DET/CHE 28

Brent Auernheimer, Professor, Computer Science, and Advisor for Academic Technology,

Brent has been a visiting professor at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, a visiting scientist at the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, and summer faculty research fellow at NASA Kennedy Space Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.He teaches online, hybrid, synchronous, and asynchronous classes. He received theFresno State provost's award for Technology in Education for 2010-11, and the president's Award of Excellence in 2008.He earned the PhD in Computer Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1987.

John C. Bansavich, Director, Learning Technologies and the Center for Instruction and Technology, University of San Francisco

John oversees classroom technology, media services, Blackboard, and faculty/staff technology training.John is also the Program Coordinator for the Digital Media and Learning MA program at USF.John has a passion for working with educators and students at all levels of their comprehension and appreciation of technology.Current research projects include iPad use among faculty and students in higher education.He is also conducting research in LMS use at USF and piloting Desire2Learn and Instructure Canvas during the fall 2012 semester.John received his doctorate in Learning and Instruction from the University of San Francisco in 2005.

Daniel Bustos, Instructional Technology & Design Coordinator, Office of Instructional Development, UCLA. 

Daniel rejoined the University of California Los Angeles in 2006 to administer, coordinate and navigate the next wave of streaming media solutions.  He represents the Office of Instructional Development on UCLA's iTunes U committee, works closely with University Communications regarding course postings to UCLA's YouTube channel, and researches emerging educational technologies. Prior to his current position at UCLA he held positions as the Media Services Manager for the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and Head of Technical Systems for UCLA's Audio Visual Services.  His first jobs in Los Angeles were working in the audio recording industry.  He has lived in Los Angeles since 1994 after studying Audio Technology and Electrical Engineering in his home state of Texas.

Brett Christie, Academic Technology Services, CSU Chancellor's Office

Brett supports system and campus efforts related to Affordable Learning Solutions, as well as Learning Management Systems Services.Prior, Brett worked as the Director of the Center for Teaching and Professional Development at Sonoma State University and has over 20 years teaching experience in Educational Technology, Teacher Education and Kinesiology.In addition to teaching, he has served in leadership roles in multiple state and national projects, such as Building the Digital Bridge, Light Bridge, EnACT and Access by Design.The primary focus of these projects has been on faculty development, effective and innovative uses of instructional technology, and supporting students with disabilities.This has included implementation and research on the use of Faculty Learning Communities for course redesign and innovation toward a more effective teaching and learning relationship between instructors and students.

Roxanne Cnudde, Acting Director, Communication Center, San Jose State University

Roxanne teaches communication studies courses in hybrid and conventional forms at the university and community college level. She is currently the Acting Director of the Communication Center at San Jose State University, which provides support for all students interested in developing their personal and professional communication skills, and offers specialized support for those enrolled in Communication Studies courses. The COMM Center serves three groups of students: (1) upper-division COMM majors fulfilling their applied activity requirement; they serves as peer mentors in the Center; (2) lower-division students who enroll in a 1-unit self-paced course offered through the Center; (3) drop-in students seeking assistance for developing their communication skills. Roxanne is also on the committee designing, implementing, and training faculty for the pilot hybrid public speaking course to launch in the spring at SJSU. Roxanne is an early-adopter of Canvas, the new LMS at SJSU.

Amy Collier, Director, Technology and Teaching, Office of the Vice Provost, Online Learning (VPOL), Stanford University.

In this role, Amy oversees a team of instructional designers and research assistants who work with faculty to develop and assess online learning experiences, including blended courses and MOOCs. She works with faculty individually and in groups to plan their effective use of technology to enrich student learning. Amy has been working with online learning initiatives since 2004 and, prior to arriving at Stanford, she directed the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at Texas Wesleyan University. The CETL'sClassroom.NEXT: Engaging Faculty and Students in Learning Space Design

Crista Copp, Director, Academic Technology, Loyola Marymount University

Crista is responsible for educational technology strategies, policies, and oversight of day-to-dayoperations. She oversees the Instructional Technology team of six specialized Instructional Technologists who provide direct support to faculty (and manage an Faculty Innovation Center), as well as Creative Services, which specializes in new media training, promotion, development and production. The Learning Spaces and Lab team, Student Innovation Center, Student Help Desk and university technology training program also report directly to Crista. She is a faculty member in the School of Education, having earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration, and is a frequent presenter at conferences. Crista is a co-founder of EduSoCal, a regional educational technology conference, and a past chair of the event.

Ruth Cox, Faculty, Health Education Department, San Francisco State University

Dr. Cox facilitates faculty development seminars focused on course re-design with the Academic Technology team and has taught a range of courses on creativity, psychology, and human potential. She teaches in the Masters of Public Health (MPH) Program and directs the ePortfolio Initiative, http://eportfolio.sfsu.edu at SF State, working campus-wide on comprehensive assessment strategies using student electronic portfolios. For more than 30 years Ruth also worked as an actress in theater, film, and television, in productions from Shakespeare to Happy Days, and continues to perform in San Francisco.

William Preston Davis, Director of Instructional Services, Northern Virginia Community College's (NOVA) Extended Learning Institute (ELI), Northern Virginia Community College

Dr. Davis is responsible for learning and technology resources for the distance learning unit of the college.He serves on NOVA's Learning and Technology Resources Leadership Council (LTRLC), Instructional and Student Services Committee (ISSC), the NOVA Taskforce on Testing, and the VCCS Textbooks Costs and Digital Learning Resources Workgroup (TCDLR). Preston is also a member of the Community College Consortium on Open Educational Resources (CCCOER) and is a strong advocate for the development and use of open course content.

Prior to joining NOVA, Preston held positions of Dean of Distance Education for SRMC and Manager of Education Programs for The George Washington University.  He has also worked as an ISD consultant for the Federal Government.

Preston has also developed and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in Education Leadership and Applied Ethics.  His research interests include open learning resources, distance learning and assessment, and educational philosophy.

Al DeSalles, Manager, Media & Reprographic Services, Santa Monica College

Al leads a team of multimedia specialists and technicians who develop new media content, support faculty technology training and maintain smart classrooms.He also manages the multi-campus digital print services and serves as a member on the Xerox Higher Education Advisory Committee.He enjoys working with faculty and students on pilot projects that focus on emerging technologies in the teaching and learning realm.Some recent projects include re-purposing course readers as e-textbooks for iPads and implementing an advanced smart classroom where hands-on interactivity with high technology and collaborative lesson plans help make learning fun and engaging.Al earned his BA in Communication Studies from CSU Sacramento and a Master's Degree in Online Teaching and Learning from CSU Hayward.

Chris Dutton, Manager, Audio-Visual Services, UCLA

Christopher first joined the Audio Visual Services (AVS) unit, within the Office of Instructional Development, in 1994 and has been the manager since 2005. His department provides AV support for nearly 200 general assignment classrooms, approx. 90% of them with installed media equipment. His staff also helps support the undergraduate distance learning / videoconferencing service and provides equipment and labor resources for the BruinCast video recordings. He has lived in the Los Angeles area since graduating from UCLA in 1995.

Kathy Fernandes, Director, CSU LMS Project, Chancellor's Office, Director of Academic Technology, CSU Chico

Kathy has two roles within the California State University system. Kathy has been at CSU Chico since 1988, and is the Director of Academic Technologies where she oversees the campus learning management system, the faculty technology and learning program, classroom technology, web services, delivery of distance education, media production, print graphics and computer graphics, photography, and grants and contracts.Since April 2007, Kathy has been the Director of CSU System-wide LMS Initiatives.She leads the LMS Strategic Planning for the California State university 23-campus system.She facilitates governance, services, vendor management, and communications with the CSU stakeholders.She has an MA in Instructional Technology, BS in Computer Science and BA in Mathematics.Kathy attended the Frye Leadership Institute in June 2007.

Jay Field, Associate Vice President/CIO, Long Beach City College

Jay is Associate Vice President for Instructional and Information Technology Services (IITS) and CIO at Long Beach City College.IITS is comprised of 5 units each reporting to a Director – Academic computing and Multimedia Equipment Services and Support (classroom technology, computer labs, video production), Applications Development and Support (Peoplesoft, enterprise applications), Instructional Technology and Distance Learning (faculty support, LMS), Network Services (data center, infrastructure, networks, telephony), and User Support & Web Development (desktop support, campus web server and web applications development).He is currently overseeing the Instructional Technology and Distance Learning unit.He co-chairs (with a faculty member) LBCC's Technology Oversight and Distance Learning Implementation Oversight Task Forces and serves on the Systemwide Architecture and Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Committees for the California Community Colleges.He chaired last year's EduSoCal conference at Loyola Marymount University.

Matt Frank, Academic Creative Services Coordinator, Loyola Marymount University

Matt spent 8 years working in television and film as a cinematographer and editor before crossing into academia as a media creator, consultant, and teacher. As Academic Creative Services Coordinator, Matt is dedicated to the creation of multimedia-based academic resources that improve student learning and promote faculty outreach. His interests include high quality video and audio production, emerging technologies, advertising, design, and gaming. Matt holds a B.A. in Communications with emphasis on Electronic Media from Wichita State University.

James Frazee, Director, Instructional Technology Services, San Diego State University

Dr. James P. Frazee teaches graduate-level educational technology courses for SDSU and at the University of San Diego, and has written and presented widely on the subjects of obtaining, managing and leveraging large state and federal educational technology grants, designing faculty professional development programs, strategic technology planning and using technology to push (active, student-centered) curriculum reform. When he's not busy being a dad, he enjoys talking about his experience designing learning spaces.

James Glapa-Grossklag, Dean, Education Technology, Learning Resources, and Distance Learning, College of the Canyons

James supervises Distance and Accelerated Learning, Libraries, Tutoring, Educational Travel, and Interdisciplinary Field Studies.  He serves as project director for the statewide Distance Education Captioning and Transcription Grant, designed to support California Community Colleges in making distance learning universally accessible.  He also serves as co-director of a US Department of Education FIPSE grant to develop Open Educational Resources.  His external roles include serving as President of the Advisory Board of the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources and as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Intelecom.  James was previously a tenured faculty member in history.

Keith Graziadei, Instructor, ESL Department, Santa Monica College

Keith has been teaching ESL at the community college level for the past 12 years. He is an iNACOL-certified online instructor and has taught online and hybrid ESL courses in grammar, reading, writing, and vocabulary. Keith has served on the Distance Education and Student Success committees at Santa Monica College. In addition, he provides faculty technology training and support at SMC including the coordination of a tech workshop series each semester. Keith is a certified SMART Notebook and Response System trainer. When not grading papers or developing lesson plans, Keith can be found surfing at his favorite local breaks in the South Bay.

Gerry Hanley, Senior Director, Academic Technology Services, CSU Chancellor's Office

Dr. Gerard L. Hanley is the Executive Director of Merlot (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) and Senior Director for Academic Technology Services for the California State University, Office of the Chancellor.At MERLOT, he directs the development and sustainability of MERLOT's innovation open education resources, services and consortium of higher education institutions, professional societies, corporation, and other digital libraries.At the CSU, Gerry oversees the development and implementation of system-wide academic technolgies, digital library systems and resources, and accessible technology initiatives supporting CSU's 23 campuses serving over 400,000 students.Previously held positions in the CSU include Professor of Psychology, Director of Faculty Development and Director of Strategic Planning.

Andrea Henne, Dean of Online and Distributed Learning at the San Diego Community College District, which currently enrolls over 12,000 students each semester in online courses (http://www.sdccdonline.net).

Dr. Henne has extensive experience at the community college and university levels in creating accessible, personalized online learning environments that meet best practices in technology-based teaching, faculty development, student learning outcomes, and quality standards. Prior to working for the SDCCD, Dr. Henne was the Systemwide Director of Distributed Learning at Alliant International University, developing and managing online, video-conferenced, and blended courses and faculty development across six California campuses, Mexico City and Japan.She has been a full-time instructor of Computer Business Technology at Los Angeles City College and San Diego Mesa College and an online instructor in Instructional Technology at National University and in Economics as well as Critical Thinking and Problem Solving at DeVry Online. Educated at UCLA in Higher Education Leadership (doctorate) and Business-Economic Education (masters), Dr. Henne currently serves as the 2011 DET/CHE President.

Mitra Hoshiar, Faculty, Los Angeles Pierce College

Mitra has worked in the field of distance education within higher education for more than 11 years.As the former Chair of Educational Technology Committee at LAPC, she worked with faculty members and staff to formulate policies and to centralize the activities of distance education program. Mitra developed strategies that were in line with the mission, goals, and objectives of the college and responded to the changing needs of students, faculty, staff, administration, community, senate, union, curriculum, state regulations, budget, and labor market. Mitra earned her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in Community Colleges at California State University Northridge. Dr. Hoshiar's passion centers on learning and valuing education, student and faculty access and success, excellence, integrity, accountability, respecting diversity, and valuing community and collaborative relationships. Most of her doctoral work focused on the engagement of faculty in strategic visioning and planning, and the important role of faculty and staff professional development. 

Xiaolin Charlene Hu, Director of Instructional Development at the California State University Bakersfield.

Dr. Hu's research interests include measuring effectiveness of online teaching, curriculum and instructional design, assessment, and emerging technology. Her professional experiences include instructional design, online teaching and working with faculty in program planning and in the development of online courses.In addition to working in universities, she has experience in continuing education and state agencies.

Jim Julius, Faculty Director, Online Education, MiraCosta College

Jim Julius, Ed.D. is the first Faculty Director of Online Education at MiraCosta College.Previously, he was the Associate Director of Instructional Technology Services at San Diego State University.Other professional experience includes software engineering, teaching 4^th/5^th grade, and teaching instructional technology courses at SDSU and the University of San Diego.He is married to a librarian and they live in San Diego with three daughters, three chickens, one guinea pig, a dog, and a cat.

Hannah Lawler, Director of Institutional Research, Santa Monica College

Dr. Lawler has worked in institutional research for the California Community Colleges since 2005. Her research work primarily focuses on program evaluation, assessment of student learning, and institutional effectiveness. She recently conducted a qualitative study documenting the experience of faculty teaching in the Digital Learning Studio classroom.

Mike Magrey, Associate Director, Academic Technologies, CSU, Chico

Mike has 22 years of management experience in high-tech companies, including Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies.For 10 years he was a manager in Hewlett-Packards Research and Development Lab, responsible for development of new software for HP's PC product line.Following that, he moved to HP's Information Technology department where he led Human Resource's transformation to industry leading applications.

At the beginning of 2009, Mike was hired by CSU, Chico as Associate Director of Academic Technologies.In this capacity he serves as manager of operations, Special Projects Lead, and Project Investigator for grants and contracts. Mike has a M.S. Computer Science

John Makevich, Director, Distance and Accelerated Learning, College of the Canyons

John's primary responsibilities involve the overseeing of the online learning programs at the college, as well as the rapidly-growing accelerated and learning community offerings.  He also manages and conducts the faculty training component pertaining to online teaching and learning strategies and understanding of technology.  Mr. Makevich was the co-director of a U.S. Department of Education FIPSE grant for the development and collation of open educational resources (OER) at his institution.  He also serves on the advisory group for the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources (CCCOER) and is actively involved in state and national efforts pertaining to open content.  

John Makevich earned his BS in Earth Sciences from the University of California, San Diego, and his MS in Atmospheric Sciences from The University of Arizona.  In addition to his roles in distance and accelerated learning, he is able to put them into action by teaching both online and accelerated courses in Earth science and meteorology.

Chris Mattia, Director of Academic Technology at CSU Channel Islands,

Chris focuses on leveraging existing and emerging technologies to solve complex problems and enhance Teaching and Learning. He is passionate about improving lives through education using technology. Chris is the Author of several eLearning titles at lynda.com including: Camtastia Studio Essential Training, iBooks Author Essential Training and Moodle Essential Training.

Scott McAvoy, Graduate student, San Diego State

University's Educational Technology Program

Scott is an intern at SDSU's Instructional Technology Services (ITS), and a computer lab manager in SDSU's College of Education. Scott is currently heading a research team investigating assessment integrity in online and hybrid class formats, and is facilitating iPad distribution, training, and educational uses in the College of Education. Scott is often seen sneaking into various campus IT meetings, and consuming their refreshments.

Shahra Meshkaty, Senior Director, Academic Technology Services, University of San Diego

Shahra oversees the desktop, helpdesk, web, instructional support, media services, labs and academic system support. Shahra has been an adjunct faculty at USD School of Education and Business as well as an instructor at the San Diego Community College New Media Center teaching courses in business applications, web publishing and graphics design for many years. In her current role, she oversees all aspects of teaching and learning support, works in close collaboration with faculty and departmental liaisons on learning space projects, and serves on many campus committees and taskforces related to the academic technology resources. Her most recent objective being to explore the impact of learning spaces and technologies on student learning, she helped form and co-chaired the Innovative Learning Space Design Committee at USD — the first attempt to improve formal and informal learning spaces at the university. She works closely with technology partners, campus constituents and the facilities' management to update the learning spaces around campus. Involved with numerous IT projects and initiatives over the years, she launched the annual Technology Open House, the Student Technology Assistant program and, most recently, the Classroom iPad project. She has given a number of talks, papers and presentations at national and international conferences such as the SIGUCCS, New Media Center, EdMedia, Educause, and E-Learn 2012--World Conference.

Edward L. Meyen, Ph.D., Professor in Special Education, Co-Director, e-Learning Design Lab (eDL), University of Kansas.

The eDL is an interdisciplinary research and development unit established in 1999. Dr. Meyen's research interests include instructional design, online learning environments, scalability of online designs, content management, assessment and the application of online instruction to struggling learners such as children and youth with disabilities. The eDL has developed and tested over sixty online programs for postsecondary learners.

Micah Orloff, Interim Co-Director, @One Project, Mt. San Jacinto College

The @ONE Project, is a statewide technology training initiative of the Chancellor's Office of the 112 California Community Colleges. The @ONE Project specializes in preparing faculty for teaching online effectively through a development program based on nationally recognized standards for online teaching quality. Prior to his work with @ONE, Micah was the distance education network coordinator and adjunct instructor for Mt. San Jacinto College in San Jacinto, California, where he was actively involved with technology administration, policy & procedure development, and community training & support for MSJC's distance education program. He completed his Masters in Education with a focus on Instructional Technology and undergraduate work in Information Management.

Marc Pastor, Associate Director of Instructional Technology Services, San Diego State University.

Marc assists the Director in providing leadership to the campus in the use of technologies to enhance scholarly pursuits in learning, teaching, and research. He consults with ITS staff, faculty, and other campus personnel regarding evaluation, selection, design, and implementation of instructional technologies. Marc is responsible for managing various ITS projects and assisting in the management of the day-to-day operations of ITS. He holds an MA in Educational Technology from San Diego State University, and a BA in secondary education from Northwestern University.

Andrew Roderick, Technology Development Manager, San Francisco State University

Andrew is the Technology Developer and External Projects Manager in the Academic Technology unit at San Francisco State University.He leads the systems, software development, and support operations focused on services and applications for teaching, learning, and administrative needs within the institution.He also leads California State University system-wide projects/initiatives including the CSU Moodle Common Interest Group (as part of the Learning Management System Governance Structure) and the CSU Fresca Initiative, and innovation software platform supporting group and faculty research profiles.

Rob Rodgers, Director, Educational Technology Systems,UCLA.

As part of the Office of Instructional Development, Rob manages all aspects of classroom technology and media support, including development and installation of equipment, course capture and webcasting, and audio visual delivery and consulting.Rob has been in his current role for over 8 years, previously he held management and advisory positions in finance, human resources, and classroom technology during his 20 years at UCLA.Rob has degrees in business, history and public administration, and in his off time enjoys model trains and wargaming.

Ashley Skylar, Director, Center for Excellence and Innovation in Online Education, Cal State Online; Associate Professor, Dept of Special Education, and Faculty Associate, Faculty Technology Center, CSU Northridge

Dr. Skylar received her MA in Instructional Technology and her Ph.D. in Special Education at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.At CSU Northridge she is Chair of the Academic Technology Committee and was instrumental in passing an online and hybrid policy for the campus.She was a member of the CSU Online Working Group and has served on technology initiatives/committees at her campus. As a faculty associate for the faculty technology center she provides support to faculty in course redesign, prepares training guides and provides workshop on using online tools, and developed a student online readiness survey that is provided campus wide.She has over 10 years experience in teaching courses online in higher education and has never taught a traditional course! Previous to working at CSUN, she was in IT, Professional Development and a middle school teacher for 8 years in the Las Vegas Schools District.

Howard Story, Distance Education and Media Services Coordinator, El Camino College

Howard has served as Distance Education and Media Services Coordinator at El Camino College for the last 25 years.He has also taught in the Television and Media Communications program at El Camino.After receiving his Bachelors Degree from Pacific University and a Masters from Cornell University, Howard served as a Media Specialist for the Los County Office of Education.Mr. Story has over 35 years of experience working with Media Technology to support faculty in K-12 and higher education.

In addition to the Distance Education program, Mr. Story has responsibility for the Media Services department that provides technology support for meeting facilities and over 150 Smart Classrooms.Other department services include media materials circulation and acquisition, lecture capture, production and programming for the college Cable channel.Howard also has quite a bit of experience working with architects, AV vendors and construction companies with the design and implementation of technology in new and existing buildings.

Mr. Story is a long time member of DETCHE.Howard is a past recipient of the DETCHE member of the year award and has held numerous positions on the board including President.

Mike Truong. Associate Director of the Center for Research on Teaching Excellence (CRTE), UC Merced.

Mike helps faculty, TAs, and instructional staff identify and implement relevant and appropriate pedagogies and technologies to improve teaching and learning. He oversees many faculty development and technology projects on my campus, including the Teaching and Technology Series, Faculty Seminar Series, Web 2.0 Webinars, and Mobile App Learning Lounge (MALL). He has published in the field of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, focusing on the use of technology. He has two upcoming book chapters, co-authored with Anne Zanzucchi, focused on e-portfolios as a faculty development tool and the use of new technology to enhance writing course curriculum.

David Walker, Director of System-wide Digital Library Services for the California State University.

David's work focuses on the design of user-centered web applications for academic libraries, with a particular focus on discovery systems and learning management systems.

John Whitmer, CSU Office of the Chancellor, Academic Technology Services

John Whitmer has worked on multi-campus technology initiatives for the past decade.His currently Associate Director for the System-wide Learning Management Systems and Services Project in the Academic Technology Services division of the California State University Office of the Chancellor.In this role, he develops collaborative technology services, negotiates pricing agreements, and helps communicate findings across campuses.In this capacity, John works on several projects related to Learning Analytics and the use of data to help understand the impact of technology on teaching and learning.John previously directed academic technology initiatives for an NSF-funded 15 campus Earthquake Engineering consortium and for a system-wide project in theCalifornia Community College system.

John is advanced to candidacy in the Doctorate in Educational Leadership in the CANDEL program at Sonoma State/UC Davis (completion ETA 12/02!), and holds a Master's Degree in Sociocultural Anthropology from UC Davis.In his spare time, he enjoys doing anything outdoors with his wife, son, and dog Pepper.

Jonathan Wilson, Research Technology & Support Coordinator, UCLA Library

Jonathan has worked for the UCLA Library since 2005, in several different IT roles for different units. Currently, he is the primary technical contact for the Young Research Library, which underwent a $17M renovation that wrapped up in Fall '11.  Apart from caretaking of the digital signage, instructional equipment and various projection systems, Jonathan is part of a team at YRL that helps faculty and staff plan courses and events to utilize the new spaces and technology within. In addition, he is involved in other projects and services that span the UCLA Library system, such as the highly-utilized laptop lending program.

Deone Zell, Senior Director, Academic Technology

California State University, Northridge

Dr. Zell sets the strategic direction for the use of instructional technology in teaching and learning at CSU Northridge. Previously she was the Director of the Faculty Technology Center and a professor of management, where she specialized in organizational change and innovation. Prior to her university appointment she worked as an industrial anthropologist on large scale research projects inside Fortune 500 companies and public sector institutions to understand how technology can help organizations achieve a competitive advantage. She holds a Doctorate in Research Methods and a Master's in Higher Education from UCLA.

Wei Zhou, Ph.D., Copper Mountain College

Dr. Zhou is the Vice President for Academic Affairs at Copper Mountain College. At this position, Wei leads teaching and research on student learning and success. He has conducted research on innovative pedagogies and delivery methods, such as individualized learning, collaborative learning, accelerated learning, and online learning, and been involved in the statewide Basic Skills Initiative and the national Achieving the Dream project focusing on developmental education. His academic contributions were recognized at the International Conference on College Teaching and Learning, at the NISOD International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, and by several other publications and awards. In addition, he has been invited to serve as reviewer for National Science Foundation, American Educational Research Association, National Association for Developmental Education, and Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, and on statewide advisory committees including Math and Science Teacher Initiative, Telecommunications-Technology Advisory Committee and Nanotechnology Alliance. Wei received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.