Deb Cook has more than a decade of experience in the classroom and is still that teacher who lives and loves the part. Being equal parts costume, dance, rap/song, and crazed energy, she tries to do it all for her precious lambs.
Her passion is to instill science literacy in our youth through meaningful 21st century avenues of engagement. This was the driving force behind the development of the Biomonsters experience (http://www.biomonsters.com). If her kids love it, she does it with gusto!
She currently teaches science in a brick and mortar high school in Charlottesville, Virginia and in the virtual environment using the Canvas LMS.
Elizabeth Dennis is an instructional designer and trainer for Instructure Canvas. With an in-depth knowledge of quality instructional design for online courses and an expert-level knowledge of Canvas LMS, she has developed a wide variety of courses for K-12, university, and corporate clients. She has published papers in the area of asynchronous instructional design and presented at national conferences on the subject.
Elizabeth is pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Leadership in Higher Education and holds a Master of Education degree with emphasis on educational technology and computer-assisted learning.
Travis Thurston is an Instructional Designer in the Center for Innovative Design & Instruction (CIDI) at Utah State University. He began his career teaching high school history and physical education courses. After earning a Master of Educational Technology degree from Boise State University, he found a new passion in online learning and curriculum development.
At USU, Travis works collaboratively with the team at CIDI to design and redevelop online courses in Instructure Canvas, consult with SMEs on campus to develop and deliver quality courseware, and find practical solutions to various design and delivery challenges. His interests also include utilizing learner analytics in curriculum design and implementing competency-based learning for online programs. Recently, he has written articles about the work done by the team at CIDI, which have been posted on eLearning Industry, eCampus News, and Edudemic.
Donna Harp Ziegenfuss is an Associate Librarian and Assistant Head of Scholarship & Education Services in the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah. She has an Ed.D. in Academic Leadership/Higher Education and an MS degree in Applied Technology/Instructional Design. She has led Faculty Development Centers and Teaching with Technology Centers, and currently works in the library, focusing on the topics of instructional design, assessment, research, and library instruction projects.
She has over 10 years of experience teaching in traditional, hybrid, and online formats. In addition, she has 15 years of experience working in the area of faculty and professional development. Her research interests focus on library and technology-based instructional planning and course design, assessment topics, faculty and professional development, qualitative research, and academic leadership. She has presented and published technology and teaching-related topics including course design and leadership.