Event Chairs

James Uhomoibhi Ulster University United Kingdom

Brief Bio
James Uhomoibhi, a native born of Nigeria is an academic of strong international standing in Physics, Computing and Engineering. He has a first degree in Physics from Nigeria, a BPhil degree from Italy and moved to the UK where he completed his MSc in Optoelectronics and Optical Information Processing and a PhD in Laser Physics. Following his initial appointment as lecturer in Queen’s University Belfast he completed a PGCHET in Higher Education. Today he is at University of Ulster where he was Faculty e-learning coordinator (2004-2015) and now lectures in Engineering whilst researching in computer science and edu cation. He is a visiting Professor of Physics, Computer Science and IT in two Nigerian Universities. He is also a visiting Professor of Science, Technology and Environmental Studies at the Open University in Tanzania. James is a Chartered Physicist and a member of the Institute of Physics; He is a Chartered IT Professional and a Fellow of BCS and also a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. James Uhomoibhi is the African Laser Centre Representative in Europe and has served as Head of SEFI Task Force on European Cooperation with Africa. SEFI is the European Society for Engineering Education. He also sits on the Board of the International Network for Engineering Education and Research (iNEER). He is a member of Council of SEFI and of the BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT. James Uhomoibhi is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee (DIC) and the International of the Institute of Physics (IoP). He is the founder and current Chair of the BCS e-Learning Specialist Group. In 2011 James Uhomoibhi was appointed a LEADS Scholar by the Nigerian National Universities Commission (NUC), charged with the responsibility of linking experts and academics in the Diaspora to the country. He is a recipient several academic and community awards including amongst others, the iNEER Global Achievement Award in Engineering Education (2011), Belfast Ambassadors Award (2012), BCS Long Service Award and the Distinguished Service Award of the Powerlist All Ireland African Leadership Excellence Award Programme, which he received in 2012. James Uhomoibhi very recently received the Sentinus Ambassador of the Year 2016 Award for outstanding works and contributions to STEM Education and Research Development and Implementation in Northern Ireland, UK. ... More >>

H. Chad Lane Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign United States http://hchadlane.net

Brief Bio
H. Chad Lane is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology and Informatics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA. Prof. Lane's research focuses on the design, use, and impacts of intelligent technologies for learning and behavior change. This work involves blending techniques from the entertainment industry (that foster engagement) with those from artificial intelligence and intelligent tutoring systems (that promote learning), as well as running studies to better understand whether and how the resulting learning experiences impact learners. He has led design-based research projects involving educational games, intelligent tutoring systems, and immersive technologies. His current work focuses on the uses of game and sensing technologies for science learning in informal learning contexts. Prior to joining UIUC in early 2015, he was Director of Learning Sciences Research at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies where he led highly interdisciplinary efforts to build and evaluate a variety of educational technologies covering wide-ranging topics such as science learning, intercultural competence, gardening/cooking, computer programming, and motivational interviewing. He has over 60 publications, delivered invited talks around the U.S and Europe, and has hands-on experiences in informal and formal learning contexts. He was director of the Joseph Baldwin Academy from 1996-1998, an academic summer camp for kids in Missouri, and earned his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2004. There, he conducted his doctoral research on intelligent learning technologies for problem understanding and solving skills in the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC). ... More >>

Susan Zvacek SMZTeaching.com United States

Brief Bio
Susan Zvacek is Associate Provost for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning at the University of Denver, where she oversees the Office of Teaching and Learning. She has worked in higher education as a faculty member, dissertation advisor, and administrator. Her publications are in the areas of distance education, instructional design, and faculty development and she is co-author of a distance education textbook (Teaching and Learning at a Distance, currently in its fifth edition) and Blackboard for Dummies. She was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in the Czech Republic and has also worked with the University of Port o (Portugal) to integrate higher order thinking skills into online and f2f engineering education. ... More >>