Indiana University (Learning Technologies division of University Information Technology Services)

I bring a faculty perspective to the division of IU's IT organization that supports faculty in their use of educational technology. I help IU faculty in designing, developing, and promoting more innovative ways to teach, especially using digital tools. I'm charged with helping connect faculty with peer institutions, educational technology vendors/solutions, and others who support innovative teaching and learning. 

More specifically, I play a major part in Indiana University's response to generative AI, serving as a thought leader across campuses. I create resources about the opportunities and challenges that generative AI presents for higher education. My responsibilities include developing professional development resources for faculty and students on the effective and ethical use of GenAI, conducting workshops and presentations to faculty groups across the university, and leading the GenAI Learning Lab. This lab focuses on facilitating innovative teaching strategies and assisting faculty in integrating GenAI into the curriculum to enhance learning outcomes and prepare students for the future of work.

In the past in these roles, I have led university-wide efforts around microcredentials and digital badging. I am the co-founder of the Digital Gardener Initiative, a university-wide digital literacy program. During the 2023-24 academic year, I built and managed a team of multimedia producers focused on building engaging graphics and video experiences for online courses.

Indiana University Southeast (School of Arts & Letters)

I teach courses focused on digital journalism, including multimedia storytelling, audio storytelling, social media strategies, and online journalism. I focus on journalism innovation, including interactive graphics, immersive video, and other tech/tools. I also regularly teach communications law. I've helped develop a multi-campus online degree program in digital media and storytelling, and I teach courses for that program as well.

At IU, I've developed and taught 11 courses, including seven fully online. Three of my online courses have been Quality Matters certified.

My research focuses on news and media literacy. My work has been published in top-rated journals including Communication Research: Journalism; Communication Theory; Communication & the Public; Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly; Journalism & Mass Communication Educator; the Journal of Media Literacy Education; Electronic News; and Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking. I am the co-author of two books: one focused on news and media literacy, "American Journalism and Fake News: Examining the Facts," and a reference book that outlines the history of attacks on the press in the United States, "Attacks on the American press: A documentary and reference guide."

I served as coordinator (the functional equivalent of department chair) for the Journalism & Media Program from July 2016 to June 2019, leading faculty colleagues, including working on scheduling, program assessment, program development, marketing/development, and other program administrative issues. In that role, I oversaw increases in the number of students majoring in our area as well as the number of students enrolled in our courses, all while the campus experienced overall enrollment decline.

I was also director of student media from August 2012 to June 2019, where I directed business operations and advised students on editorial decisions for Horizon Media, including a newspaper/news website and internet radio station. I strengthened our financial health, increasing revenue substantially and building strong reserves, all while being able to extend our technology resources and travel/professional development opportunities for students. I coached students on editorial decisions, and students won more than 290 state, regional, and national awards under my leadership, including twice winning the Pacemaker Award, considered the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism.

University of Missouri (School of Journalism)

I taught as instructor-of-record for four different courses, including a large-lecture Principles of American Journalism class and several sections of online graduate-level courses for high school journalism teachers working on their Master's in Journalism Education.

Ball State University (Department of Journalism)

I taught journalistic writing and editing courses.

I also helped develop and coordinate journalism workshops and other large-scale journalism education events for high school students and teachers. Part of these duties included general public relations and marketing work for the Department of Journalism.

University of Missouri (School of Journalism)

Dissertation: On parents, peers, administrators, and advisers: Developing a system to understand self-censorship of controversial topics in the high school press.

Ball State University (Department of Journalism)

Thesis: The road to scholastic press freedom: A survey of Midwestern high school newspaper advisers to determine the effects adviser backgrounds and school demographics have on student press freedom.

Indiana University-Bloomington (School of Education)

Focus: Journalism Education (major) and English Education (minor) Licensed to teach secondary journalism and English in Indiana