Flower Darby

Educator. Author. Speaker.

Dr. Venkat Allada

Professor of Engineering Management & Systems Engineering

Missouri S&T

Dr. Venkat Allada is a Professor of Engineering Management & Systems Engineering at Missouri University if Science and Technology at Rolla. He served as Missouri S&T’s inaugural vice provost of graduate studies from 2007-2017. His teaching and research interests are in areas of lean thinking, design automation, sustainable product design, and STEM education. He is recipient of the 1998 ASEE Dow Outstanding New Faculty Award, 1998 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and 2005 Outstanding Contributions Award by MIT’s Lean Aerospace Initiative. He is the recipient of several Missouri S&T Faculty Excellence Awards, Outstanding Teaching Award of Excellence, and Innovative Teaching Award. He has over 100 publications in refereed journals and conference proceedings.

Dr. M. Emilia Barbosa

Assistant Professor of Arts, Languages (Spanish), & Philosophy

Missouri S&T

M. Emilia Barbosa is Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies at Missouri University of Science and Technology. She researches gender and representational issues in performance, theatre, literature, photography, declamation/spoken art, film, art and exhibitions, and anthropological archives. Her research area focuses on the production of gender violence and its representation within the context of a decolonial and feminist practice. She presents and publishes about gender violence in Guatemala, Peru, and in the Lusophone space, focusing, but not exclusively, on the African diaspora, on the agency of indigenous women, on collective spaces of artistic creation such as female theater collectives, in the struggle for the land and against neoextractivism, in contemporary feminisms including #hashtag feminism and virtual activism, LGBTQIA+ themes, sexuality and pornography, and complaint in the academic space. M. Emilia Barbosa is Co-Coordinator of the Section of Central American Studies of LASA [CAS-LASA] and affiliated researcher at the Gender Laboratory (LIEG) at UNESP under the direction of Prof. Dr. Lídia M.V. Possas.

Dr. Andrew Behrendt

Assistant Teaching Professor of History & Political Science

Missouri S&T

Andrew Behrendt is Assistant Teaching Professor of History at Missouri S&T. He is a historian of culture and society in modern Europe, with a focus on east-central Europe in the 20th century. His research interests include tourism, cinema, food history, and the philosophy of history. In 2019 he received an eFellows grant from S&T's Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence to develop the course Historical Representation in Video Games. The work done with that support is the basis of his presentation at ITLC 2022.

Paige Crain

Assistant Instructor of Mathematics

University of Central Missouri

I am second-year Mathematics faculty at a four-year university, a 2021 MAA Missouri Section NeXT Fellow, and an ACUE certified instructor. I am equally interested in pure mathematics and math education. My primary focus of teaching is with undergraduate general education math courses, specifically using the corequisite model of instruction. My goal in teaching is to help students uncover the aesthetic beauty of math while also discovering that math is relatable to their lives and a necessary component of making sense of the world around us.

Drew Crismon

Ladue School District and University of Missouri

An innovative, entrepreneurial-spirited, easily-excitable, lover of life who wants to change the world through relationship development and relentless pursuit of excellence. Interests include: High Impact, Low Cost PD; The Flipped Classroom; Conceptual Understanding in Mathematics; Systems Implementation; Effective  Leadership; Science of Learning Applied to Mathematics; Improving Quality of Life for Teachers

Mark Fabian

Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships and Digital Learning

Evangel University

Mark Fabian is the Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships and Digital Learning for Evangel University. Mark has been involved in online teaching and administration for over 10 years. He regularly teaches online, and he leads the team that provides instructional design and support for the digital learning initiatives of Evangel University.

Victoria Hagni

Instructional Developer

Missouri S&T

Gretchen Haskell

Instructional Designer

University of Missouri

Gretchen Haskell has been teaching with the Department of Communication and Media at UMSL for six years. She balances teaching as an adjunct with full-time instructional design for UM System, as well as being a newish mom. Her current fascination lies in the connections we can draw between Communication theory and effective online teaching. She lives in the St. Louis area with her husband, son, and dog.

Dr. Lauren Hays

Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology

University of Central Missouri

Lauren Hays, PhD, is an assistant professor of instructional technology at the University of Central Missouri where she teaches classes on research methods, technology leadership, and integrating technology into educational settings. Her research interests include digital literacy, information literacy, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and faculty development.

Dr. Dushanthi Herath

Assistant Professor of Mathematics

Maryville University

Dushanthi Herath, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the Maryville University.

Dr. Sarah Hercula

Assistant Professor of English & Technical Communication

Missouri S&T

Dr. Sarah Hercula is Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of English and Technical Communication at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Her research and teaching interests include applied/sociolinguistics, language variation, language ideologies, English grammar, teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), and second language writing, among others. She is committed to innovative teaching strategies, both online and in-person, and strives to include active and experiential learning into her courses, giving students real opportunities to put the theoretical into practice.

Dr. Ana Ichim

Dr. Irina Ivliyeva

Chair of the Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence

Professor of Arts, Languages (Russian), & Philosophy

Missouri S&T

Irina V. Ivliyeva, professor of Russian, leads Missouri S&T’s Russian program offering courses at all levels of Russian language, literature, and culture. Ivliyeva joined Missouri S&T in 1997 after teaching for eight years at the Moscow Power Engineering University (MPEI).

Ivliyeva holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from the Vinogradov Russian Language Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, and a master’s degree in philology from the Lomonosov Moscow State University. Her research interests include Russian word formation synthesis, comparative semantics, teaching with technology, and second language acquisition. Ivliyeva has authored three monographs and dozens of articles and book reviews appearing in linguistic journals. She has organized linguistic panels, served as panel chair and panel discussant, and delivered her papers at numerous professional regional, national and international conferences. 

Ivliyeva’s teaching performance has been recognized by an array of teaching accolades, including twenty-two consecutive Outstanding Teaching Awards (1999-2021), 2020 Faculty Excellence Award, and 2021 Sustained Excellence in Outstanding Teaching Award.

She was named Missouri S&T Woman of the Year in 2012 and an Honorary Knight of St. Patrick in 2011. She currently serves as chair of S&T's Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence (CAFE).

Breanne Kirsch

University Librarian

Briar Cliff University

Breanne Kirsch is a University Librarian at Briar Cliff University. Her research areas include universal design for learning, instructional technologies, and games in libraries. In addition to her masters in library and information science, Breanne has a masters in education specializing in educational technology and is currently working on a doctorate in instructional design and technology.

Dr. Clair Kueny

Assistant Professor of Psychological Science

Missouri S&T

Dr. Clair Reynolds Kueny is an Assistant Professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology and the Program Director for the I-O Psychology graduate programs. Dr. Kueny has over six years experience designing and teaching courses for all modalities (online [synchronous and asynchronous], hybrid, in-person) and has received two teaching grants to support her development of online modality curriculum. She is particularly interested in improving graduate education in industrial-organizational psychology, including providing practicum experiences for online students.

Cassandra Gail Loggins, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE

Assistant Professor of Nursing

Southeast Missouri State University

I have been a nurse for 43 years. I am finishing my career as a nursing educator. I am an assistant professor of nursing at Southeast Missouri State University. I have gained expertise in public/community health nursing. However, that does not make me a great teacher. I am committed to being a life-long learner in nursing and education. I am a certified nurse educator and always looking for ways to level up my skills.

Dr. Fatemeh Mardi

Instructional Designer

University of Missouri

Dr. Fatemeh Mardi is an engineer and Project Management Professional. Her passion for teacher education led her to a Master’s in TESOL and teaching certificates in math and elementary education. She earned her Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning from University of Missouri, St. Louis with a focus on instructional technology. At UMSL, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in STEM education. She teaches educational technology, math education, and curriculum & instruction at the graduate level. Her research is focused on enhancing student online learning experiences and determining the impact of online course design on learning. She is interested in finding ways to integrate skills needed to be a ‘literate citizen’ in this century (technology, writing, global awareness, growth mindset, and computational thinking) into course content. Dr. Mardi draws from her transdisciplinary academic background and multicultural competencies as an instructional designer at Missouri Online, at University of Missouri System.

James A. Newman

Associate Professor of Political Science

Southeast Missouri State University

I am an associate professor at Southeast Missouri State University. I teach courses in political science and public administration. My research interests include state and local governing and online learning.

Dr. Radu Puslenghea

Assistant Teaching Professor of Economics

Missouri S&T

I am an assistant teaching professor in the Economics Department at Missouri S&T. A fundamental guiding principle in my job as an educator is to offer relevant information and guidance to my students, so they can learn, apply, and benefit from economic knowledge.

This project represents our latest attempt to provide a coherent and practical classroom-ready framework that promotes these educational values and also gives students the chance to develop real life skills. As an added benefit, this endeavor has also allowed us – the instructors - to combine our passion for teaching and education with the quantitative and research skills of professional social scientists.

Dr. Michelle Schwartze

Assistant Teaching Professor of Teacher Education & Certification

Missouri S&T

Michelle Schwartze is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Missouri S&T. She graduated in 2016 from Illinois State University with her Doctorate of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. Prior to that she taught for 13 years in grades ranging from 3rd to 8th, mostly in the subjects of math and science. She teaches and advises the elementary education majors. Her research interests are constructivism, flexible seating, and STEM education.

Dr. BJ Shrestha

Associate Teaching Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Missouri S&T

The presenter has been teaching various courses since 1996 to the present at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology. Striving for excellence in teaching by way of incorporating innovative approaches is his passion.

Outside of Educational innovation research, his discipline-based research interests are in the field of image processing, specifically as applied to skin cancer diagnosis, neutron and photon transport, Monte Carlo Simulations.

Previously, he presented a talk on “Building Expectations” in the Teaching and Learning Technology (TLT) Conference during (March 12-13, 2015) Conference, on “Learning to Learn” (TLT) Conference during (March 17-18, 2016) Conference, on “Striving for Excellence in Teaching Circuit” (TLT) Conference during (March 16-17, 2017) Conference, on “Literacy in S.T.E.M. Education” (TLT) Conference during (March 15, 2018) Conference, and on “Assessment” (TLT) Conference during (March 14, 2019) Conference

Dr. Harriette L. Spiegel

Lecturer of Educational Studies

University of Tennessee-Martin

Dr. Harriette L. Spiegel is a full-time online Lecturer in the Educational Studies Dept, at the University of Tennessee at Martin. She continues her research that began with her doctoral dissertation that studied the experiences of computer users with visual disabilities. In the Spring of 2021, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Education at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada where she explored awareness of Digital Education in Higher Ed.

Dr. Jeff Thomas

Teaching Professor of Civil, Architectural, & Environmental Engineering

Missouri S&T

Dr. Thomas has taught classes at Missouri S&T for 26 years. He experiments with teaching methods and educational media. People from all over the world spend 600,000 hours per year engaging with his learning materials. His hobbies are macro photography and playing percussion.

Christina Thompson

Library Media Specialist

Ritenour High School

Mrs. Thompson has been in education for over 25 years as a proponent of responsible integration of technology and information resources. She is an ISTE certified, graduate-level adjunct for library media classes at Lindenwood University and has been a library media specialist at Ritenour High School in St. Louis, MO since 2008. She earned a BA in English from Missouri S&T, an MA in Curriculum & Instruction from Mizzou, an MA in TESOL from Webster University, and an EdS in Learning Resources from the University of Central Missouri. She is currently working on an EdD in Workforce Development & Distance Learning and Technology through University of Missouri-St. Louis, with a focus on reducing barriers experienced by instructors when integrating technology and utilizing information resources.

Roger Weaver

Interim Dean / Director of Library Operations & Scholarly Communications

Missouri S&T

Roger Weaver is the Director of Library Operations and Scholarly Communications at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla Missouri. Roger is responsible for the daily operation of the library and he leads the Scholarly Communications initiatives across campus. Roger provides workshops and practical advice to faculty advise on a variety of Scholarly Communications topics including copyright in the classroom.