As we step forward, we must stand still: Critical digital pedagogy and the praxis of taking time." Keynote. May Curriculum Week: OCAD University. Ontario, Canada. 2021.

"Transforming Perspectives Regarding the Teaching and Learning Paradigm." Keynote. University of Ottawa. Ontario, Canada. 2021.

"Humanising Digital Pedagogy: the Role of Imagination in Distance Teaching." Plenary. QAA Scotland. Edinburgh, Scotland. 2021.

“Critical Digital Pedagogy after COVID-19.” Keynote. EdCrunch Conference. Moscow, Russia. 2020.

“Teaching through the Screen and the Necessity of Imagination Literacy.” Keynote. OEB Global Conference. Berlin, Germany. 2020.

"Assessment during the Pandemic: Practices emanating from Critical Digital Pedagogy." Speaker. University of Pretoria. 2020.

"Online Teaching: Lessons Learned." Speaker. Beyond the Professoriate. 2020.

"Learning from Disruption: Exploring What Counts in Higher Education." QAA Scotland. 2020.

"Online Course Instruction: Survival Guide." Speaker. Service Employees International Union—Faculty Forward Campaign. 2020.

"Pivot to Remote P12 Teaching: Staying Committed to Remote Learning." Speaker. Center for Practice Engaged Education Research, University of Colorado Denver. 2020.

"After Babel: Designing for Community." Keynote. Teaching and Learning with Technology Symposium. Metropolitan State University. Denver, CO. 2019

"Imagination and the Pedagogy of Design". Keynote and Workshop. Teaching with Technology Conference. University of Virginia. Charlottesville, VA. 2019

"Why we teach: Stories of Pedagogy". Keynote. CICT Conference. Portland State University. Portland, OR. 2019

"Education is not a field for mediocre hopes and mediocre dreams." Speaker series presentation. Cengage. Boston, MA. 2019

"Writing about Teaching." Workshop. ISTE / Innovative Education Colorado conference. Keystone, CO. 2019

"Critical Pedagogy and an Urgency of Teachers." Keynote. ISTE / Innovative Education Colorado conference. Keystone, CO. 2019"The Production of Tomorrow." Keynote at DREAM 2019 Conference. Long Beach, CA. 2019

"An Urgency of Teachers." Livestream talk for ThinqStudio, with Jesse Stommel. University of Colorado at Denver. 2019.

"Critical Pedagogy." Future Trends Forum. 2019.

"An Urgency of Teachers." MURSDLeads Author Series. 2019.

"Introduction to Digital Pedagogy." Special Workshop at Ryerson University. Toronto, ON. 2018

"The Habitus of Critical Imagination." Keynote. Teaching and Learning with Technology Symposium at Metropolitan State University. Denver, CO. 2018.

Digital Pedagogy retreat. 2-day intensive at Atlantic School of Theology. Halifax, NS. 2018.

"Imagination as a Precision Tool for Change." Public Talk. University of Warwick. Coventry, ENG. 2018.

"Exploring Critical Pedagogy and Innovation." 3-day intensive at The Open University. Milton Keynes, ENG. 2018.

"Wide-awakeness and Critical Imagination." Keynote. Rethinq Conference at University of Colorado at Denver. Denver, CO. 2018.

"Ethical Online Learning: Critical Pedagogy and Social Justice." Keynote. Digital Pedagogy Lab Delaware at the University of Delaware. Newark, DE. 2018.

Critical Digital Pedagogy, Curriculum, and Design. 6-month hybrid collaboration with Iliff School of Theology. Sponsored by Associate Dean of Curriculum and Assessment. Denver, CO. 2017.

"Critical Pedagogy and Learning Online." Keynote. OpenTEL Conference at The Open University. Milton Keynes, ENG. 2017.

Digital Pedagogy Lab Warwick. University of Warwick. Coventry, ENG. 2017.

Professional Learning Community formation and leadership. 18-month hybrid collaboration with University of Dayton English Department. Dayton, OH. 2016-2017

"Digital Pedagogy Lab: Writing about Teaching." 3-day intensive at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Vancouver, BC. 2017.

"Digital Pedagogy and Digital Humanities." 2-day intensive at University of Delaware. Newark, DE. 2016.

"Digital Pedagogy Lab: Digital Literacies." 3-day intensive at University of Prince Edward Island. Prince Edward Island, Canada. 2016.

"Digital Pedagogy Lab: Praxis." 3-day intensive at American University in Cairo. Cairo, Egypt. 2016.

“Digital Tools for Collaborative Writing.” With Jesse Stommel. UW Writer’s Institute. Madison, WI. 2015.

“Critical Pedagogy and the Digital Humanities.” 3-day workshop at Lewis & Clark. Portland, OR. 2014.

“A Scholarship of Generosity: New-form Publishing and Hybrid Pedagogy.” Featured session. Online Learning Consortium Emerging Technologies for Online Learning. Dallas, TX. 2014.

“EdTech as an Academic.” Career Forum Roundtable. Online Learning Consortium Emerging Technologies for Online Learning. Dallas, TX. 2014.

“Digital Humanities: Across Disciplines, Across Campus.” Center for Educational Technology & Innovation Workshop. Carroll University. Waukesha, WI. 2013.

“Using Canvas to Change the World.” Featured session. InstructureCon. Park City, UT. 2013.

“MOOCification: The LMS as a Portal to Connected Learning.” Workshop. InstructureCon. Park City, UT. 2013.

“Digital Pedagogy and MOOCification.” NITLE Network Seminar. 2013.

“Assessing Assessment: Grading and Alternatives to Grading in the University Classroom.” Graduate Teacher Program Workshop. University of Colorado Boulder. 2004.

MEDIA

"Course Hero admits their study platform has been a place to find emergency answers. With AI, it hopes to transform it to a place of continuous learning." Fortune. 2023.

"How proper learning and exposure to AI can win over even your most cautious faculty." University Business. 2023

"New Survey: College Faculty Confirm Prevalence Of Student Mental Health Concerns." Forbes. 2023.

"Launching an AI Academy with Sean Michael Morris." Trending in Higher Education podcast. 2023.

“Ed tech must listen to educators.” Higher Ed Dive. 2022.

“Teachers Require Training and Time to use Educational Technology.” Institute for the Future of Education. 2022.

“Can a Critic of Edtech Change a Controversial Homework-Help Site From the Inside?” EdSurge. 2022.

“Course Hero, Ed-Tech Company, Hires Ed-Tech Critic.” Inside Higher Ed. 2022.

"Towards a Digital Pedagogy." OnEdMentors podcast. 2020.

"The Moment Is Primed for Asynchronous Learning." Inside Higher Ed. 2020.

"School's Back, and So Is Online Learning. Here Are Some Expert tips for Teachers and Parents." Colorado Public Radio. 2020.

"As Times and Students Change, Can Faculty Change, Too?" Inside Higher Ed. 2020.

"We're embracing tech during lockdown – but can it replace the classroom?" The Guardian. 2020.

"Panic-gogy': Teaching Online Classes during the Coronavirus Pandemic." National Public Radio. 2020.

"'On a Desert Island with your Students': Professors Discuss the Weirdness of Teaching Remotely in a Pandemic." The Chronicle of Higher Education. 2020.

"Coronavirus and Our Most Vulnerable Populations.” The Late Bell podcast. 2020.

"Berea College Praised For Coronavirus Response." Diverse Issues in Higher Education. 2020.

"The Shift to Remote Learning: The Human Element." Inside Higher Ed. 2020.

"Teachers dance, struggle with assignments and tech during quarantine." Fox 5. 2020.

"Colleges Move Online Amid Virus Fears." Inside Higher Ed. 2020.

"Critical Pedagogy in STEM." Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. 2020.

"Jesse Stommel and Sean Michael Morris." Mediacy podcast. 2020.

"A School is Not a Bank." Overthrowing Education Podcast. 2019.

"Episode 036—Sean Michael Morris." The Flipped Learning Network podcast. 2019.

"Why a Plagiarism-Detection Company Is Now a Billion-Dollar Business." The Chronicle of Higher Education. 2019.

"Discussion Boards: Valuable? Overused? Discuss." Inside Higher Ed. 2019.

"The Best (and Worst) Ways to Respond to Student Anxiety." The Chronicle of Higher Ed. 2019.

"2 Digital Learning Devotees Evaluate Their Progress." Inside Higher Ed. 2018.

"Online Learning Shouldn’t Be ‘Less Than’." Inside Higher Ed. 2018.

"An Urgency of Teachers." Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. 2018.

"New Salvo Against Turnitin." Inside Higher Ed. 2017.

"There is more than one story to be told about Muslims in Trump’s America." The Asian Age. 2017.

"What the Best Digital Teachers Do." Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. 2016.

"Instructional Design." The Chronicle of Higher Education. 2016.

"Thoughts on a Manifesto." Inside Higher Ed.

"MOOC Mania." The Chronicle of Higher Education. 2012.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

“Humanising Digital Pedagogy.” Global Online Learning Summit. Toronto, ON. 2018.

"An Urgency of Teachers: Teaching as Activism." AAC&U Annual Meeting. Washington D.C. 2018.

"If bell hooks Made an LMS." Domains '17. Oklahoma City, OK. 2017.

"Critical Instructional Design and Open Education." Open Ed Conference. Richmond, VA. 2016.

"Critical Instructional Design." Keynote at Digital Pedagogy Lab Institute. Fredericksburg, VA. 2016.

“Disrupting the Digital Humanities.” Modern Language Association. Vancouver, WA. 2015.

“If Freire Made a MOOC.” Open Education Conference. Washington, DC. 2014.

“Learning Communities, Interactivity, and Collaboration in MOOCs.” “What is a MOOC?” Building Massive Open Online Communities: a Day of Discussion. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Madison, WI. 2014.

“Narrative Play in World of Warcraft.” Part of “Massive Learning, Massive Play: Constructing Identity and Community through Text and Interface” panel. Computers and Writing. Pullman, WA. 2014.

“Digital Activism: Using Networks to Build Inclusive Community.” Plenary organizer and speaker. Wisconsin and Midwest Women’s and Gender Studies Conference. River Falls, WI. 2014.

“World of Warcraft: A Literary Community.” The Image of Technology conference. Colorado Springs, CO. 2009.

“Teaching Creative Writing Online.” Associated Writing Programs conference. Chicago, IL. 2009.

“Students 2.0.” Colorado Learning and Teaching with Technology Conference. Boulder, CO. 2008.

“New Approaches to Plagiarism and Authorship.” “Open Content for New Instructional Delivery.” “Avoiding Faculty Burn-out.” Colorado Community Colleges Online annual conference. 2007.

Publications

BOOKS AND JOURNALS

"'Hey Handsome': Dating Apps and a Critical Digital Pedagogy of Identity." We Live Online: Virtual Identities and Digital Culture. Eds. Victoria Kannen and Aaron Langille. Forthcoming.

"The Ends of Pedagogy." The Ends of Knowledge. Eds. Seth Rudy and Rachael Scarborough King. Bloomsbury Academic. Forthcoming.

"Rethinking Social Knowledge Creation in the Liberal Arts: The History and Future of Domain of One’s Own." Social Knowledge Creation in the Humanities, volume 2. Ed. Aaron Mauro. Iter Press. Forthcoming.

Voices of Practice: Narrative Scholarship from the Margins. Editor, with Lucy Rai and Karen Littleton. The Open University and Hybrid Pedagogy Inc., 2021

“Technology is not Pedagogy.” Hybrid Teaching: Pedagogy, People, Politics. Ed. Chris Friend. Hybrid Pedagogy Inc., 2021

Critical Digital Pedagogy: A Collection. Co-editor. Hybrid Pedagogy Inc., 2020.

“Hybrid.” Digital Pedagogy in the Humanities. Eds. Rebecca Frost Davis, Matthew Gold, Katherine Harris, and Jentery Sayers. MLA Press. 2020.

"Digital Humanities and the Erosion of Inquiry." Disrupting Digital Humanities. Eds. Dorothy Kim and Jesse Stommel. Punctum Books. 2018.

An Urgency of Teachers. With Jesse Stommel. Hybrid Pedagogy Inc., 2018.

“Open Education as Resistance: MOOCs and Critical Pedagogy.” MOOCs and their Afterlives: Experiments in Scale and Access in Higher Education. With Jesse Stommel. Ed. Elizabeth Losh. University of Chicago Press, 2017.

“Writing at Scale: Composition MOOCs and Digital Writing Communities.” With Christopher R. Friend and Jesse Stommel. Applied Pedagogies: Strategies for Online Writing Instruction. Utah State University Press, 2016.

“The Course as Container: Distributed Learning and the MOOC.” With Jesse Stommel. Global Innovation of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Springer, 2015.

“A Kaleidoscope of Variables: The Complex Nature of Online Education in Composition Courses.” With Christopher R. Friend and Jesse Stommel. Critical Examinations of Distance Education Transformation Across Disciplines. IGI Global, 2014.


Photo by Nigel Haarstad, all rights reserved. Used with permission.