U.S. Department of Education selects Stein to participate in technology education working group

AUSTIN—Marni Baker Stein, Ph.D., chief innovation officer at the University of Texas System Institute for Transformational Learning, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Education to serve as a member of a national working group charged with transforming higher education through technology.

The Technical Working Group will provide recommendations for the expansion of the 2016 National Educational Technology Plan, the flagship educational technology policy document for the United States.

Stein will use her experience and expertise in technology-enhanced curriculum to ensure that the 2016 NETP expanded recommendations are both relevant and actionable.

“Dr. Stein is at the forefront of pedagogical innovation and is a national leader in developing new standards for technology education,” said Steven Leslie, Ph.D., UT System executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. “We are proud to showcase what Texas is doing and share our expertise nationwide.”

The working group will help explore the future of a higher education system that is designed around the needs of all students; that draws upon the power of educational technology to improve instruction, learning and assessment; and that recognizes the role of technology in accelerating efforts to address issues of access, affordability and completion at a systemic level.

Stein is leading the UT System in designing, testing and scaling innovative educational models that will make a UT-quality education more accessible, affordable and successful, particularly in industries that are critical to Texas and the nation.

Stein is an accomplished educational researcher specializing in social and knowledge networking behaviors in online courses and the impact of design, instructional strategies and platform technology on student engagement in e-learning.

“I am profoundly honored to be selected to serve on the Technical Working Group and provide guidance on advanced technology instruction that will help shape the next generation of higher education,” Stein said.

About The University of Texas System

Educating students, providing care for patients, conducting groundbreaking basic, applied and clinical research, and serving the needs of Texans and the nation for more than 130 years, The University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States. With 14 institutions and an enrollment of more than 221,000, the UT System confers more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees, educates almost two-thirds of the state’s health care professionals annually and accounts for almost 70 percent of all research funds awarded to public institutions in Texas. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $17.9 billion (FY 2017) including $3 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. With more than 20,000 faculty – including Nobel laureates – and nearly 80,000 health care professionals, researchers, student advisors and support staff, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.