Dr. Curtis Ho, professor and former chair of the College of Education Department Learning Design and Technology (LTEC), is the 2021 Association of Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) International Contribution Award recipient. Each year, the AECT International Division recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of educational communications and technology and shown outstanding leadership across national boundaries and in international settings.
“It is quite an honor to receive the International Contribution Award, and I am humbled by this recognition from our professional organization, AECT,” Ho said. “Over the years, my work has taken me to many parts of the world and the connections I have made have been invaluable.”
Ho has been contributing to the field of educational technology for nearly 50 years. He spent time in Japan where he served as a research fellow for the Center for School Education Research at Hyogo University of Teacher Education. He has taught courses in American and Western Sāmoa and Saipan, and he was the first to offer a course statewide over the University of Hawaiʻi’s Interactive Television System.
“Dr. Ho has a long and productive history in the field of educational technology, both in the United States and abroad, and is recognized by his colleagues as highly diplomatic, collaborative, and caring,” LTEC Associate Professor Peter Leong said.
A partner and co-coordinator of the Technology Colleges and Community Worldwide Online Conference (TCC) for more than 20 years, Ho is credited with strengthening the academic quality of the annual online conference, leading to greater involvement of faculty and students worldwide. Since 1995, TCC has served as a means for bringing practical expertise to Hawaiʻi since budget and travel restrictions have been a constant barrier to professional development.
For the past five years, Ho has served as the lead guest editor for the winter editions of the International Journal for Educational Media and Technology. He has also presented extensively at national and international conferences, published over 30 refereed articles and papers, and written 20 competitive grant proposals. Ho served as the principal investigator on two important U.S. Department of Education grants totaling over $6.5 million.
“The experience in collaborating with international students and scholars has been most gratifying,” Ho stated. “I am fortunate that my department shares the same international interest. I would like to recognize my colleagues’ significant leadership roles in professional organizations, journals, and conferences that have given our department a strong international presence. I would like to thank them for their support over the many years.”
Ho will be recognized at the AECT International Convention in Chicago on November 2–6, 2021.
