The following BSU faculty members are leaders in the Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellowship Initiative.
Joel A. Bryan, Ph.D.
Department of Physics and Astronomy Joel A. Bryan is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He received a B.S. in physics with secondary teacher certification in both physics and mathematics in 1986 from Angelo State University (San Angelo, Texas) and a M.A.T. in science education from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1994.
He taught all levels of high school physics (Pre-AP, AP, conceptual) and a variety of mathematics courses for 13 years before beginning doctoral work in curriculum and instruction (science education major) at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He completed his Ph.D. in 2003.
From 2001 until 2007, Bryan designed and taught a conceptual physics course for preservice middle school teachers at Texas A&M and was project director of four externally funded professional development grants that served inservice elementary/middle school science teachers and secondary physics teachers.
He left Texas A&M to start his present position as a physics educator at Ball State University in the fall of 2007. He currently teaches a conceptual physics course for preservice K-5 teachers and courses in the department’s graduate programs in science and physics education.
His research interests include all aspects of physics teaching and learning, with particular interest in applications of technology, novice learner problem solving, guided and unguided inquiry techniques, and alternative conceptions.
José Contreras, Ph.D.
Department of Mathematical Sciences
José Contreras is an associate professor of mathematical sciences. He earned his Ph.D. in mathematics education from Ohio State University in 1997.
Jason Dunham, M.S.
Department of ChemistryJason Dunham is an instructor of chemistry. He earned a M.S. in 2006 from Ball State University.
He received the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Thesis Award in 2006-2007 for excellence in the creation of knowledge. The thesis was entitled “Synthesis of 4-Alkyl-3,5-Diamino-1-Phenylpyrazoles.”
Tom McConnell, Ph.D.
Department of BiologyTom McConnell is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology. He received a B.S. degree in biology education from Purdue University in 1987, a M.S. in secondary science education from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne in 2000, and a Ph.D. in science education from the Department of Educational Curriculum and Instruction at Purdue University in 2006.
He has been teaching science, mostly biology, since his first teaching assistant position as an undergraduate in 1986. After teaching at the high school level for 14 years, he moved on to the university level. McConnell was a research associate for two years at Michigan State University before he came to Ball State University in 2008. As a science teacher educator, he is able to share his passion for teaching an interesting mix of pre-service and in-service teachers.
McConnell’s research interests are science teacher professional development, problem-based learning, action research and reflective practice, technology integration in the science classroom.
Michael J. Modesitt
Director of Technology, Teachers College
Mike Modesitt is the director of technology at the Teacher College. He holds a Ph.D. and a M.S. both in physics from Purdue University and a B.A. in both mathematics and physics from Wabash College.
As director of technology, he is primarily responsible for technology integration and acquisition. He is equally involved in the development of specialized database systems for information management and curricular needs as well as administrative uses. And, he is the primary manager for most technology-based initiatives within the college.
He has experience teaching at both the high school and college level.
Wilfridah M. Mucherah, Ph.D.
Department of Educational PsychologyWinnie Mucherah is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education, language, and philosophy of religious studies from Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya, in 1990; M.A. and Ph.D., both in human development, from the University of Maryland in 1995 and 1999, respectively.
Mucherah has been teaching at Ball State University for ten years. She teaches developmental psychology courses (child psychology, adolescent development, and life-span development).
She is interested in classroom climate as a confluence of technology, gender, and ethnicity. She also does program evaluation. Mucherah is also interested in middle school students’ motivation in reading and immigrants’ use and maintenance of their native language. She is currently conducting cross-cultural research in the area of classroom climate, goal orientation, self-concept, and academic achievement.
Two years ago, she co-authored a grant from the provost’s initiative on immersive learning and consequently became a co-principal investigator on a project that has developed a partnership with two Kenyan universities for faculty/student exchanges and research collaboration. As a result this partnership, she will be taking students to Kenya this summer.
Mucherah is a guest reviewer for the Journal of Teacher Educator, Journal of Black Psychology, and the Journal for the Education of the Gifted.
Elena Polush, Ph.D.
Department of Educational StudiesElena Polush is an assistant professor of educational studies. She earned a B.S. and M.S. (combined) in civil and instructional engineering from Ukhta Industrial Institute of Higher Education, Ukhta, Russia, in 1985; M.S. in industrial relations/human resource management and Ph.D. with a major area of study in research and minor in statistics from Iowa State University in 1995 and 2007, respectively.
Prior to employment at Ball State University in 2010, Polush was a post doctoral research associate at Iowa State University.
Kay Roebuck, Ph.D.
Department of Mathematical SciencesKay Roebuck is a professor of mathematical sciences and mathematics placement advisor. She earned her Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Tennessee in 1989.
She is past-president of the Indiana Council of Teachers of Mathematics and has just completed a three-year Mathematics and Science Partnership Grant project with Greenfield Central Community Schools.
Roebuck’s scholarly activities have focused on three main areas of interest: the integration of mathematics with other subject areas, particularly science; the development of algebraic thinking in teachers and students; and the use of technology in teaching mathematics.
Theresa Richardson, Ph.D.
Department of Educational StudiesTheresa Richardson is a professor of multicultural/diversity education and social foundations of education. She received her B.F.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1967; M.A. in history of education and sociology of education and Ph.D. in educational studies from the University of British Columbia, Canada, in 1984 and 1987, respectively.
She previously taught at the University of South Florida and the University of Victoria, British Columbia. She served as chairperson of the Department of Educational Studies from 2004-2007.
Her most recent book (with another) is Race, Ethnicity, and Education: What is Taught in School published by Information Age. She is the recipient of the 2009 Teachers College Research Award.
Her research interests include philanthropy and education and the history of childhood.
Cathy Siebert, Ph.D.
Department of Educational Studies
Cathy J. Siebert is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Studies and the liaison for the Anderson Professional Development School partnership. She holds a Ph.D. in curriculum, teaching, and educational policy, a master’s in English education for the secondary teacher and a bachelor’s in English education, all from Michigan State University. She is also certified as an Indiana Department of Education mentor trainer and maintains Michigan Virtual University online teaching certification.
She has been teaching for twenty-three years in high school, community college, and university contexts. Siebert’s primary teaching responsibilities at Ball State University are teaching in the middle/junior high school and high school sequence. She also teaches classroom management, instructional strategies, children’s literature, and graduate-level curriculum mentoring, and guided practice classes. She also frequently serves as the university field instructor for preservice teachers placed in the Anderson secondary schools.
Her research interests include university/school collaborations (specifically professional development schools), preservice teacher education, inservice teacher professional development, and mentoring. Siebert recently completed a three-year elected term on the Board of the National Association of Professional Development Schools. She is currently the director for the master's in secondary education program, as well as the middle levels certificate and is the secondary teacher education coordinator.
Matthew J. Stuve, Ph.D.
Department of Educational Studies
Matthew Stuve is an associate professor of educational technology, the director of the Center for Technology, and co-principal investigator of the EPIC Project funded by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. He received his B.A. in industrial design and M.S. in educational computing from Purdue University in 1988 and 1991, respectively; and Ph.D in educational psychology with emphases in learning, cognition, and technology from the University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign in 1997.
He previously taught at the University of Northern Iowa and Franklin College (Indiana). Among other software, he developed (with another) the rGrade rubric-based assessment system that has been adopted by the Ball State University teacher education program and other institutions.
From 1999-2003, Stuve was co-principal investigator of a $3M PT3 grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The BSU PT3 project involved campus- and school-based reform efforts to improve teacher education and professional practice of in-services teachers. Some of Stuve’s work in the PT3 project included developing web portals for K-12 collaboration and assessment.
He was the recipient of the 2004-2005 BSU Teachers College Service Award. He holds membership in the American Educational Research Association, International Society for Technology in Education, and the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education.
His research interests include educational informatics, assessment technologies, digital and representational literacies, and technology in teacher education.