Biography
I am a native of Provo, UT. Currently I live with my wife and youngest son in Spanish Fork, UT. Professionally, I spent much of my career in the instructional media industry, most recently as the director of digital products for the Deseret Book Company and a media portfolio director for the LDS Church.
Research Interests
In my current research I study what I call the instrumentalist and calculative tendencies of contemporary education, particularly as seen in online learning and other educational technologies. By this I mean trends that prioritize the technical values of efficiency, optimization, quantification, standardization, and interchangeability, and that, in large measure, are the reasons why so much education is dull, uninspiring, rigid, and inflexible. I explore the role that many digital technologies and instructional design processes play in why and how this occurs. I also study how we can move beyond such instrumentalist values, and avoid redefining all educational issues in terms of problems that can be solved through the implementation of the right process or product. My goal is to champion an ethos of education where students and teachers together can develop their individual potentials, in contrast to systems where the primary concern is teaching competencies and enforcing standards that are the same for all.Teaching Interests
I have taught both graduate and undergraduate university students. I have also taught in industry settings, both corporate and non-profit. Topics I have taught include:• Instructional design processes (introductory and advanced)
• Integrating technology in the classroom
• Product management
• Project management
• The history of instructional design
• Instructional simulations
• Human-computer interactions, user interface design, and usability practices
• Using stories and film for culture change
• Theories of learning
• Theories of design
Education
- PhD, Instructional Psychology and Technology , Brigham Young University (2006)
- MS, Instructional Psychology and Technology , Brigham Young University (2003)
- BS, Sociology , Management, Brigham Young University (1999)
Honors and Awards
- Nancy Peery Marriott Excellence in Mentoring, David O. McKay School of Education, Brigham Young University (2022 - 2022)
- Research and Theory Division, Theory Spotlight Competition (2nd place), Association for Educational Communications and Technology (2021 - 2021)
- Design and Technology SIG Design & Technology Outstanding Design Case Award, American Educational Research Association (2020 - 2020)
- Best Zone Paper, American Society for Engineering Education (2008 - 2008)
Memberships
- International Society of the Learning Sciences (2005 - Present)
- American Society for Training and Development (2000 - Present)
- Association for Educational Communications and Technology (2000 - Present)
Professional Citizenship
- Other, Association for Educational Communications and Technology (2016 - Present)
- Officer (specify in Other), Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Design and Development Division (2019 - 2022)