University Teaching Experience
Grand Canyon University - Phoenix, Arizona - College of Doctoral Studies, Online (January, 2021 - Present) - Senior Doctoral Adjunct
In this position, I lead independent study courses with doctoral students to support the design and completion of their qualitative dissertation research. This is a fully online program.
I meet by Zoom with students, review dissertation deliverables, and interact through the Learning Management System several times per week to support their growth.
Liberty University - Lynchburg, Virgina - School of Education, Online (October, 2021 - Present) - Quantitative Methodologist and Dissertation Chair
In this position, I lead independent study courses with doctoral students to support the design and completion of their quantitative dissertation research. This is a fully online program.
I meet by Zoom with students, review dissertation deliverables, and interact through the Learning Management System several times per week to support their growth.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Mplus Workshops - Spring, 2020 - Assistant Research Professor
Mplus is a powerful and versatile program for statistical modeling, usable for models from regression to latent variable modeling. Because of its versatility, it can be used to address many unusual or problematic features you may find in your data. However, some would say it has a tough barrier to entry because it can be challenging to learn for beginners. I created a series of 7 workshops designed for beginners, to provide brief overviews, syntax, data, and annotated output to help users learn Mplus in small bits. These workshops starting before the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020, at which time all workshops were presented through videos. These videos along with backup materials will be available to any user in the Fall, 2020. Here is a sample. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfumURtdv8Y&t=3s
Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Causal Inference - Fall, 2019 - Assistant Research Professor
Causal Inference is a doctoral level course emphasizing theory and application of methods in educational research that support making inferences about causal effects from experimental and non-experimental data. Using my experience in Causal Inference at the University of Connecticut, my work in the Harvard Strategic Data Project, and my research using multilevel modeling to show a causal effect from testing, I designed the course to meet student’s needs while challenging their thinking about how to interpret outcomes. The textbook by Murnane and Willett provided an excellent roadmap because there were many practical examples of analyzing the effectiveness of education policies administered in natural environments and often not utilizing randomized controlled trials. One of the most important parts of the semester was a 3 week unit on Mediation and Moderation. Covered topics also included Lord’s Paradox, Regression to the Mean, Natural Experiments, Matching and Regression Discontinuity. Students designed and completed a final paper reporting on their choice of a quantitative research project in which they demonstrated their learnings from the semester. These papers provided a solid foundation usable in a future manuscript or conference proposal.
St. John’s University - Advanced Educational Research and Data Analysis III - Spring, 2019 - Associate Professor
This course extends the study of Educational Research and Statistical Inquiry for advanced doctoral students to include the principles of research design and practice: the research approach, the philosophical assumptions, and research methods. Students are provided opportunities to examine techniques and issues related to research using qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. We address more advanced univariate inferential statistical methods, expand upon principles of measurement, multiple regression, multivariate analysis including factor analysis, logistic regression, causal inference, and non-parametric tests. Students have hands on use of computer technology and SPSS to organize data and compute analyses. Students learned how to conduct analyses, interpret results, and be a critical consumer of published results on covered topics. This course is 100% online and part of the fully online Literacy PhD program. As their final project, students designed and completed a mini-proposal for their dissertation research in which they demonstrated their learnings from the semester.
University of Connecticut - Assessment for Learning - Fall, 2015 - Adjunct Professor
Assessment of Learning is designed to introduce undergraduate students in teacher preparation programs to the foundational theory and practice of classroom, large-scale and standardized educational assessment. This course is challenging because most students arrive with negative opinions regarding assessment. Once they discover the power of assessment, they work hard to learn and develop skills in all facets of assessment. As the instructor of this undergraduate level course, the course covered topics in assessment from classroom to large scale. I believe students need hands on experiences to learn assessment, so students developed many assessments throughout the semester. Their end of semester project was to create a resource portfolio using their choice of format, either through a website, computer files, or paper. The portfolio was designed to be a resource for future teaching especially in student teaching the following semester containing their own assessments, their reflections, journal articles, online resources, and notes on assessment strategies.
University of Connecticut - Quantitative Methods I and II - Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 - Teaching Assistant
As a teaching assistant of this graduate level course, I provided support for first and second semester courses in Quantitative Methods for graduate students including group and individual tutoring, grading, and organized review sessions. Topics ranged from descriptive statistics through linear regression. Students often do not have a strong mathematics background, and many benefited from one on one tutoring.
University of Illinois at Chicago - Pre-Calculus - Fall 1996 - Teaching Assistant
Provided support for Pre-Calculus large lecture format course. Responsibilities included teaching discussion section twice weekly where we discussed homework, reviewed material and administered tests.
Community College Teaching
Manchester Community College - Quantitative Literacy - Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2013
Quantitative Literacy is a first course in introductory statistics covering research design, sampling theory, basic descriptive and inferential statistics, critical thinking, laws for human subject research, data analysis and data visualization. Students taking this course are typically very diverse but are often dealing with serious math anxiety, hoping to gain college mathematics credit.
Triton College - Department of Mathematics - 1998-2005
Taught many courses in Statistics, College Algebra, Trigonometry, and Quantitative Literacy to diverse student body, and I remain in contact with these students including one who is now pursuing a doctorate.
High School Teaching
Research and Business Experience
ACT/SAT Preparation Coach - Multiple High Schools Through ExcelEdge - 2004 - 2006
Taught multiple sections of a 4 week course covering content review and testing strategies for ACT and SAT college admission tests. Content review covered Mathematics, English Language Arts, and Science.
Oak Park River Forest High School, Oak Park , IL - Department of Mathematics 2004-2005
Substitute teacher in high school mathematics classes
Fenton High School - Bensonville, IL - Department of Mathematics -2003-2004
Taught Precalculus and Accelerated Algebra II
Riverside Brookfield High School, Riverside, IL - Department of Mathematics 2000-2001
Taught Algebra I and Geometry in an urban school
Assistant Research Professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2019-2020)
Led an interdisciplinary research team using Artificial Intelligence, Structural Equation Modeling and System Dynamics Model to simulate a student’s experience in an online tutoring system using affective, cognitive, emotional and functional measures from online mathematics tutoring platform MathSpring. Results were published in Metacognition and Learning.
Specialist, University of Connecticut (2018 – 2019), Storrs, CT
Curriculum and technology consulting for Dr. Betsy McCoach in establishing quality and alignment for the fully online Master’s Program in Research Methods, Evaluation and Measurement.
Methodologist, University of Connecticut (2016-2019), Storrs, CT
Provide methodological consultation and analysis to support the design and validation of the Classroom Management Assessment. Recommended use of the MET videos substantially reduced the cost and improved the data collection quality for the study.
Strategic Data Fellow. Placement with RISE Network at East Hartford Public Schools, September, 2016 – September, 2017.
Reporting to the RISE Network Director and the East Hartford Data and Performance Officer, I worked as a longitudinal data specialist focusing on strategic analysis leading to identification of solutions to improve student learning outcomes including reducing the summer slide and reduction of the achievement gap. Assessment results focus included SAT, PSAT, Smarter Balanced, and Renaissance STAR.
Responsibilities include frequent data analysis and presentation of recommendations to the superintendent, district data teams, leaders, teachers and students. Used SPSS, Stata, Google G Suite, SQL, and Windows Office Suite to prepare data tools accessible to teachers and administrators.
Summer Intern, National Center for the Improvement of Assessment in Education
(Summer 2014), Dover, NH
Developed materials and presented keynote address at the Reidy Interactive Lecture Series Conference, September, 2014, on the topic of Assessment in the Classroom.
University of Connecticut (2011-2014), Storrs, CT
Research Assistant: Project Viable II. Responsible for data management and statistical analysis to support a longitudinal and MTMM validation study of behavior rating scales. Responsibilities include research, analysis, and data management for three research sites collecting behavior rating data from approximately 2,000 students.
Consultant, Business and Consumer Insights, Information Resources, Incorporated, Chicago, Illinois, (2006-2009).
Developed knowledge of statistical modeling products using multiple regression and latent class analysis including Marketing Mix, Price Promotion, Consumer Mix Drivers, and Drivers on Demand.
Worked directly with clients to understand business insights and tailor the analytics product to address the business objective; presented findings to top decision makers.
Succeeded in establishing effective working relationships with global co-workers that enhanced communication and productivity.
Director, Ceded Reinsurance Placement, CNA Insurance Companies, Chicago, Illinois (1983 – 1993).
Managed the purchase of reinsurance for multiple lines of property and casualty insurance and worked directly with decision makers.
Traveled throughout the United States and Europe to negotiate terms with key decision makers and to conduct research of current market conditions.
Conducted research of primary insurance business practices and complex liability claims to identify reinsurance needs and solutions.
Managed and developed a staff of seven employees.
Promoted from Actuarial Analyst and Manager, Casualty Pricing (1983-1989).
Casualty Actuarial Examination Parts 1, 2, 3 and 5.