Biography

Tanya Joosten, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist, the Director of Digital Learning Research and Development, leads the National Research Center for Distance Education and Technological Advancements (DETA), and an advisor to the Provost for innovation projects at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  She is nationally recognized for her work and guides strategic digital learning efforts locally and nationally.

Currently, Dr. Joosten leads DETA, a national research initiative that has received support from the U.S. Department of Education and the Spencer Foundation, where she works to provide access to research and effective practices, driven by a problem-based and applied research agenda, facilitating innovate mixed research methodologies, and encouraging the replication of research across institutions through the DETA Research Toolkit to identify key instructional and institutional factors that influence student success with particular attention to underrepresented students.  

Dr. Joosten has a background in the social sciences hailing from the field of communication.  Her notable keynotes include eLearning Asia, ITC eLearning Conference, EdCrunch Moscow, and SACS COC President’s event, and her ideas have been highlighted on plenary panels at the UW-Madison Annual Distance Teaching and Learning conference and the Online Learning Consortium annual conference.  You can find her ideas and work cited in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Forbes, U.S. News World and Report, and more.  She has authored numerous articles, chapters, and encyclopedia entries on human and social interactions and digital learning, and she often writes invited blog posts and magazine articles for organizations, such as EDUCAUSE, WCET, Inside Higher Ed, and Pearson.  Her book, Social Media for Educators, is available through Wiley.

Dr. Joosten previously worked as the Director of the Learning Technology Center leading faculty development and engagement initiatives, pedagogical and technological innovation projects, core learning technology oversight, and blended and online program development.