About Me

Dr. Tonia A. Dousay is a P-20 educator and researcher who is honored to work and live on the ancestral homelands of the Dena’ina, Ahtna, Alutiiq/Sugpiaq, and Eyak/dAXunhyuu peoples. Her experience and work encompass PK-12, higher education, and military/industry training. Tonia is a Professor of Education and serves as Dean of the University of Alaska Anchorage School of Education. As a Google Certified Innovator with more than 20 years of learning design and education project management experience, Tonia designs and studies a variety of learning environments and activities with emergent and established technologies, focusing on:

• Instructional and Multimedia Design

• Creativity & Collaboration

• Learner Engagement

• Distance Learning

Her goal is to help others better design learning to empower learners of all ages, foster interdisciplinary understanding, and help learners take control of their own learning experiences.

Professional Identities

Instructional Designer

Instructional designers use a systematic approach to assess learning contexts, design appropriate instructional solutions, develop relevant content and experiences, and evaluate learning effectiveness and quality.

Teacher Educator

Teacher educators are responsible for the quality preparation of teachers at all levels and in a variety of contexts. Further, teacher educators serve both prospective and practicing teachers to support learning across the lifespan.

Scholar

Research and practice (should) have a reciprocal relationship. Our practices involve challenges that can be addressed by research. And the findings of our research can be applied to our practices.

Design Educator

Focused on learning design--to include media and content--and the intersection of multimedia design and learner motivation, design educators teach others to apply design principles effectively and evaluate learning designs critically.

Mentor

Formal and informal mentoring helps develop professional and interpersonal skills to support growth and development. From advice to encouragement, mentoring should be a mutually beneficial relationship.

Leader

Leadership is more than a title. It is a philosophy of inspiration and a practice with purpose. Leaders take pride in building up others and facilitating positive change.

Tonia A. Dousay

Scholar | Educator | Leader