Ana-Paula Correia, Ph.D.
Ted and Lois Cyphert Distinguished Professor, Department of Educational Studies, The Ohio State University
Professor of Learning Technologies, Department of Educational Studies, The Ohio State University
Director of the Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE), The Ohio State University
Ana-Paula Correia is the Ted and Lois Cyphert Distinguished Professor and Professor of Learning Technologies in the Department of Educational Studies at The Ohio State University, where she also serves as Director of the Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE). She holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University-Bloomington.
Correia has more than 25 years of experience in learning design and instructional systems technology. Specifically, Correia’s expertise lies in earning design, online and mobile learning, collaborative learning, human-computer interaction, entrepreneurial education, and artificial intelligence in education and training.
Her work has been published in top-tier academic journals, such as Educational Technology Research & Development, Teachers College Record, British Journal of Educational Technology, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Computers in Human Behavior, and Distance Education. To date, she has published over 100 papers and book chapters in three different languages: English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Correia’s research was awarded for excellence several times by the Association for Educational Communication and Technology as well as the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. She has delivered innumerable presentations at local, national, and international conferences.
Correia has been involved with research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Pappajohn Center/Kauffman Foundation, Battelle, and the Ohio Department of Higher Education. She served as the Past Chair of the American Educational Research Association Special Interest Group in Online Teaching and Learning. Prior to that role, she was the Chair of the Special Interest Group in Design and Technology. She was the President of the Association of Educational Communications and Technology Research and Theory Division between 2010 and 2013.
Correia was the Faculty Co-Coordinator for The Ohio State University’s Master of Learning Technologies until September 2021. Launched in August 2016, this program is ranked among the top programs by U.S. News & World Report.
E-mail: correia.12@osu.edu
Website: ana-paulacorreia.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ana-paulacorreia
Jiarui Xie, MSc.
Doctoral candidate of Learning Technologies, The Ohio State University
Graduate Research Assistant, Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE), The Ohio State University
Jiarui Xie is a doctoral candidate in Educational Studies with a concentration in Learning Technologies at The Ohio State University and a Graduate Research Associate at the Center on Education and Learning for Employment.
Jiarui Xie holds a B.S. and an MSc. in Educational Technology from Shaanxi Normal University, China. In 2018, she also studied at the University of California, San Diego, California, U.S.
During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a news videographer and news editor at the News Center of Shaanxi Normal University in China. During her graduate studies, she worked as a graduate teaching assistant for two undergraduate courses at Shaanxi Normal University. After graduation, she worked as a lecturer at Xi’an Vocational and Technical College in China.
Xie’s research studies include asynchronous online discussion, AI in education, teacher education, rural education, deep learning, problem-solving, and learning analytics. She has published her research studies in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the British Journal of Educational Technology.
Xie’s current research interests include AI in education, online teaching and learning, self-regulated learning, instructional design, and mixed-methods research.
E-mail: xie.1196@osu.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiarui-xie/
Mimi Adjei, MSc., M.Ed.
Doctoral candidate of Learning Technologies, The Ohio State University
Graduate Research Assistant, Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE), The Ohio State University
Mimi Adjei is a doctoral candidate in Educational Studies with a concentration in Learning Technologies at the Ohio State University and a Graduate Research Associate at the Center on Education and Learning for Employment.
She received her B.S. in Actuarial Science from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. She also holds both an M.Sc. in Mathematics and an M.Ed. in Secondary Education from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.
While Adjei has taught a variety of mathematics and computer science classes in both public and independent schools, her focus as an instructor has always been to help students develop a sense of independence in their learning through self-reflection and meaningful feedback. For her doctoral studies, she has shifted her aim to exploring approaches that leverage data-driven insights and HCI principles to optimize educational processes and promote effective learning.
Her current research interests are the intersection of learning design, analytics, and human-computer interaction (HCI) and their application to product and systems design.
E-mail: adjei.39@osu.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mimiadjei/
Zack Batsaikhan, MSc.
Doctoral student of Learning Technologies, The Ohio State University
Graduate Research Assistant, Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE), The Ohio State University
Zack Batsaikhan is a doctoral candidate in Educational Studies with a concentration in Learning Technologies at The Ohio State University and a Graduate Research Associate at the Center on Education and Learning for Employment.
He received his M.Sc. in Human-Computer Interaction from Iowa State University on a Fulbright Scholarship and holds a Bachelor’s in Information Technology from Mongolian University of Science and Technology.
Batsaikhan has over 10 years of experience as a product designer and UX researcher, developing user-centered digital products and learning experiences while actively participating in the growth and management of technology startups. He is recognized as a Fulbright Scholar, a Rumsfeld Fellow, a Forbes Mongolia’s 30 Under 30 honoree, and an alumnus of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers initiative.
His current research interests include minimizing smartphone overuse and excessive screen time, human-computer interaction (UX/UI), learning design, and the UX of Artificial Intelligence.
Email: batsaikhan.6@buckeyemail.osu.edu
Website: www.batzaya.net
Social Handle: @batzayab
The LED Research Fellows
A research fellow remains involved with the LED research group after graduating and/or the visiting scholar on-site experience. They play a multifaceted role by contributing to ongoing research and writing projects and mentoring current members. Their experience and expertise are valuable assets that help the research group continue to thrive and make meaningful contributions to educational technology.
Jessica Bates, Ph.D.
Program Engagement, Curriculum Coordinator and School Support Coordinator, Virtual Virginia
Jessica Bates holds a Ph.D. in Educational Studies with a concentration in Learning Technologies from The Ohio State University. She received her B.S.Ed. from George Mason University in 2008. She also holds a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, Administration, and Supervision from the University of Virginia in 2013. After graduating, Bates began teaching and developing online curriculum and virtual course development for Virginia Public Schools. She then became the Elementary and Middle School Curriculum Supervisor for Virtual Virginia, a program of the Virginia Department of Education, in 2020. Since then, she has helped design and develop over 150 online courses and curricula for Virginia Public Schools.
Bates is the Program Engagement and Curriculum Coordinator and the Interim School Support Coordinator with Virtual Virginia. In this role, she works with a team to develop the High Quality Instructional Materials online for K-12 curriculum, Career and Technical Education, Fine Arts, World Languages, Advanced Placement, Adult Education, and Dual Enrollment courses for Virginia Public Schools. Bates supports school divisions across Virginia by providing digital resources and professional development for educators. She is a current and active member of the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance.
Bates’s academic interests and topics of research include instructional design and development, technology integration in teaching and learning, and teachers’ professional learning in digital platforms.
E-mail: jessica.bates@virtualva.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-mcaulay-bates/
Sean Hickey, Ph.D.
Deputy Director of the Assessment Program, Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE), The Ohio State University
Sean Hickey holds a Ph.D. in Educational Studies with a concentration in Learning Technologies from The Ohio State University. Hickey received his B.S. in Biology from The Ohio State University in 1998. After graduation, he worked as a curriculum developer and program director at the Center of Science and Industry, a science museum in Columbus, Ohio. Hickey later moved on to McGraw-Hill Education, where he developed instructional materials while simultaneously earning his M.A. in Integrated Teaching and Learning from The Ohio State University. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Learning Technologies.
He currently works as the Deputy Director of the Assessment Program at The Ohio State University’s Center on Education and Learning for Employment (CETE). As part of his role at CETE, Sean is the lead facilitator for the Technical Testing Project and develops eLearning and professional development materials for teachers.
Hickey is an award-winning instructional designer. He was recently recognized by the Central Ohio chapter of the Association for Talent Development (COATD) for a training game he developed to help teachers familiarize themselves with the WebXam testing platform. In 2019, an eLearning module he created to help teachers and trainers develop multiple-choice assessments, Multiple-Choice Mayhem, was recognized by the Learner Engagement Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) as an “Outstanding Learning Artifact.” Multiple-Choice Mayhem also won the prestigious “Best in Show” award in the eLearning Guild’s 2019 Learning Solutions Conference (LSCon).
Hickey is active in instructional design groups and associations both at the state and national levels. He has given presentations on topics of inquiry-based education, student-centered learning, gamification, eLearning, and online assessments at a number of conferences and events, including Central Ohio ATD’s Learning Technologies and Design Day, the Ohio Educational Technology Conference (OETC), the Association of Science and Technology Centers annual conference, Learning DevCamp, Learning Solutions Conference, the Association for Education Communications and Technology (AETC) annual conference, and the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC).
His current research interests revolve around e-Learning tools and formats (e.g., generative Artificial Intelligence, simulations, and Virtual Reality) and how they can support the teaching of noncognitive skills to adults.
Email: hickey.39@osu.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mseanhickey/
Deborah Hewlett, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Columbus State Community College, Columbus, Ohio
Deborah Hewlett holds a Ph.D. in Educational Studies with a concentration in Learning Technologies from The Ohio State University. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Columbus State Community College. Hewlett received her B.S. in Integrated Mathematics Education from Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Mount Vernon, Ohio, in 2005 and her M.Sc. in Mathematics from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
Prior to her position at Columbus State Community College, Hewlett was the Director of the Center for Innovative Education and an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) School of Natural and Social Sciences in Mount Vernon, Ohio. At MVNU, she taught high school mathematics for 10 years and served as an adjunct at Columbus State Community College and MVNU for 3 years before transitioning to a full-time position in the MVNU mathematics department in August 2016. In 2019, Hewlett was appointed as the Director of the Center for Innovative Education at MVNU. As a result of this appointment, she was responsible for leading faculty development to equip faculty for emergency remote teaching during the Spring 2020 semester.
Hewlett’s research interests include emerging learning technologies, digital learning, and faculty development.
E-mail: hewlett.26@osu.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-hewlett-a5490539/
Marvin Evans, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology at Coastal Carolina University, Conway, South Carolina
Marvin Evans holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. He completed the Master of Learning Technologies in August 2022 and also completed an interdisciplinary specialization in Quantitative Research, Evaluation and Measurement. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology at Coastal Carolina University.
Evans is a Caribbean National and completed his Master of Science in Computer Science (with Distinction) at the University of the West Indies in 2019 and was the Valedictorian at the Mico University College, where he received a Bachelor of Education specializing in Computer Science (First Class Honors) in 2015. He is a first-generation college student and taught Mathematics and Computer Science up to grade 13 for four years at a well-ranked all-girls high school in the Caribbean.
Teaching is Evans’s passion, and his research and career interests are geared toward classroom technology integration, instructional design, curriculum development, social media learning communities, and teacher technology training.
Email: mevans4@coastal.edu
Edméa Santos, Ph.D.
Professor of Education in the Graduate Program in Education at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Edméa Santos is a full professor of Education in the Graduate Program in Education at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is a leader in different research associations in Brazil, such as the ANPED Special Interest Group on Education and Communication (GT 16), and the Vice-President of ABCIBER.
Santos was a visiting scholar at The Ohio State University’s Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE) and a member of this research group from January to June 2023.
Santos works as a faculty advisor for master’s and Ph.D. programs in the area of Education in Cyberculture. She directs the Teaching and Cyberculture Research Group (GPDOC) at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro.
Santos’s work is a reference in Online Education, and she is an expert in Cyberculture. Cyberculture is more than an “evolution” of Distance Education practices; it is a phenomenon in its own right. Her research group investigates interactive, collaborative curricular designs, hypermedia, and creative online education solutions.
For the last 25 years, she has been developing a research methodology known in Brazil as Research-training in Cyberculture or Cyber-research-training. Qualitatively focused, this approach integrates training contexts into academic research practices. The digital network is used as a research field and device for the production of research material in cybercultural contexts. They research virtual learning environments, social networks, and digital products in general.
E-mail: edmeasantos@ufrrj.br
Website: http://www.edmeasantos.pro.br
Chenxi Liu, Ph.D.
Social Sciences Researcher at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Chenxi Liu holds a Ph.D. in Educational Studies with a concentration in Learning Technologies from The Ohio State University. She is currently a full-time Social Sciences Researcher at Stanford University’s School of Medicine.
Liu holds a B.A. in Radio and TV Editing and Directing from the Communication University of Zhejiang in China, and an M.A. in Curriculum and Teaching from Bowling Green State University.
Liu has worked in teaching and learning as a Chinese language teacher, program leader, and instructional designer at Sylvania Schools. She has also worked in the media industry as a TV director and editor specializing in children’s education and development. Her working experience includes local schools, online learning companies, and TV stations.
Driven by her work experience and educational background, Liu desires to explore innovative strategies to promote learners’ motivation and engagement and help them reach their full potential as digital learners. She wishes to fuse research and practice in various educational settings. Drawing on data science and cognitive science, she aims to design connected digital learning experiences for learners with diverse goals and backgrounds.
Liu has led and been closely involved in multiple qualitative and quantitative studies on a wide range of topics (e.g., mobile learning, e-learning, motivation and engagement, and learning outcomes). Her work has been presented at regional, national, and international conferences (e.g., the Ohio State College of Education and Human Ecology Research Forum, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology annual convention, and the American Educational Research Association annual meeting) and published in peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Online Learning Journal, Distance Education).
In her graduate course on “Applied Instructional Design,” Liu, with a group of classmates, developed an evidence-based interactive online learning module for the Ohio State College of Nursing Community Health Worker Training Program. This project was ranked 2nd place at a national instructional design competition presented by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Division of Distance Learning.
Liu’s research interests include mobile learning, online learning, learning technology design, instructional and learning experience design, learning analytics and modeling, and usability testing and evaluation.
E-mail: chenxilcx@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chenxi-liu-0415bb198/
Fan Xu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Educational Technology at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Fan Xu holds a Ph.D. in Educational Studies with a concentration in Learning Technologies from The Ohio State University. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Educational Technology at the University of New Mexico College of Education and Human Sciences. Prior to her position as assistant professor, she was a full-time Senior Learning Designer at the Ohio State Center on Education and Training for Employment.
Xu received her B.S. in Educational Technology from Shanghai Normal University in 2017. She got her M.Sc. in Information Technology in Education from the University of Hong Kong in 2018.
Xu is experienced in e-learning design and assessment. She was an instructional designer, working for universities and companies in Hong Kong to design and develop online courses and training. She worked for the Technology-Enriched Learning Initiative on the assessment of a series of small private online courses (SPOCs). Xu also worked at the Research Center for Higher Education at Southern University of Science and Technology and participated in the initiation of several joint projects with UNESCO-ICHEI (International Centre for Higher Education Innovation) on educational technologies in developing countries in Asia and Africa.
During her doctoral studies, in the “Applied Instructional Design” graduate course, Xu and her teammates developed a multimedia-based educational solution for the Ohio State College of Nursing Community Health Worker Training Program. This online learning module ranked 2nd in a national instructional design competition presented by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Division of Distance Learning.
Xu’s research focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), computational thinking, and instructional design to advance technology-supported, learner-centered education. She investigates how generative AI can support both individual and collaborative learning in computing and STEM education, with particular emphasis on student engagement and identity development in technology-rich environments.
E-mail: fxu1@unm.edu
Website: fanxuspace.webnode.page
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fan-xu-osu3849/
Erin Dorrell, Ph.D., M.L.S.
Research Literacy Engagement Librarian at Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas
Erin Dorrell holds a Ph.D. in Educational Studies with a concentration in Learning Technologies from The Ohio State University. She is currently a Research Literacy Engagement Librarian at Texas State University. Dorrell received her B.B.A. in Management Information Systems with a minor in English Literature at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. She then earned an M.L.S. specializing in Digital Libraries from Indiana University-Bloomington.
She has worked in academia since earning her master’s as the director of the Lamar University Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. Dorrell’s work and educational background have led her to a commitment to provide undergraduate students with the resources they need to do research. This pledge has driven her to the Learning Technologies Program at The Ohio State University.
Dorrell’s research interests revolve around effective instruction methods related to supporting undergraduate research and how student scholars seek information within organized networks.
Email: erin.dorrell@txstate.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinkclarke/
Vivian Martins, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Professor of Distance Education and Educational Technologies at the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Vivian Martins holds a Ph.D. in Education from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Brazil. She received both a BA in Pedagogy and an MA in Education from the State University of Rio de Janeiro, and in 2011, she completed her MBA in Human Resource Management from the Federal Fluminense University. She specializes in the planning, implementation, and management of distance education.
Martins is currently a professor of Distance Education and Educational Technologies at the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Rio de Janeiro.
During the 2021-2022 academic year, Martins was a visiting scholar at The Ohio State University in the Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE) and a member of this research group. She worked with Correia on research & development activities in online education, learning & curriculum design, and educational technology.
Martins’ areas of professional expertise are online education, education & cyberculture, and educational technologies. She has been working in these areas for the past 12 years.
Email: Vivian.martinst@gmail.com
Website: https://en.vivianmartins.com/
Karen Bruce Wallace, Ph.D., M.L.T.
Instructional Designer at Modern Wealth Management.
Karen Bruce Wallace is a learning designer and academic. She is currently an instructional designer at Modern Wealth Management. Prior to this position, she worked as a Learning and Performance Specialist for the Nationwide Academy at Nationwide Insurance.
She holds a B.A. (Hons) and M.A. in English from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the Ohio State University. She received her Master’s of Learning Technologies (MLT) under the supervision of Correia in Spring 2018. She completed her capstone project for the MLT as an intern at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and has designed multiple online courses for the English department, where she worked as a senior lecturer.
As a scholar with a background in disability studies, Bruce Wallace is passionate about creating learning experiences that are effective and engaging for all individuals. This commitment guides her design and development work and informs her research agenda.
She is an instructional designer, eLearning developer, and instructor with sixteen years of experience in creating and facilitating learning experiences for adult learners. She uses principles of instructional design to conduct needs analyses, design innovative solutions for learning organizations at all levels of maturity, and manage complex projects involving multiple stakeholders and tight deadlines.