Pi-Sui Hsu wants to see more children enter the fields of science and engineering. Hsu, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment, has launched numerous initiatives over her career to advance that goal. These have included summer
Read moreETRA doctoral candidate offers faculty ways to ‘rethink’ online course delivery
As another semester of remote learning begins, Hal Hinderliter is on a mission. Hinderliter, a teaching and research assistant in the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment (ETRA), wants to help faculty in the NIU College of Education to reimagine the
Read morePodcast features Laura Ruth Johnson
Laura Ruth Johnson’s search for local knowledge from the direct source – the people who live those realities and the grassroots organizations they populate – has taken her from Chicago to Puerto Rico to Taiwan and beyond. Johnson’s community-based research serves to
Read moreGrad students modify Chicago research to address host site’s COVID-19 concerns
During this strange era of COVID-19, the adage about “the best-laid plans” has proven itself more than a cliché. For Dean Laurie Elish-Piper and Laura Ruth Johnson, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment, their work that
Read moreLaura Ruth Johnson travels to Taiwan to see community research in action
Some of the world’s greatest wisdom is stored only in the minds of people who’ve inherited this information from the generations that have come before them. However, much traditional research overlooks this grassroots knowledge and expertise in favor of “scientific” knowledge gathered
Read moreCommunity Learning Series will explore cybersecurity during Nov. 5 discussion
Despite the constant pleas to “put down those phones,” technology has become almost inescapable. “Technology is a part of our lives, and we’re using our technology on a daily basis,” says Wei-Chen Hung, chair of the Department of Educational Technology, Research and
Read moreLoyal Huskie R.J. Gravel thrives in career, embodies ‘definition of lifelong learning’
Growing up in suburban Des Plaines, R.J. Gravel wanted to live a life in song. He enrolled at NIU in the fall of 2001 to major in music education and vocal performance, but something happened before classes began in August that would
Read moreLearn-IT explores future of teaching tech
Science fiction fans call May 4 “Star Wars Day” – as in, “May the Fourth Be With You” – but that particular Saturday this year centered on science reality for 120 regional teachers and instructional technology specialists. NIU’s Department of Educational Technology,
Read moreETRA graduate students join Fatih Demir to research brain engagement of readers
Researchers in NIU’s Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment are preparing to study whether – and how – readers respond differently to “hard” news reports and emotional stories. Fatih Demir, an assistant professor of Instructional Technology, will use eye-tracking systems and
Read moreSteve Builta departs for new challenges training, coordinating disaster responders
Three months after his 1984 graduation from Hononegah High School, Steve Builta arrived at NIU with plans to become a school psychologist. Even though he had enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, where he eventually would earn a bachelor’s
Read moreRockford sixth-graders help Hsu study makerspaces, scientific argumentation
Six sixth-graders at Rockford Environmental Science Academy are exploring Next Generation Science Standards – and having a blast at the same time. Pi-Sui Hsu, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment, is making weekly travels to Rockford
Read moreHave passport, will travel: Tom Smith circles globe to present, learn, browse
Tom Smith really gets around. In November, it was Taiwan. The Presidential Teaching Professor in the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment (ETRA) made the journey to Asia to participate in the Taiwan Educational Research Association (TERA) conference in Kaohsiung, Taiwan,
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