Linda Barril

Linda Barril received her Ph.D. in the Organization, Information and Learning Sciences Program at the University of New Mexico (UNM), Albuquerque, U.S.A, in May 2017. Under the tutelage of Charlotte “Lani” Gunawardena, Distinguished Professor of Distance Education and Instructional Technology at UNM, Linda’s studies focused on supporting diverse learners in online learning environments. Her dissertation study investigated the influence of a variety of student characteristics, including cultural background, on learners’ preferred ways of online learning. Linda has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses at UNM, including Principles of Adult Learning (OILS 466), Production and Utilization of Instructional Materials (OILS 421), Technological Change and Society (OILS 481) and Management of eLearning Systems (OILS 405/505). She has also assisted Professor Gunawardena with Culture and Global eLearning (OILS 531) and co-taught eLearning Course Design (OILS 532). In addition to designing courses in Blackboard Learn and Moodle, Linda incorporates collaborative online tools such as Padlet, Popplet, RealTimeBoard, EduBlogs, and Twitter to support and encourage equitable, authentic, and engaging interaction. While she pursues a teaching and research career in postsecondary distance education, Linda works as adjunct faculty in the UNM OILS program and as an independent instructional designer.