Affiliated Staff

Nicholas C. Burbules

Director

Nicholas C. Burbules is the Gutgsell Professor in the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His primary research focuses on philosophy of education; critical social and political theory; teaching though dialogue; and technology and education. He serves as the Editor of Educational Theory.

Denice Hood

Assistant Professor, Educational Policy Studies

My current research interests include issues of teaching and learning in online postsecondary learning environments. Specifically, I am interested in the intersection between adult learning, cognitive and social factors that contribute to academic success, cultural aspects of pedagogy and the policy implications.

Vanna Pianfetti

Assistant Dean for Learning Technologies

Evangeline S. Pianfetti (Vanna) is the Assistant Dean for Learning Technologies at the University of Illinois, College of Education in Urbana-Champaign. She is also a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education. Currently, she is the principle investigator for the I-LLINI Partnerships grant that aims to improve middle school student performances in core content area through the meaningful integration of mobile technologies.  Vanna is a Smithsonian Laureate for classroom innovation in technology and a Gold Award winner in the ThinkQuest for Tomorrow's Teachers competition for a technology enriched curriculum she designed with teachers from Urbana Middle School in Urbana, Illinois.

 

Jane Blanken-Webb

Graduate Assistant

Jane Blanken-Webb is a PhD student in Philosophy of Education in the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has worked on a number of initiatives dealing with technology and education including an NSF grant with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. Her primary research focuses on aesthetic experience, John Dewey's philosophy, and psychoanalytic theory.