Department of Learning Design and Technology (LTEC) faculty members, Chih-Pu Dai, Dan Hoffman, and the late Christine Sorensen Irvine, received awards at the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) International Convention in Kansas City, Missouri last month.
Assistant Professor Dai won a Best Proposal Award from the AECT Teacher Education Division. His paper, “Improving Preservice Teachers’ Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy Through Artificial Intelligence-Supported Virtual Simulation,” is part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant project led by Professor Fengfeng Ke at Florida State University.
“In this project, we recognize the importance of supporting preservice teacher learning with AI-powered virtual students and observing how preservice teachers practice to respond to students’ resources in culturally diverse classrooms when teaching math and science,” Dai said. “This award is a recognition of this critically needed and impactful area of research in today’s society.”
Dai presented two other papers during the AECT convention, including one on an innovative project disseminating emerging findings of the Metaverse integration in LTEC classrooms, in collaboration with LTEC Professor Peter Leong and Dr. Cristina Obae from the University of Lapland (Finland).
Associate Professor Hoffman was awarded the AECT International Division’s Presidential Service Award. As outgoing President of the International Division (ID), he was recognized for his exceptional dedication, leadership, and impact on the division.
“In the ID, we try to help students and professionals working with educational technology connect and collaborate,” Hoffman said. “Our goal is to transcend international boundaries and cultural lines. It has been a privilege to work in support of such a global community of scholars and practitioners. I’ve learned so much!”
During his term as president, Hoffman worked with the ID’s Professional Development Committee to host webinars designed to help members network and grow their professional skills, knowledge, and dispositions. He also worked with the ID Board to transition members to a new communication and membership platform as well as to adopt new bylaws and conduct a SWOT analysis of the ID.
AECT presented the Christine Sorensen Irvine Service to the Teacher Education Division Award posthumously to Professor Sorensen Irvine who passed away on January 27, 2023 at the age of 64. The division honored Sorensen Irvine’s legacy by renaming their service award after her and selecting her as the first recipient. Hoffman accepted the award on her behalf and brought the award “home” to the LTEC department.
A member of AECT for more than two decades, Sorensen Irvine joined the Teacher Education Division (TED) as a graduate student, serving as a TED member-at-large and representative to the board. For years, she supported emerging TED scholars through the Smaldino & Herring Teacher Leadership Award, made possible by her own financial contributions.
AECT is a professional association of instructional designers, educators, and professionals who provide leadership and advise policymakers in order to sustain a continuous effort to enrich teaching and learning. AECT is the premier organization for those actively involved in the design of instruction and a systematic approach to learning.
