UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Chris Stubbs, manager of emerging technology and media for Teaching and Learning with Technology at Penn State, has been named director of the Office of Digital Learning in the College of Arts and Architecture, effective July 1. Stubbs brings 15 years of experience as an educational technology leader at the University, including serving as project manager in the Educational Gaming Commons, a web developer, and adjunct faculty member in the College of Information Sciences and Technology.
Stubbs named director of Office of Digital Learning in Arts and Architecture
“I am pleased to welcome Chris to the College of Arts and Architecture," said Gary Chinn, assistant dean for digital learning. "In Chris, the Office of Digital Learning is adding a seasoned educational technology professional with deep expertise in leading highly collaborative projects. This expertise will be valuable as we continue our efforts to work across schools, departments and colleges to pursue relevant and responsive curricula for our students.”
In his current position, which he has held since January 2015, Stubbs leads an emerging technology initiative designed to promote strategic innovation in education while developing novel solutions to teaching, learning and research challenges through collaborative partnerships. Projects include VR (virtual reality) and educational game development, multimedia resource creation, classroom technology implementation and educational technology outreach.
“I’m both excited and honored to be joining the Office of Digital Learning and the College of Arts and Architecture,” said Stubbs. “The opportunity to contribute to an organization with such an incredible pedigree creating world-class educational experiences is humbling. I look forward to working across the college and across the University to find new ways to bring arts and design to Penn State students anywhere in the commonwealth or anywhere in the world.”
As project manager for the Educational Gaming Commons from 2010 to 2014, a unit of Teaching and Learning with Technology, Stubbs led a cutting-edge initiative dedicated to the development, promotion, study and support of games as a tool to improve student learning. He was a partner on more than $700,000 in grant-funded projects designed to explore the benefit of games for education and training. Also, from 2011 to 2014, he co-chaired the EDUCAUSE Games and Learning constituent group.
In addition to teaching in the College of Information Sciences and Technology since January 2017, Stubbs’ other positions at Penn State included web developer for Teaching and Learning with Technology, and lead in the Office of Web Services in the College of Information Sciences and Technology.
Stubbs holds an MBA and a bachelor's degree in letters, arts and sciences, both from Penn State.
Founded in 2005 as the e-Learning Institute, the Office of Digital Learning partners with faculty and staff throughout the College of Arts and Architecture to identify projects that might benefit from informed incorporation of technology. Working closely with schools and departments, the Institute offers design, development and delivery support for online course materials, whether incorporated in “web-only” courses, hybrid delivery courses or targeted enhancements for residential instruction.