Announcing our new Deputy Director of Assessment

This post originally appeared on the Data Carpentry website

We are very happy to announce that Dr. Kari L. Jordan will be joining us as the new Deputy Director of Assessment! Kari is coming from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL where her postdoctoral research was focused on understanding the factors that influence faculty adoption of evidence-based instructional practices. She is also adjunct faculty at Embry-Riddle and teaches a Graphical Communications course. Prior to her postdoc, Kari completed a PhD in STEM Education at Ohio State. Her thesis focused on strategies for improving self-efficacy and sense of belonging in first-year engineering students. She holds a BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Michigan Tech. Kari’s experiences in educational research are closely aligned with Data Carpentry’s efforts to create a welcoming and inclusive workshop environment that enhances learners’ confidence and helps them build identities as data-driven researchers. As the Deputy Director of Assessment, Kari will be focusing on assessment of workshop learning outcomes, including both skill-based and identity-based outcomes.

In addition to her work in education research, Kari brings a depth of experience working with and promoting diversity in the science and technology community. She has served on the board of the National Society of Black Engineers and the Ohio Diversity Council. At both Michigan Tech and Ohio State she worked with campus groups focused on supporting traditionally underrepresented students in obtaining degrees in STEM. In her free time, Kari teaches Zumba!

We are excited to have Kari on our team! Kari’s first day will be August 22nd. Please join us in welcoming her! She is @drkariljordan on Twitter and kjordan@datacarpentry.org.

Message from Kari L. Jordan

The opportunity to work with Data Carpentry as Deputy Director of Assessment is one that I truly value. I am excited to be a part of a community of practitioners and learners. We have work to do!

As a Post-Doctoral Research Associate I assessed the implementation of evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs) among faculty in introductory engineering, mathematics, and physical sciences courses. My work as a post-doc has prepared me to lead assessment for Data Carpentry, in particular, the organisation’s goal to motivate participants to engage in further self-directed learning of computational and data analytic skills.

My passion is inclusivity in all levels and forms of education. As such, I look forward to being a part of Data Carpentry’s continuous growth and development as we expand our workshop offerings, and working with an amazingly talented team. Thank you for having me.