Georgia Southern University and Arizona State University Education Professors Presented Outstanding Research K-12 Online Learning Award

October 22, 2012

Georgia Southern University College of Education Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology, Kathryn Kennedy, Ph.D., has been named the winner of the 2012 Outstanding Research in K-12 Online Learning Award.  Kennedy along with Leanna Archambault, Ph.D., assistant professor at Arizona State University, was presented with the award at the Virtual School Symposium on Oct.21, 2012, at the Annual International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) Membership Meeting in New Orleans, LA.

The research study that was nominated and earned Kennedy and Archambault the award was a national survey of teacher education programs that explores what teacher education programs are doing to prepare pre-service teachers for K-12 online and blended learning environments. The article based on the study was published in the Journal of Teacher Education, which has an acceptance rate of 5 percent and impact factor of 1.891, ranked 18th out of 184 Education and Education Research journals. The study itself found that only 1.3 percent of teacher education programs are doing anything to prepare teachers for these new learning environments.  Another finding of the study was that educators continue to have misconceptions about online education, including the notion that online learning is not “real” learning.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have online learning opportunities for K-12 students, and many states are now requiring high school students to take at least one online learning course before they graduate. Because of this and the exponentially growing number of K-12 students who are enrolling in online programs, it behooves teacher educators to step up and create curriculum and field experiences designed to address and prepare teachers for K-12 online learning environments.

Kennedy joined Georgia Southern’s Instructional Technology program in Fall 2010. In addition to serving as a professor at Georgia Southern, she was recently hired as the Knowledge Manager/Researcher for iNACOL in September 2012. At Georgia Southern, she teaches four courses including, Field Experience in Online Teaching and Learning, Online Pedagogy, Advanced Seminar in Instructional Technology, and Transforming Learning with Technology. Her research interests and practical experience include pre-service and in-service teacher, technology specialist, and library/media specialist professional development for technology integration and instructional design in traditional, blended, and online learning environments. She has a special interest in K-12 online and blended learning.

Kennedy earned a Ph.D. from the University of Florida in curriculum and instruction, with a concentration in educational technology, a master’s from Florida State University in library and information science, specializing in young adult literature, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Florida in English, with an emphasis in children’s and adolescent literature.

Archambault is an assistant professor of educational technology at Arizona State University. Her research areas include teacher preparation for online and blended classrooms as well as the nature of technological pedagogical content knowledge. Most recently, she has collaborated on the Hartwell Education Initiative to create and study a newly developed blended course, Sustainability Science for Teachers. Prior to taking her position at Arizona State University in 2008, Archambault graduated from University of Nevada Las Vegas with a Ph.D. in instructional and curricular studies. As a former middle school English teacher, she is passionate about improving the education, particularly through the use of relevant and emerging technologies.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 120 degree programs serving more than 20,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. In 2012, the University was named one of the Top 10 most popular universities in the country by U.S. News & World Report and is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars.  Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.