Spotlight on Yellowdig Instructors

We chat with Beth Hennington (Associate Professor of Psychology and Counseling, Lubbock Christian University)—who was just nominated for Yellowdig's 2019 Instructor of the Year Award—about her recent experiences with Yellowdig. Topics include balancing instructor guidance with open-ended conversation, dealing with sensitive topics, navigating the challenges of social media, and accommodating students with disabilities. This episode has a companion case study. ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEE: Beth Hennington earned her M.Ed. and Ed.D. in Special Education at Texas Tech University before earning her M.A. in Community Counseling at Wayland Baptist University. She is a Certified Educational Diagnostician, having previously directed the Educational Diagnostician Program at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU). She has also consulted with Wiley Global Education, developed curricula for WTAMU’s Learning Disabilities Center, and worked with non-profit organizations that provide family counseling and protective services. ABOUT THE INTERVIEWERS: Brian Verdine is the Head of Client Success at Yellowdig. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development, where he taught undergraduate courses in cognitive and developmental psychology. He went on to a postdoctoral position in the Education department at the University of Delaware where he later became, and continues to be, an Affiliated Assistant Professor. His academic research and his now primary career in educational technology has focused on understanding and improving learning outside of classrooms, in less formal learning situations. At Yellowdig he manages all aspects of Customer Success with a strong focus on how implementation in classes influences instructor and student outcomes. Samuel Kampa is a Client Success Analyst at Yellowdig. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fordham University, where he taught seven courses and nearly 200 undergraduate students. He brings to Yellowdig that teaching experience, an enduring interest in pedagogy, and data science training that has helped expand Yellowdig’s data analysis capabilities and improve instructor training materials.

We chat with McKinzie Sutter (Distance Education Specialist, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln) about her recent experiences with Yellowdig. Topics include using Yellowdig as a help forum, implementing the Muddiest Point technique in Yellowdig, using Accolades and @Mentions creatively, and facilitating conversations without dominating them. This episode has a companion case study. ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEE: McKinzie Sutter earned her M.S. in Natural Resources her B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She worked as a Field and Laboratory Technician for the USDA-ARS before assuming her current role as Distance Education Specialist for the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. She continues to teach in her area of expertise and is particularly passionate about creating student-centered learning in online spaces. ABOUT THE INTERVIEWERS: Brian Verdine is the Head of Customer Success at Yellowdig. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development, where he taught undergraduate courses in cognitive and developmental psychology. He went on to a postdoctoral position in the Education department at the University of Delaware where he later became, and continues to be, an Affiliated Assistant Professor. His academic research and his now primary career in educational technology has focused on understanding and improving learning outside of classrooms, in less formal learning situations. At Yellowdig he manages all aspects of Customer Success with a strong focus on how implementation in classes influences instructor and student outcomes. Samuel Kampa is a Customer Success Analyst at Yellowdig. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fordham University, where he taught seven courses and nearly 200 undergraduate students. He brings to Yellowdig that teaching experience, an enduring interest in pedagogy, and data science training that has helped expand Yellowdig’s data analysis capabilities and improve instructor training materials.

We chat with Ben Leffel (Instructor, Department of Sociology, University of California, Irvine) about his recent experiences with Yellowdig. Topics include instructor participation, time-saving strategies, how to manage large online communities, and how to emulate "lecture hall discussions" in Yellowdig. This episode has a companion case study. ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEE: Ben Leffel is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine. His dissertation research centers on global climate change policy. He has published 4 peer-reviewed articles and 14 op-eds and commentaries on climate change mitigation, U.S.-China relations, and city diplomacy, among other topics. ABOUT THE INTERVIEWERS: Brian Verdine is the Head of Customer Success at Yellowdig. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development, where he taught undergraduate courses in cognitive and developmental psychology. He went on to a postdoctoral position in the Education department at the University of Delaware where he later became, and continues to be, an Affiliated Assistant Professor. His academic research and his now primary career in educational technology has focused on understanding and improving learning outside of classrooms, in less formal learning situations. At Yellowdig he manages all aspects of Customer Success with a strong focus on how implementation in classes influences instructor and student outcomes. Samuel Kampa is a Customer Success Analyst at Yellowdig. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fordham University, where he taught seven courses and nearly 200 undergraduate students. He brings to Yellowdig that teaching experience, an enduring interest in pedagogy, and data science training that has helped expand Yellowdig’s data analysis capabilities and improve instructor training materials. AUDIO CREDIT:  Joseph McDade (https://josephmcdade.com/music)

We chat with Nick Duran (Assistant Professor, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University) about his recent experiences with Yellowdig. Topics include community formation, conversation quality, network structures, the impact of instructor interventions, and Yellowdig grades as participation grades. This episode has a companion case study. ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEE: Nicholas Duran earned his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Memphis and served as a postdoc at the University of California Merced. He is the Director of ASU’s DynamiCog Lab, an interdisciplinary lab dedicated to applying cognitive research to real-world settings. Professor Duran works on coordination, deception, bias, and perspective-taking, among other topics. ABOUT THE INTERVIEWERS: Brian Verdine is the Head of Customer Success at Yellowdig. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development, where he taught undergraduate courses in cognitive and developmental psychology. He went on to a postdoctoral position in the Education department at the University of Delaware where he later became, and continues to be, an Affiliated Assistant Professor. His academic research and his now primary career in educational technology has focused on understanding and improving learning outside of classrooms, in less formal learning situations. At Yellowdig he manages all aspects of Customer Success with a strong focus on how implementation in classes influences instructor and student outcomes. Samuel Kampa is a Customer Success Analyst at Yellowdig. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fordham University, where he taught seven courses and nearly 200 undergraduate students. He brings to Yellowdig that teaching experience, an enduring interest in pedagogy, and data science training that has helped expand Yellowdig’s data analysis capabilities and improve instructor training materials.