Professor Named Innovative Educator of the Year

Radford University Professor Matt Dunleavy has been honored as the Innovative Educator of the Year for 2011 by the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE).

Dunleavy, an assistant professor of educational technology and director of the GAMeS (Games, Animation, Modeling and Simulation) Lab, received the honor from VSTE for his groundbreaking work in augmented reality and mobile learning development, which has led to an intellectual property disclosure, a patent submission and a private commercial spin-off as well as numerous awards and broad recognition.

In addition, Dunleavy has created a YouTube channel, offering tutorial videos created by RU graduate students. The videos have been viewed more than 468,000 times in nine countries.

“I am thrilled with the recognition, and it speaks to the hard work of everyone in the GAMeS Lab over the last year,” Dunleavy said. “Together, we have invented new technologies, developed apps, enhanced learning for local students and established Radford University as a state and national leader in mobile learning technologies.”

The purpose of the GAMeS Lab, Dunleavy said, is to design interactive mobile games and study the impact of the products on student engagement and learning. With funding from the National Science Foundation and the Virginia Department of Education, the GAMeS Lab designs and implements games aligned with the state’s Standards of Learning for participating schools in rural Southwest Virginia.

The GAMeS Lab collaborates with participating teachers to determine how best to integrate these games within the existing curricula.

Dunleavy has served as principal investigator for several grants from the National Science Foundation and the Virginia Department of Education. In collaboration with New River Community College, the GAMeS Lab has developed 20 iPod Touch and iPad K-12 apps, which have been downloaded more than 120,000 times in seven countries, and has received second- and third-place awards for both the 2009 and 2010 Virginia Mobile Learning Apps Development Challenges.

Dunleavy’s 2011 VSTE award was presented during the organization’s annual Technology in Education Conference.

VSTE is the Virginia affiliate of the International Society for Technology in Education. VSTE members include preservice education students, teachers, principals, specialists, instructional technology resource teachers, superintendents, university faculty, parents, businesses and others interested in promoting technology in education.