AMES, Iowa -- Ann Thompson, professor of curriculum and instructional technology at Iowa State University, has been named the interim associate dean for research and graduate education for the College of Education.
Thompson replaces Jerry Thomas, now the interim dean for the College of Education.
Thompson served as chair of the department of curriculum and instruction from 1991 to 1996 and again from 1999 to 2001. She was the founding director of the Center for Technology in Learning and Teaching. She serves on Iowa State University's Strategic Planning Committee and is chair of the University Committee on Women. The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education recently recognized Thompson with a Lifetime Achievement Award for significant influence and long-term contributions to the field.
Her research focuses on the integration of technology into education and faculty development, with an emphasis on mentoring. She has served as the primary investigator for research projects totaling more than $4 million. She is editor of the Journal of Computing in Teacher Education.
"The college is fortunate to have someone of Thompson's experience and expertise to serve as a leader in research and graduate education," Thomas said. "She is a very successful scholar who obtains external funding to support her research and doctoral students."
Thompson came to Iowa State in 1980. She earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Pomona College, Claremont, Calif., in 1965; a master's degree in education from Stanford University, California, in 1966; and a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1981.