Education and Training
Overview
The Education and Training Research Cluster brings together faculty and students focused on improving learning, teaching, and workforce preparation across educational and professional contexts. This cluster reflects SHSU’s strengths in pedagogy, instructional design, workforce development, and applied learning research, as well as strong alignment with federal and foundation funding priorities. Research within this cluster supports evidence-based practices that enhance educational access, effectiveness, and outcomes across the lifespan.
THEMES
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Teaching and learning sciences
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Workforce development and credentialing
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Educational technology and innovation
Objectives
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Advance interdisciplinary research on education and training
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Support student engagement in educational research and practice
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Strengthen connections between research, teaching, and workforce needs
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Align projects with education-focused federal and foundation sponsors
Upcoming Events
Strategic Funding Opportunities
These opportunities reflect sponsors and programs well aligned with faculty expertise, research capacity, and current federal priorities within this cluster.
Research Infrastructure
The Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility (STAFS) is a state-of-the-art research, education, and training center designed to advance academic and technical knowledge in the application of anthropology, human anatomy, forensic science, biology, and chemistry. Bodies donated to the STAFS facility are a precious asset, and are a pivotal component of our research and teaching activities.
Learn more about STAFS.
Discover Gibbs Ranch: SHSU’s 1,600‑acre living laboratory where students engage in hands‑on learning, cutting‑edge research, and innovative agricultural practices shaping Texas’ future.
Learn more about Gibbs Ranch.
At SHSU, our research facilities are catalysts for transformation. These spaces empower our researchers to lead in service to their communities through science, sustainability, and innovation.
Explore our Facilities & Equipment databases.
Get INVOLVED
Faculty, staff, and students interested in contributing to or learning more about this research cluster are invited to join. Completing the interest form allows ORSP to share relevant updates, events, and funding opportunities.
Cluster Members
| Name | Department | Research Areas/Interests |
|---|---|---|
| Jaime Coyne | Teaching and Learning | Curriculum and instruction, education, learning sciences, educational leadership, educational research
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| Dixuan Cui | Mass Communication | Virtual reality, aesthetics, human-computer interaction, haptic feedback, immersive technologies |
| Ross Guida | Environmental & Geosciences | Hydrological disaster, fluvial processes, hydrology, hydrological modeling, flood modeling
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| Christina Gushanas | Teaching and Learning | Special education transition, postsecondary education |
| Elizabeth Gross | Library Science and Technology | Learning science, innovation, design thinking, library science, engineering |
| Renée Gravois | Management & Marketing | Marketing, health care, consumer behavior, health communication, behavior change, public health
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| Kevin Henning | Analytics, Info Sys & Supply Chain | Statistics education, psychometrics, multiple comparisons, multiple testing
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| Victoria (Tori) Hollas | Teaching and Learning | Education, educational technology, curriculum & instruction, educational assessment, flipped classroom applications
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| Yao Huang | Library Science and Technology | Immersive technologies, learning transfer, technology, performance studies, performance evaluation
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| Wojciech Lorenc | Mass Communication | Documental cinema, media studies, visual effects, documentary film, digital art
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| Anna Lu | Communication Studies | Close relationships, intercultural communication, health, new media, loneliness |
| Shyam Nair | Agricultural Sciences | Agricultural production, agricultural land use change, economic optimization models, adoption pattern
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| Brooke Nodeland | Criminal Justice and Criminology | Cybercrime, victimization, contemporary criminal justice |
| Erin Owens | Newton Gresham Library | Scholarly communications, access & interlibrary services, usability & user experience, library technologies, academic libraries
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| Jailenne Quiñones-Rodriguez | Clinical Anatomy | Anatomical variations |
| Saphon Ren | COCJ Office of the Dean | Distance education, extension programs |
| Nazanin Sedaghatkish | Analytics, Info Sys & Supply Chain | Economic analysis, economic modelling, natural resource economics, resource economics, economics
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| Abbie Strunc | COE Office of the Dean | Educational leadership |
| David Thompson | Chemistry | Analytical chemistry, pharmaceutical science, medicine, computational chemistry, drug analysis
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| Ke (George) Wang | Teaching and Learning | Mathematics education, STEM education |
| Shengjie (Tony) Yao | Mass Communication | Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, media psychology, chatbot, media effects
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