Biography

As Learning Technologist for the UNLV College of Fine Arts, Dr. Yvonne Houy supports faculty in all of its seven areas (Architecture, Art, Entertainment Engineering Design, Dance, Film, Music and Theatre)—over 120 tenured and tenure-track faculty, part-time professors of practice and graduate teaching assistants. Her goal is to improve faculty satisfaction and student learning outcomes using a wide variety of online educational resources for in-person, hybrid and fully online courses.

A graduate of Cornell University (M.A. & Ph.D.) and the University of California, Berkeley (B.A.), and former Visiting Assistant Professor at the highly selective, liberal arts-focused Pomona College, Dr. Houy understands the needs and challenges of higher education institutions that value research, teaching, and diversity. This is enhanced by her interdisciplinary career: After earning her Ph.D. in the Humanities with a media studies emphasis, she followed her interest in online learning technologies and computer programming to become a learning technologist and professional development facilitator.

Believing deeply in the power of learning to drive equity, she is an active member of the international Computer Science For All movement, and, since 2016, a national professional development facilitator for the Code.org Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles curriculum. At the regional level, she has produced events such as the Las Vegas Maker Faire,  the local STEAM educators’ showcase Explore.Learn.Inspire., and the interdisciplinary Las Vegas Make-a-thon 2.0 on the future of experience design. In all these projects and her courses she enjoys teaching artists and designers how to use coding and mobile app development as a new creative “canvas.”

Influenced by Design Thinking and Aikido, she is known in the UNLV community as a resource who bridges divergent perspectives for productive collaborations. She has facilitated Design Sprints, transdisciplinary program development discussions, chairs the College of Fine Arts Work Climate Task Force, and has received a competitive professional development grant for neuroscience-informed mediation training to help her work as discussion facilitator. She serves on the UNLV Faculty Technology Advisory Board and the UNLV Senate Undergraduate Curriculum, and is an active member in the UNLV Office of Online Education Community of Practice. These efforts all target UNLV’s goals to broaden student access and expand awareness of UNLV’s contributions to the Arts.

Her scholarship focuses on socially and culturally disruptive mobile technologies, propaganda technologies and techniques, and research-based best practices for online student engagement, which is intertwined with her interests in Flow experiences, mental states conducive to productivity, and her 15+ years of experience in Aikido, the martial art known for balancing conflict resolution and collaboration.