Teresa Coffman

Don’t walk into Teresa Coffman’s classroom and expect to see a typical lecture. The professor of education “flips” her classroom by asking students to read, explain and think about the material before taking it online and sharing reflections and videos through digital learning communities.

“Technology is a tool that can create an environment that really gets students thinking effectively,” says Dr. Coffman. “It provides a vast amount of new sources and possibilities.”

Named the 2014 Innovative Educator of the Year, Dr. Coffman pioneers innovative education in the classroom to inspire future teachers.

Last year, she led the creation of TeacherSpot, an open, online teaching community. Users can access methods of best teaching from other College of Education faculty members along with free and open access to resources, teaching tools, webinars and lesson plans.

Dr. Coffman also is the coordinator of the EdTech Conference, an annual event that brings together educators, education leaders and those interested in education to learn more about how technology is impacting teaching and learning.

Dr. Coffman’s areas of expertise and scholarly research include educational theory, pedagogy, technology in instruction and teacher preparation. Her articles have been published in the International Journal of Social Sciences, Virginia Educational Leadership, and Learning and Leading with Technology. Her professional work includes two published books, "Using Inquiry in the Classroom: Developing Creative Thinkers and Information Literate Students" (2nd Ed.) and "Engaging Students through Inquiry-oriented Learning and Technology." Dr. Coffman also has published four chapters in peer-reviewed textbooks and is an active presenter at state, national and international conferences.