Ensuring Educational Excellence and a Career-Focused Experience through a Skills-Aligned Curriculum Map

Mary Elizabeth Smith has been involved in educational innovation for over thirty years. Currently the Director of Learning Innovation Strategy in the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Phoenix, she previously served as the Research and Implementation Strategist and the Director of Curriculum Development. Smith began her career working with K-12 pre-service teachers to integrate technology into lesson plans and produce hyper-card stacks. Her affinity for educational technology places her in the category of an ‘early adopter’ and she was one of the first faculty at a previous institution to convert an on-campus Computer Science course for online delivery in 1999. Smith’s career in education includes working in curriculum development, learning design, faculty development, faculty, and e-learning roles for four universities and several community colleges as well as two educational software companies. Smith holds a bachelor’s in Speech Communication and Journalism from Southern Illinois University and an M.Ed. in Educational Media and Computers from Arizona State University.

Nick Williams is a Director of Assessment at University of Phoenix. In his role, Nick coordinates student learning outcomes assessment efforts across multiple platforms, including direct measures of student performance within and outside the classroom, student survey systems, and digital badging projects. Before moving to higher ed, Nick was a K-12 teacher for several years. His advanced degrees include an Ed.D. in leadership and innovation from Arizona State University, a M.Ed. in educational measurement from University of Illinois-Chicago, and a M.Ed. in curriculum/instruction from University of Notre Dame. His research interests include effects of norming faculty raters for student learning outcomes assessment efforts, culture of assessment, and UX of students and faculty for field experience/assessment programs.