COLTT Conference, Colorado Learning and Teaching with Technology

Committee Chairs

Janice Thorpe

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Janice Thorpe, Ph.D.
COLTT Faculty Program Chair, Senior Instructor/Director, Online Learning
University of Colorado Colorado Springs


Janice Thorpe has been teaching in the Communication Department for more than 27 years, and has taught a variety of courses during that time. Her main academic interests include online education, instructional communication, and assessment of student learning. She is the Director of the Online program, Course Director for Research Methods, as well as the Assessment Director for the Communication Department at UCCS. Janice recieved a BA from the University of Tennessee in Education, a BS from the University of Colorado Denver in Communication, and a PhD from the University of Colorado Denver in Education - Research, Evaluation, and Measurement.

Jaimie Henthorn

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Jaimie Henthorn, Ph.D.
COLTT Executive Director
Director for Academic Innovation Programs
University of Colorado System


Jaimie Henthorn works across CU campuses and other high education institutions in the state and nationally to innovate and facilitate the annual COLTT conference, a regional cornerstone for educational technology. She also plays a key role in state authorization compliance for all CU campuses and is involved in all other ODEE projects as Project Manager. Henthorn is also a lecturer in the College of Architecture and Planning at CU Denver. She received a BA from Northwestern University, an MFA from Edinburgh College of Art, and a PhD in artistic practice as research at University of College London. 

Oversight Committee

Joanne Addison

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Joanne Addison, Ph.D.
Interim Academic Director
Department of English, University of Colorado Denver


Joanne's research has been closely tied to her teaching, service, and administrative work throughout her academic career whether working as Director of Composition, Co-Directing the Denver Writing Project, serving as Chair of Faculty Assembly, or developing a campus-wide mentoring program.  At the heart of her work is a desire to empower people through increased access to written literacy.  Joanne's most recent co-authored book, Writing and School Reform (2017), focuses on the barriers to accessing written literacy in the articulation from high school to college.  She is currently working in the areas of critical media literacy and digital ethics in an effort to expand our theoretical and pedagogical responses to the current challenges and opportunities of mass digital writing.

David Anderson

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David Anderson, Ph.D.
Senior Faculty Associate to Information Technology
Director of the Faculty Resource Center
Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry


David Anderson, PhD, Senior Faculty Associate to Information Technology, Director of the Faculty Resource Center, and Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has over 30 years of experience developing and implementing technology in teaching and learning.

Alex McDaniel

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Alex McDaniel
Educational Training Center
Metropolitan State University of Denver
mcdaniel@msudenver.edu


Alex McDaniel helps instructors integrate technology into their courses at the Education Technology Center.

Geoff Rubinstein

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Geoffrey Rubinstein
Director of Independent Learning
University of Colorado Boulder
geoffrey.rubinstein@colorado.edu


Geoff Rubinstein is the Director for Independent Learning at the University of Colorado Boulder.

David Thomas

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David Thomas
CU Online - Academic Technology Director
University of Colorado Denver
david.thomas@ucdenver.edu


After leaving a career in corporate training, technology and product development, David happily returned to the university. He found a home at CU Online, supporting faculty and helping build out the various training and support offerings CU Online provides to faculty. When not heading up the able academic technology services team, David works on his PhD in planning and design in the College of Architecture and Planning where he researches the question, "What makes a place fun?"

Gina Turnage

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Gina Turnage
Senior Account Executive
Hypothes.is
gina@hypothes.is

Gina brings 20 years of expertise in sales and marketing, coupled with 4 years of experience in human resources, within the higher education sector and across various industries. A results-driven and enthusiastic professional, she is a self-motivated and organized leader and team player, possessing excellent communication skills and a strong drive for success.

Content Strategy Committee

Leá Bazurto

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Leá Bazurto
Senior Learning Experience Designer
University of Colorado Boulder
lea.norcross@colorado.edu


Leá holds an MA in Art History with a concentration in Museum Studies from the University of Denver and a BA in Art History from The Colorado College. She has a background in higher education, museums, and archives. She is passionate about creating inclusive and engaging learning experiences and is particularly interested in accessibility and universal design for learning (UDL).

Lisha Bustos

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Lisha Bustos, M.A.
Manager of the Instructional Design Service Center 
Skaggs School of Pharmacy | University of Colorado Denver


Lisha Bustos, MA, currently serves as the manager of the instructional design service center at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy, CU Denver.  In this role she is able to fulfill her passions by providing pedagogical training and technology aid to the faculty. Course coordination and program support also fall under her purview. After receiving her MA in Education from Adams State University, she taught middle school humanities and college prep courses at Adams State. Recent projects include expanding the reach of instructional design across the AMC campus, participation in faculty peer evaluations, and the curriculum revival for the School of Pharmacy. When Lisha isn’t spreading the word about the value of instructional design, she can be found in her garden, playing with her toddlers and teenagers, or actively participating in Denver’s food scene.

Marisha Lamont-Manfre

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    Marisha Lamont-Manfre
    Accessibility and Usability Assessment Manager
    University of Colorado Boulder
    Marisha.Manfre@Colorado.EDU


Marisha Lamont-Manfre is the Accessibility & Usability Assessment Manager. She will be coordinating the stages of accessibility assessments and consulting work.  Prior to CU, she has worked in accessibility services, assistive technology, and digital accessibility. Marisha received her BS in Mathematics from Regis University and her  MA in Research and Evaluation Methods from UC Denver. She is currently in the Ph.D. program for Research and Evaluation Methods at UC Denver. In her free time, she gardens and spends time with her husband and her dog.

Laylonda Maines

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Laylonda Maines, M.S.
Instructor, Biology
Community College of Denver
laylonda.maines@ccd.edu


Laylonda Maines, MS has been teaching science online, face- to- face, and hybrid since 2010 in higher education. She has worked at FRCC, CCD, CCCOnline, ACC, and MSU in Colorado. Laylonda is a knowledge seeker and has moved into learning design and instructional support at FRCC. She loves helping faculty develop courses that they want to teach. Laylonda is possibly looking to go back to school to learn more about this field and foundational information in her new career path. Lastly, she is committed to helping empower people through understanding authentic design, conversations, and technological understandings.

Kae Novak

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Kae Novak
Online Student Success Coordinator
Front Range Community College
kae.novak@frontrange.edu


Kae Novak is an Instructional Designer, Student Engagement and Assessment for Online Learning at Front Range Community College. She earned her Master of Educational Technology at Boise State University. She is currently the Principal Investigator for Games Based Learning MOOC project, which is part of the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) Immersive and Games-Based Learning Challenged Program.

Brandon Poulliot

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Brandon Poulliot
Instructional Designer
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
bpoullio@uccs.edu


Brandon Poulliot, MS, an Instructional Designer and Technologist in the Faculty Resource Center, has worked in higher ed since 2009 and has a robust background in and passion for educational technology, course design, and developing and administering training. He offers a wide array of technical and pedagogical expertise.

Chelsie Ruge

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Chelsie Ruge
Director of Learning Experience Design
University College | University of Denver
chelsie.ruge@du.edu

Chelsie Ruge (M.A. in Humanities, University of Chicago, Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction ABD, University of Denver) is the Director of Instructional Design at DU's University College. In this role, she manages the Learning Experience Design Team in faculty development, course design and revision, consults with academic directors on curriculum and assessment, and  strategic planning initiatives. She has been teaching and coaching instructors in various secondary and post-secondary institutions since 2007.

Kaiya Schroeder

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Kaiya Schroeder
Online Teaching and Learning Librarian
University of Colorado Denver
kaiya.schroeder@ucdenver.edu


Kaiya is an Online Teaching and Learning Librarian. With an emphasis on online learning, she teaches information literacy sessions, creates digital learning objects, consults with course instructors on Open Educational Resources, and provides research assistance to students, faculty, and staff.

Greg Wells

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Greg Wells
Instructional Designer
Colorado State University
gregory.wells@colostate.edu


Education:
BA History, BS Computer Science, MS Computer Information Systems, MS Organizational Management and Leadership

Technical Background:
Wells served in a capacity of roles at Hewlett-Packard from 1990-2009. Those roles included test engineer, vendor manager, project manager and program manager and managed software and hardware projects at the retail and enterprise level.

Teaching Background:
Affiliate Faculty at Regis University (Computer Information Systems), since 1996 Wells taught in both the classroom and online during those eighteen years and developed courses as an Affiliate Faculty.

Instructional Design:
From 2009-2014 Wells served as an Instructional Designer for Regis University assisting development teams in producing quality online courses for Regis. In September 2014, he moved to Colorado State University and I am currently serving as an Instructional Designer.