Course Stories, Season 4, Episode 6: Redefining Classrooms: ASU's Bold Leap with Study Hall

Michael M. Crow is an educator, knowledge enterprise architect, science and technology policy scholar and higher education leader. He became the sixteenth president of Arizona State University in July 2002 and has spearheaded ASU’s rapid and groundbreaking transformative evolution into one of the world’s best public metropolitan research universities. As a model “New American University,” ASU simultaneously demonstrates comprehensive excellence, inclusivity representative of the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the United States, and consequential societal impact.Lauded as the ”#1 most innovative” school in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for eight straight years, ASU is a student-centric, technology-enabled university focused on global challenges. Under Crow’s leadership, ASU has established more than twenty-five new transdisciplinary schools, including the School of Earth and Space Exploration, the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the School.

Hank Green is an expert host and can talk on a number of topics including climate change, science communication, online education, social media, online video, personal development, and creativity. Hank is also the CEO of Complexly, a production company that creates educational content, including Study Hall, Crash Course, and SciShow, prompting The Washington Post to name him “one of America’s most popular science teachers.” Complexly’s videos have been viewed more than two billion times on YouTube. Green cofounded a number of other small businesses, including DFTBA.com, which helps online creators make money by selling cool stuff to their communities; and VidCon, the world’s largest conference for the online video community. In 2017, VidCon drew more than forty thousand attendees across three events in Anaheim, Amsterdam, and Australia. Hank and his brother, John, also started the Project for Awesome, which last year raised more than two million dollars for charities. Hank lives in Montana with his wife, son, and cat.

Katie Kurtz is Managing Director and Global Head of Learning at YouTube. Katie joined YouTube in 2019 after serving as Chief Product Officer at Noodle Partners, an online program manager designing and building fully online degree programs for universities. Previously she was Senior Vice President and National Sales Manager for Higher Education at Cengage Learning. Prior to that Katie was Vice President of Business Development at adaptive learning pioneer Knewton, where she led the platform’s partnership strategy for three years.

Wayne leads transformational projects at Arizona State University, EdPlus. During his tenure, he has helped architect emerging educational models, including pathway programs for learners at various developmental stages, personalized education solutions, new educational benefit models for companies like Uber, blended learning with Mayo Medical School, high school curriculum with ASU Digital Preparatory School, informal learning on YouTube with Hank and John Green and unique programs on Coursera and EdX. Curiosity, collaboration, and outcomes drive Wayne’s approach to steer projects from concept to reality, with an acute understanding of opportunity and business impact.

Universal Learner Courses (ULCs) are a selection of first-year college courses offered online at ASU and open to everyone. Through Universal Learner Courses, learners can test the college waters, and earn college credit for a fraction of the cost. They pay only if they pass.

ULCs run in multiple modalities including: On Demand, Session-Based, and Classroom Cohort models. These courses are designed for maximum enrollment while maintaining the quality of course experience and instructor feedback and learner engagement described with the term “scaleable”. 

Lenora manages a team of instructional designers and academic professionals charged with developing and launching online courses and providing long-term evaluation, redesign, and support for learning design. Their goal is to create inclusive, evidence-based, and meaningful learning experiences for learners and instructors in order to advance Learning Enterprise’s mission to provide universal access to education and opportunity, at every stage of life. 

She has a Master of Science in Global Technology and Development from Arizona State University (MSGTD) and a graduate certificate in Educational Technology with a focus on Adult Learning from Northern Arizona University.

Matthew attended ASU and received his BA in Journalism and an MA in Film Studies.  Currently, he works for EdPlus as the Associate Director of New Media. The New Media team collaborates with faculty, building relationships to facilitate transformative instructional media production experiences in order to collectively create high-quality, innovative, efficient, and effective educational media.

Matthew has held many positions at ASU including Trainer, Instructional Designer and assistant director on Online Learning and Strategic Development. Matthew is a lifelong SunDevil who has consistently worked at the forefront of ASU’s innovative approaches to online education.

Meredith holds Master’s degrees in Special Education and Educational Leadership, and spent 13 years in k-12, both in the classroom and as an instructional coach. She also has a certificate in instructional design and has been with EdPLus since September 2018.

Meredith supports a variety of ASU Online programs including Justice Studies, Organizational Leadership, Project Management, African and African American Studies, Counseling and Applied Psychological Science, Technical Communication,  and Interdisciplinary Studies. You may also see her as your facilitator in one of several webinars or workshops including Quality Matters and Master Class for Teaching Online. Along with program support, she leads the instructional design team for Study Hall in Google Classroom.

Ricardo Leon is a Media Developer for EdPlus and is a co-creator and co-host of Course Stories. He has developed a number of other podcasts and various other forms of instructional media. In 2021, Ricardo was on a team that received The President’s Award, which formally recognizes successful solutions in innovation, for his work on the Study Hall project with Crash Course.

Mary Loder is the Manager of Professional Development and Training on the EdPlus Digital Learning team at EdPlus. She is also the co-creator and co-host for Course Stories, a podcast highlighting and showcasing the talents of our faculty and staff at ASU.

Elizabeth Blythe-Lee, a Senior Instructional Designer at ASU Online - EdPlus, is the creative force behind Course Stories. An ASU alumna with a BA in English Literature and a Masters of Education from NAU, Elizabeth has been a part of the ASU community since 2009. Her expertise in crafting accessible online courses is enhanced by her passion for storytelling and a unique flair for adding a touch of Disney magic to her work. A history and literature enthusiast, Elizabeth's background in writing shines through in every course narrative, making learning an enchanting journey.