Michigan State University

Faculty Member, Educational Administration

Assistant Professor

About

Background

I am an Assistant Professor of Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education (HALE) at Michigan State University. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology, and a Master's degree in Adult Education, Community Development and Counseling Psychology, from the University of Toronto. I received my Ph.D. at the OISE/University of Toronto in Higher Education.

Research

My primary areas of interest are the topics of equity and knowledge production in higher education. I am particularly interested in understanding how some ways of knowing are valued over others and what are the social-cultural-political-historical processes that impact these knowledge validation and dissemination processes. The following question drives my scholarship, “What constitutes valid ways of knowing in higher education?” This question has led me to focus on analyzing higher education issues such as college student development, faculty of color development, policy, curriculum, teaching and learning, and equity and diversity in comparative educational contexts. To this end, I have published over fifteen refereed articles in venues, which include The Review of Higher Education, Journal of Education Policy, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), Equity and Excellence in Education, and Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research.

I am currently examining how international organizations (e.g., such as OECD, UNESCO, EU and World Bank) shape the higher education policy agenda in global contexts. Using this entry point, this research initiative centers on examining what ways of knowing are valued and validated in higher education institutions, particularly the interconnections among globalization of higher education policies and academic programs, faculty work, leadership, and student learning. I am currently focusing on OECD's Feasibility Study for the International Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO) initiative.

Teaching

I have developed and have been an instructor for graduate courses in educational leadership, research and evaluation, equity, policy, politics, and comparative higher education. Course include: Globalization and Higher Education Policy; Ethics and Educational Leadership; Qualitative Research Methodology; Social Justice Theory, Research and Practice; Pedagogies of Dissent; and Anti/postcolonial Theory.

Contact Information