Associate Professor of Education Practice Educational Studies Marsal Family School of Education University of Michigan
Rebecca M. Quintana is an Associate Professor of Education Practice at the Marsal Family School of Education at the University of Michigan (U-M), where she co-leads the Rackham Learning Experience Design Graduate Certificate. Her teaching is situated within the Designing for Innovation: Learning, Instruction, and Technology concentration within Educational Studies. Quintana’s scholarship emphasizes the application of learning sciences to the design of technology-rich learning environments, with a focus on tools that enable social interaction and immersive learning. Quintana’s research has been published in outlets such as Information and Learning Sciences, Tech Trends, and Online Learning Journal. projects: Culturally Responsive Online Teaching: Critical Theories in Practice (Routledge); Luminous Literacies: Stories of Place-Based Teaching in the Land of Enchantment (Emerald); and Virtual and Augmented Reality in English Language Arts Education (Lexington/Rowman & Littlefield).
Associate Dean of Graduate Studies | Associate Professor of Graduate Studies Anderson University
Dr. Julie Smart has served the field of education for more than 20 years as a K-12 educator, university professor, Associate Dean, program director, research methodologist, and community advocate. Dr. Smart currently serves as Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in the College of Education at Anderson University, where she provides strategic oversight of all Graduate, Post-Graduate, and Non-Traditional programs. Dr. Smart’s primary areas of research include factors affecting teacher motivation for online teaching and learning, student engagement in Hyflex learning environments, inquiry-based instruction in STEM, and the development and validation of research instruments. Dr. Smart also serves her community through her leadership as Board Chair for the American Heart Association Upstate and immediate past Chair for Public Education Partners.
Assistant ProfessorSUNY Empire
Associate Professor of LiteracyDepartment of Language Literacy and Sociocultural StudiesCollege of Education and Human SciencesUniversity of New Mexico
Mary Rice is an Associate Professor of Literacy in the Department of Language Literacy and Sociocultural Studies at the University of New Mexico. Her university work supports teachers in designing and doing digital learning. Recent honors include the Divergent Award for Research Excellence by the Initiative for Literacy in a Digital Age (2021), National Technology Leadership Initiative Award from the Society for Information Technology in Education (2023), Publication of the Year (Honorable Mention) from the Narrative Special Interest Group—American Educational Research Association (2024) and the National Open and Distance Learning Award—K12 from the Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (2025). Mary has served as Managing Editor of Online Learning, Special Editor of Distance Education and Professional Development in Education, and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Online Learning Research.
Jacob M. Aguinaga
Doctoral Candidate in Educational Studies | Senior Learning Experience DesignerMarsal Family School of Education | Center for Academic InnovationUniversity of Michigan
Jacob M. Aguinaga is a doctoral candidate in Education Studies at the University of Michigan Marsal Family School of Education and a Senior Learning Experience Designer at the University of Michigan Center for Academic Innovation. His research foci and design interests are situated at the intersection of social-constructivist learning theories, diverse, equitable, and inclusive pedagogies, and online learning environments. As a learning experience designer, Jacob has supported the development of over 40 massive open online courses, including the Transforming Education in an Interconnected World series. He earned his BA in education, secondary teaching certificate, MA in educational studies, and a graduate certificate in learning experience design from the University of Michigan.