Meet the Team

Ellyn Buchanan, PhD

Director
stlou009@umn.edu
612-625-9669

What drives me: Supporting faculty, students, and TAs in teaching and learning with technology. Art, design, and aesthetics in online learning. Technology research, experimentation, and integration.

When to contact Ellyn

  • Planning stages of a hybrid/online program
  • Course design and development requests
  • With ideas or goals for e-learning/technology-enhanced learning at SPH
  • Questions about ELS services or e-learning/technology-enhanced learning in general

Kris Woll, MA

Assistant Director
wollk@umn.edu
612-625-3476

What drives me: Collaborating with faculty to design meaningful, engaging learning experiences; organizing information and creating excellent content; revising and reflecting throughout the creative process; building effective relationships and connections; and curiosity.

When to contact Kris

  • For project management
  • Instructional design coaching
  • SPH Student Advisory Board for Online Learning

Jim Harpole

Instructional Systems Specialist
harpo002@umn.edu (direct)
sphels@umn.edu (for course issues/support)
612-626-5069

What drives me: Promoting a thoughtful approach to teaching and learning with technology, with an emphasis on usability and clear, deliberate instructional language; supporting faculty, students, and colleagues in problem-solving.

When to contact Jim

    • General issues and questions
    • Consultation on Canvas issues
    • Incorporating Library e-reserves into your courses
    • Questions about recording availability

Kaia Sievert, MLIS

Learning Technologist
ksievert@umn.edu (direct)
sph-production@umn.edu (for studio requests or multimedia production questions)
612-625-1192

What drives me: Making online learning more accessible and user-friendly, coaching student workers and finding ways to increase student engagement, simplifying and improving workflows, and exploring digital inclusion in education.

When to contact Kaia

  • Technology training guide development
  • Technology integration consultation
  • Undergraduate students with work study who would like to work with us on multimedia design and development.
  • Questions about systems or processes about multimedia development and deployment

Sheila Hoover, PhD

Instructional Designer
hoove004@umn.edu

What drives me: Demonstrating the value of instructional design for enhancing student learning and making online course development a positive experience for instructors.

When to contact Sheila

  • When she is your instructional designer for a specific course

Katy Korchik, MA

Instructional Designer
korc0004@umn.edu

What drives me: Translating complex ideas into practical, well designed educational experiences; building collaborative relationships; constantly learning; and exploring new approaches to old problems.

When to contact Katy

  • When she is your instructional designer for a specific course

Bjorn Pederson, MA

Instructional Designer
peder534@umn.edu

What drives me: Creating engaging, meaningful learning experiences for students while supporting faculty to deliver their content the best way possible in an online environment; using the reflective process as a way to make something good, even better; and continuously learning.

When to contact Bjorn

  • When he is your instructional designer for a specific course

Solen Feyissa, PhD, MA

Instructional Designer
feyis003@umn.edu
612-301-1427

What drives me: Enhancing the learning experience in online learning environments by improving learner engagement through thoughtful design; supporting faculty; understanding the context in which learning occurs.

When to contact Solen

  • When he is your instructional designer for a specific course

Sara Hurley, PhD, MFA

Assistant Dean of Learning Innovations
hurley@umn.edu
LinkedIn
612-625-7709

What drives me: Advocating for students’ learning experiences, building community, solving problems, pushing people to think ethically about technology, and being relentlessly optimistic about our ability to always do better.

Bernadette Gloeb, MLS

Continuing Education Systems Lead
gloeb@umn.edu
612-625-2222

What drives me: Creating quality online courses that engage students, helping faculty transform teaching, making teaching matter, planning and organization, and working with interesting people.

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