Our Staff and Faculty

Vanessa Allen-Brown is an Associate Professor of Educational Studies, whose areas of expertise include liberation theology, culturally responsive pedagogy, African American feminist theory, oral history, and international education.

Dr. Atchison specializes in Geoscience Education. His research involves creating full access to the Earth Science disciplines for students and scientists with physical, sensory, and developmental disabilities, and evaluation of the instructional strategies that promote inclusive communities of learning in field settings. He is the Founder of the International Association for Geoscience Diversity (www.TheIAGD.org), an organization charged with advocating for students and geoscientists with disabilities, while promoting an accessible pathway into the Geoscience workforce through the development of innovative and inclusive research opportunities and instructional strategies.
 

Anna DeJarnette is an associate professor of math education.  She earned her Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She studies students' mathematics learning through problem solving, groupwork, and opportunities for mathematical discourse. More broadly, she is also interested in students' development of problem solving practices across STEM contexts including science and engineering.

Susan Gregson is a Associate Professor, Field Service in the Curriculum & Instruction and Middle Childhood Education programs at UC. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction with a focus on mathematics education from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Her research and teaching focus on equitable classroom practice, developing political knowledge for teaching mathematics, and the preparation of mathematics teachers for effective instruction of marginalized students. She has coached teachers and taught secondary mathematics in rural and urban schools, both in the United States and abroad.

Karen Haring taught middle school math, social studies and language arts for 7 years. Her research interests include equity and inclusion in middle grades education, Universal Design for learning, and teacher preparation. Currently, she coordinates and supervises field experience for teacher candidates in  the Middle Childhood Education programs, and teaches several undergraduate and graduate courses.

Prior to coming to the University of Cincinnati, in September 2005, Dr. Shelly Sheats Harkness began her career as a mathematics teacher in Indianapolis. After 12 years of public school teaching, she pursued a Ph.D. As a graduate assistant she taught courses at Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis. In 2002, Dr. Harkness earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Indiana University. She was an Assistant Professor at Miami University from 2003-2005.  As an Associate Professor a UC, Shelly currently is Co-Editor for the School Science and Mathematics journal. Her research interests include: STEM education; the impact of teachers’ listening and believing (Elbow, 1986); Ethnomathematics; and the connections between mathematics and social justice. Dr. Harkness enjoys teaching, working with doctoral students, and visiting K-12 classrooms.

Dr. Linda Plevyak received a bachelor degree in history from UC and a teaching credential in K-8 from Chapman University. Plevyak taught Kindergarten, first and third grade in California for three years before receiving a Master of Education from UC. She taught social studies methods at Ohio State University while receiving a Ph.D. in teacher education. Her major area of study includes environmental education. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses at Georgia Southern University as well as established a field-based experience course for preservice teachers.

Sarah Schroeder is an instructional designer and educator passionate about the creation of engaging, relevant and equitable e-learning solutions. Passionate about understanding learner diversity and designing the way our brains work, Sarah believes in the success of all learners and empowering them to do more vs. simply learn more. In addition, Sarah's work focuses on preparing teachers to work in urban communities, partnering with local teachers to create a community of learning including educators, community members, and pre-service education students.

As a faculty member, Sarah coordinates the Digital Learning Design certificate program for undergraduate students and connects UC learners with community partners.  She also teaches courses related to educational technology and media literacy, specifically focused on applying Universal Design for Learning using technology.  Sarah is an ISTE certified educator, a certified Quality Matters facilitator and master reviewer, a graduate of the Educause Educational Technology Leadership Institute, and has supported grant-funded development of blended learning solutions for K-12 districts.  During the recent pandemic, Sarah and her students have supported blended and online learning development for local districts.

Outside of UC, Sarah provides consulting services, coaching and professional devlopmet for K-12, non-profit, corporate and higher education organizations.  Before joining the University of Cincinnati, Sarah was a faculty member in the Department of Communication at Northern Kentucky University, an Instructional Designer in Northern Kentucky University's Center for Innovation and Technology in Education, and a professional diversity educator.

Sarah received her BA in education from Indiana University and her MS in Communication from the University of Cincinnati. She is currently a candidate for the EdD in Urban Educational Leadership.

Dr. Kay Seo is a Professor of Instructional Design and Technology (IDT). She received her Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from Utah State University with a perfect GPA and was selected as the recipient of the Ph.D. Scholar Award. Focusing her research on learner engagement and interaction in virtual worlds and online environments, she has published widely in top-tier academic journals and has presented numerous papers at nationally and internationally renowned conferences. Dr. Seo teaches IDT courses offered at the master's and doctoral levels, including Design of Blended and Online Learning Environments, Instructional Design, Multimedia Studio, and Doctoral Seminar. Dr. Seo takes on leadership positions in the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), a highly regarded academic and professional organization in the field. She is the Founding President of the Learner Engagement SIG and the Learner Engagement Division for the association and serves on the Planning Committee for the AECT International Convention. 

View full website, including publications and information about current writing projects, at http://sarahstitzlein.wix.com/portfolio 

I am a Professor of Education and Affiliate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cincinnati.  I am also President of the John Dewey Society, Co-Editor of the journal, Democracy & Education, and Co-Director of the Center for Hope & Justice Education. As a philosopher of education, I use political philosophy to uncover problems in education, analyze educational policy, and envision better alternatives.  I am especially interested in issues of political agency, educating for democracy, and equity in schools.  
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My previous book, American Public Education and the Responsibility of Its Citizens: Supporting Democracy in an Age of Accountability (Oxford University Press, 2017), responds to the increasing hostile climate toward public education, especially in the era of school choice and lingering neoliberalism.  It argues that citizens should support public schools as a central institution of democracy. My 2014 book,Teaching Dissent: Citizenship Education and Political Activism, investigates the role of political dissent in citizenship education.  My 2008 book, Breaking Bad Habits: Transforming Race and Gender in Schools, draws upon American pragmatism and feminist poststructuralism to offer teachers pathways out of persistent hierarchies of race and gender in schools. 
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My most recent writing projects, describes the state of civic reasoning and discourse for the National Academy of Education.  It describes the philosophical underpinnings of such civic work and how we might better prepare students for it through schools and universities.  I also prepared a commissioned report on the future of education for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

My latest book Learning How to Hope: Reviving Democracy through Schools and Civil Society (Oxford University Press, 2020), responds to current struggles in democracy.  It explains what hope is, why it matters to democracy, and how we can teach it in schools, universities, and civcil society.  The book received an open access grant making it free for all to download. The project was supported by the Templeton Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy, and the Center for Ethics & Education. The book has been the topic of the Bode Lecture at Ohio State University, the Wolfe Lecture in American Politics at Boston College, the Life of the Mind Lecture at the University of Cincinnati, a keynote address to the Association of Teacher Educators, a speech at the Carsey Center of Public Policy, and an invited talk at Goethe University in Germany.

I have received the University of New Hampshire Outstanding Professor award and the University of Cincinnati Distinguished Teaching and Golden Apple awards.  I am also the recipient of the American Association of University Women Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and the National Endowment for the Humanities Teaching Development Fellowship.

Dr. Janet Mannheimer Zydney is a Professor in Instructional Design and Technology within the School of Education. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Communciation and Technology from New York University. Prior to coming to the University of Cincinnati, Dr.Zydney completed her post-doctoral fellowship in special education technology at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Zydney’s research is on the use of technology-based scaffolding in online environments, multimedia programs, and digital games to improve students’ problem solving and critical thinking.  She teaches classes in design-based research, learning sciences and technology, universal design for learning, and teaching with technology. She has received awards for her excellence in teaching with technology in innovative ways.  She is the author or co-author of numerous refereed publications on the use of technology to improve students’ learning.  She is co-author of a book about online learning– Going Online with Protocols: New Tools for Teaching and Learning (Teachers College Press, 2012). She has presented at regional, national, and international conferences and given invited talks on her research.

Complete List of Publications