People

Dr. Olga Faccani
Associate Director for Graduate Student Development
Center for Innovative Teaching Research and Learning, University of California, Santa Barbara

Dr. Olga Faccani serves as the Associate Director for Graduate Student Development in the Center for Innovative Teaching Research and Learning (CITRAL) at UC Santa Barbara. In this role, she oversees professional development programs for graduate students, from first-time Teaching Assistants navigating their initial classroom experiences to graduate students and postdocs preparing for the academic and non-academic job markets. She manages the TA Development Program, which includes summer training institutes like the Summer Teaching Institute for Associates (STIA), and the Lead TA Institute, certificate programs such as the Certificate in College and University Teaching (CCUT) and the Certificate in Inclusive Teaching (CIT), as well as the credit-bearing graduate course GRAD 200: Pillars of Teaching Assistantship.

Originally from Italy, Dr. Faccani came to UCSB to pursue her PhD in Classics. Her own experiences navigating the university system as an international student inform her pedagogical approach, and at UCSB she is dedicated to facilitating successful teaching and learning by creating cross-campus networks of collaboration. Alongside her campus roles, she remains invested in community-engaged learning and carceral pedagogy, serving as a collaborator for The Odyssey Project, a theater and storytelling initiative at UCSB, bridging university undergraduates and incarcerated youth.

If you would like to discuss TA professional development, teaching consultations, or our certificate programs, please feel free to reach out to me at ofaccani@ucsb.edu.  

Recent Projects and Publications

• Faccani, O. (Forthcoming 2026). "Tragedy of Displacement: Ancient Theater and Contemporary Social Issues." In I. Salvo and N. S. Rabinowitz (eds.), Classics In and Out of the Academy: Classical Pedagogy in the Twenty-First Century. Bloomsbury Academic.
• Morgan, M., & Faccani, O. (Forthcoming 2026). "Classics and Prison Education." In A. De Simoni (ed.), Volume on innovative humanities teaching. Il Mulino.
• Faccani, O., & Morgan, M. (2026). "The Odyssey Project: Teaching the Odyssey to Incarcerated Students." In L. E. Doherty (ed.), Approaches to Teaching the Odyssey. Modern Language Association.
• Faccani, O. (2025). “Cultivating Student Engagement, Inclusion, and Success.” UCSB Teaching and Learning Symposium.
• Faccani, O. (2024). “Fostering Campus-Wide Collaborations on Equity and Inclusivity: The Certificate in Inclusive Teaching (CIT).” Peralta Online Equity Conference.
• Dib, N., & Faccani, O. (2021). "Teaching Ovid in Prison: An Experiential Analysis." In N. Rabinowitz and E. Capettini (eds.), Classics and Prison Education in the US. Routledge Focus Series
   

Dr. Lisa Berry serves as the Director of the Center for Innovative Teaching, Research, and Learning (CITRAL) at UC Santa Barbara, where she has championed faculty and TA teaching excellence for nearly two decades.  Her recent leadership initiatives include launching UCSB’s AI Community of Practice, establishing grant programs to support faculty teaching innovations, co-leading the development of systemwide UC Teaching Professional Development modules, and spearheading the campus-wide transition to the Explorance Blue course evaluation platform. 

Dr. Berry is an advocate for evidence-based teaching who focuses on fostering academic rigor and student curiosity through authentic assessment, collaboration, and innovative teaching technologies. She represents UCSB across local and systemwide committees, serving on the Teaching Professors’ Network advisory board, the UC Online Advisory Council, the UCOP AI Council, the Educational Technology Leadership Committee, and as chair of the Centers for Teaching and Learning Assessment working group. Dr. Berry has a unique, interdisciplinary perspective, with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and PhD from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, where her research focused on teaching and learning quantitative thinking in collaborative, interdisciplinary environments.

Dr. Nate Emery
Associate Director for STEM Education
Center for Innovative Teaching, Research and Learning, UC Santa Barbara

My main objective is to work with faculty and instructors to cultivate an inclusive and equitable learning environment for students across all science disciplines. I am involved in cross-institutional initiatives, university-wide programs, discipline-specific efforts, and conversations with individual instructors to improve student learning outcomes. My biology education research currently focuses on the integration of data science skills training into biological/environmental science courses (BEDE Network) and how to leverage equity data to transform courses and curricula.

I received a PhD in plant ecology from the Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology department at UCSB where I studied how coastal fog affects native California shrub physiology and the implications for wildfire management. I also taught several courses at UCSB as the instructor of record, incorporating inquiry-based learning and systems thinking into my classroom. After graduate school I had two postdoc positions at Michigan State University assessing faculty teaching professional development and bioenergy grass ecophysiology. My publications in ecology and education can be found on my Google Scholar page.

I have been invited to give workshops, seminars, facilitate communities of practice, and evaluate educational grants and programs. For inquiries, please contact me at nemery@ucsb.edu. See my curriculum vitae or personal website for more information.

Book a consultation with me here.

Dr. Mindy Colin
Associate Director of Digital Pedagogy
Center for Innovative Teaching Research and Learning, University of California, Santa Barbara

Dr. Mindy Colin currently serves as the Associate Director of Digital Pedagogy in the Center for Innovative Teaching Research and Learning at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). In this capacity, she trains and consults with professors and graduate students on pedagogical theory and methods to enhance teaching across face-to-face, hybrid, and online course modalities. Her key responsibilities include managing a small team to support the development of online and technology-enhanced courses, conducting a variety of faculty development workshops, and creating digital and multimedia teaching resources for the campus. Dr. Colin also co-leads cross-campus projects centered on access and equity in teaching and learning, communities of practice on artificial intelligence in university courses, and conducts research on mobile learning.

Before joining UCSB in July 2016, Dr. Colin held an extensive range of international educational roles. She served as Educational Technology Faculty at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, where she instructed Bachelor's degree courses and mentored graduate students. In Mauritius, she worked as an educational researcher for both public and private institutions alongside a role as a part-time lecturer in early childhood education at the Charles Telfair Institute. Earlier in her career, Dr. Colin worked as an Instructional Technologist at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, ultimately serving as Acting Director of Academic Technology Support.

Book a consultation with me here.

Projects and Publications

• Grant awarded from UC Online: m-Learning to Support DEI & A. In collaboration with UC Davis, UC Riverside and Bakersfield Community College | May 2023
• Grant awarded from UC Online for a 3 year project: DEI & A in Teaching and Learning: Online Modules for UC Campuses. In collaboration with UC Irvine and UC Berkeley | Oct 2022, Apr 2024, May 2025
• Colin, M., Eastman, S., Merrill, M., & Rockey, A. (2021, March 19). Leveraging Mobile Technology to Achieve Teaching Goals. | March 2021
• Colin, M., Rockey, A., Merrill, M., & Eastman, S. (2019, February 19). mLearning at University of California: Practices, affordance and teaching styles [Poster Presentation]. Educause Learning Initiative, Anaheim, CA. | Feb 2019
• Rockey, A., Eastman, S., Colin, M., & Merrill, M. (2019, February 13). Mobile Learning Across UC Campuses: An exploration of innovative use cases. Transforming the Teaching and Learning Environment, University of Idaho. | Feb 2019
• Rockey, A., Eastman, S., Colin, M., & Merrill, M. (2019). Spotlighting Innovative Use Cases of Mobile Learning. The Emerging Learning Design Journal, 6(1). | 2019
• Schwartz, S., & Colin, M. (2018, November 16). Why Every University Should Be On Board With Universal Design [Conference Presentation]. OLC Accelerate 2018, Orlando, FL. | Nov 2019
• Eastman, S., Rockey, A., Colin, M., & Merrill, M. (2018, May 31). Spotlighting Innovative Use Cases of Mobile Learning [Concurrent Session]. | May 2018
• Rockey, A., Colin, M., Eastman, S., Merrill, M., O’Connor, M., 2017. Designing a cross-campus research project on mobile learning. University of California Computing Services Conference, UC San Diego. | Aug 2017
• Savvides, N., Al-Youssef, J., Colin, M. & Garrido, C., 2016. Methodological Challenges: Negotiation, Critical Reflection and the Cultural Other. In Revisiting Insider–Outsider Research in Comparative and International Education, 113–29. Bristol Papers in Education: Comparative and International Studies, 6. Oxford, UK: Symposium Books | 2016
• Colin, M., 2015. Improving the quality of teaching and learning in Mauritian primary schools: the role of learner-centred pedagogy in current educational reform. (Doctoral Thesis). University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. | 2015
• Savvides, N., Al-Youssef, J., Colin, M. & Garrido, C., 2014. Journeys into insider/outsider space: Reflections on the methodological challenges of negotiating insider/outsider status in international educational research. Research in Comparative and International Education, 9(4). | 2014
• Savvides, N. & Colin, M., 2012. The space between: Reflections on insider/outsider experiences in international comparative research. British Association for International and Comparative Education Biannual Conference. | Sept 2012
• Colin, M. et al., 2012. Quality practice that matters. 18th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers, Mauritius. | Aug 2012
• Crossley, M., Bray, M. & Packer, S., 2011. Education in Small States: Policies and Priorities, London: Commonwealth Secretariat. | 2011
• Colin, M. et al., 2008. Podcast Pilot Projects: Action Research at Loyola Marymount University for LMU on iTunes U. (Internal research for LMU) | 2006 - 2008
• Colin, M., 2007. Translating brain research into teaching methods. Available at: http://www.iats.com/conferences/programs/2007LillyWestProgram.pdf. | March 2007
• Adjunct Faculty: Introduction to Computers in Business, Loyola Marymount University | 2006 - 2007
• Instructor: Instructional Technology for Pre-service Teachers, Utah State University and BYU-Hawai'i | 1999 - 2001

Dr. Dana Shreaves
Instructional Designer

Dana Shreaves has worked in education since 2002 and has been supporting faculty in higher education since 2011. She holds a B.A., M.A.Ed., and Ed.D as well as an M.B.A., with professional research and practice centered around online learning and faculty development. Dana has experience training and assisting faculty with all aspects of online course design and development. In addition to K-12 teaching, Dana has taught online and blended courses at UCSB and BSU as well as many faculty development programs. Dana is a member of the CITRAL team in the Office of Teaching and Learning and is primarily a remote employee, so please contact her via phone, email, or Zoom to schedule a meeting.

Book a consultation with me here.

Linda Adler-Kassner is Associate Vice Chancellor of Teaching and Learning; Faculty Director of the Center for Innovative Teaching, Research, and Learning; and Distinguished Professor of Writing Studies at UC Santa Barbara.

As a researcher, teacher, and administrator, Adler-Kassner’s work focuses on studying and improving conditions for equitable and inclusive learning in postsecondary education. A writing teacher for more than 30 years, she has taught courses ranging from first year composition (aka “freshman comp”) to graduate courses in composition theory and pedagogy. She has served as a department chair, dean, and director of multiple units focusing on learning. In 2015, Adler-Kassner was awarded the UCSB Distinguished Teaching Award based on nominations from former undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty colleagues who participated in her ongoing pedagogy seminars. During her tenure as Director (Chair) of the UCSB Writing Program, that unit was also recognized with the Conference on College Composition and Communication Writing Program Certificate of Excellence Award for its innovative approaches to writing pedagogy and assessment.

Author, co-author, or co-editor of 13 books and more than 50 articles and book chapters, Adler-Kassner’s scholarship has garnered multiple awards. Her 2006 book, The Activist WPA: Changing Stories About Writers and Writing was awarded the Best Book Award by the Council of Writing Program Administrators. Another book, Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies, co-edited with Elizabeth Wardle, received the Distinguished Contribution to the Discipline Award from the same organization. Her last book is Writing Expertise: A Research-Based Approach to Writing and Learning Across Disciplines (co-authored with Elizabeth Wardle; WAC Press, 2024). Her new book, co-edited with Chris Gallagher, is Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: A Collaborative Syllabus for Higher Education Leadership, is under contract with the Elon Center for Engaged Learning Open Access Series to be published in 2025. She regularly consults with departments and institutions nationally and internationally on issues associated with research-based approaches to systemic institutional equity and equity-based leadership.

Adler-Kassner has occupied leadership roles in national and international organizations representing writing and learning, as well as contributing to leadership roles at UC Santa Barbara. She served as the President of the Council of Writing Program Administrators, the largest organization representing writing program chairs; the Chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, writing studies’ major disciplinary association; and an executive board member for the National Council of Teachers of English. Adler-Kassner is an active contributor to Undergraduate Education in Research Universities, an organization that advocates for learners and learning in research-intensive and research-focused institutions.

Education

Ph.D., University of Minnesota (1995)

M.A. University of Minnesota (1992)

B.A., Macalester College (1985)

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