Faculty Spotlights

The American Geophysical Union (AGU) recently appointed Scott Sheridan, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Geography and professor in the online Geographic Information Science (GISc) programs, to its inaugural cohort for the Leadership Academy and Network for Diversity and Inclusion in the Geosciences (AGU LANDInG). AGU LANDInG’s Academy is a 2-year commitment supporting its participating Fellows to move from people, culture, and belonging advocacy to DEI leadership through concrete efforts with a focus on evidence-based resources and practices.

He Yin, Ph.D., assistant professor in Kent State University’s Department of Geography in the College of Arts and Sciences, recently received NASA’s New (Early Career) Investigator Award in Earth Science. The award will provide funding for Yin’s research on the effects of the Syrian civil war on croplands throughout the eastern Mediterranean region.

“I’m delighted to welcome Jasmine to the School of Music,” said Kent McWilliams, director of the Glauser School. “As we continue to evaluate and reimagine our curriculum, her extensive experience as a choral music educator and research focus on Critical Race Theory and Black Feminist Thought within music education is critical to reshaping our degree offerings for the 21st century."1

We asked Drew Shipka, Director of Kent State Online, to tell us more about instructional design and online learning.

On this episode of Kent State University’s College of Business Podcast, Breaking Down Business,hear from Amy Grincewicz, Ph.D., director of instructional designer for the College of Business Administration.

Drew Shipka works for the Office of Continuing and Distance Education and has helped improve online classes at Kent State University for over a decade. He leads a team of instructional designers whose primary responsibilities are developing fully online graduate programs. He earned master’s degrees in Philosophy from the University of Western Ontario, and Library and Information Science, and Information Architecture Knowledge Management from Kent State University.

Meet Dr. Tudhope!

Geography Professor Scott Sheridan has been named a recipient of the 2020 Outstanding Research and Scholarship Award (ORSA). Sponsored by the University Research Council and the Division of Research and Economic Development, this award honors Kent State’s exceptional researchers and scholars. Recipients are selected based on the quality of their research and scholarship, and its impact on society.

Educational psychology involves both teaching and learning. But how does that work?

Kent State University has announced the recipients of the New Faculty Outstanding Research and Scholarship Award (New ORSA). These awards recognize the hard work and dedication of faculty who have been at Kent State for 10 years or less and are sponsored by the University Research Council.

Ken Slenkovich is the assistant dean of Kent State University’s College of Public Health and program director for the school’s online Master of Public Health program. Leveraging his diverse experience as a public health professional, with research endeavors that have focused on the operations of local health departments and community health needs assessment methodologies, Asst. Dean Slenkovich has helped to elevate and enrich our nationally celebrated online MPH program, even authoring an award-winning course for the program.1

With a projected 10-year job growth rate of over 20 percent,1 the field of user experience (UX) design is exploding right now, and a graduate-level UX degree can help you get into the fast lane of this ever-expanding career track. If you’re forward thinking, curious about UX design trends and someone who thrives in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, you just might have what it takes to be a successful UX designer—at least according to Ben Woods, a UXD professional with nearly two decades of experience and a faculty member at Kent State University.

A pair of Kent State University geographers have teamed up to secure two research grants totaling more than $550,000 for separate projects to study climate change and weather patterns.

When studying user experience (UX) online, there’s almost no greater source of knowledge than Andrew Shipka.

Most of us think about user experience (UX) design as a tech-oriented field, where expert coders build flashy apps and web experiences that dazzle. But as Ben Woods, assistant professor in Kent State University’s online Master of Science in UX Design program, points out, UX is “really all about people. It’s not about the technology.”

Geography professors at Kent State University see Hurricane Harvey’s unusual rainfall and the flooding in its aftermath as an opportunity to teach their students about meteorology, the health hazards left behind and the people whose lives have been changed forever.

It’s no secret. The public’s confidence in the government is on the decline. In fact, a stifling 76 percent of citizens believe that political corruption is a critical problem facing us today. According to Kent State University professor Mark Cassell though, “When we talk about failed states, what we’re talking about is failed administrations.”

As more consumer-facing brands look for ways to keep their current customers while implementing measures to help attract new ones, creating a positive user experience has been at the forefront of any new initiatives. Unfortunately, unless something goes wrong, the importance of the user experience goes unnoticed.

Whenever you visit a website on a computer or smartphone, you’re probably not thinking about the layout and usability of it. As a consumer, you generally just want a site that works and navigates you quickly to the buttons that you click on the page. But the fact is that this pleasurable online experience was architected by an individual who understands exactly what people want when they’re online.

User experience design (UXD) is one of the fastest-growing career fields in the United States, according to Business Insider. It is a discipline that combines a number of factors that impact our daily lives, whether we realize it or not.