Cavanaugh named Fulbright Scholar for online learning project in Nepal
Posted: April 15, 2010
Catherine Cavanaugh, associate professor of education technology at UF’s College of Education, will spend part of 2011 in Kathmandu, Nepal, representing UF and the United States as a Fulbright Scholar.
Cavanaugh is one of 800 U.S. educators, graduate students and professionals awarded the prestigious grant this year by the international Fulbright program, which promotes linkages between U.S. academics and professionals and their counterparts at universities abroad.
During her spring semester 2011 sabbatical, Cavanaugh will be based at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal located in the Himalayas of South Asia. She will train and work with faculty and graduate students there to increase access to education through improved classroom technology and online learning programs. Nepal in is one of the world’s newest democracies, with about half of its population living below the international poverty line.
“Based on my research of virtual schools and their influence in troubled U.S. communities, I believe communities in countries like Nepal can realize economic and social progress through increased access to education through online and blended classroom environments,” Cavanaugh said.
Since joining the UF faculty in 2007, Cavanaugh has cemented her status as a global leader in the virtual-education field, earning a 2009 award for research excellence from the International Council for K-12 Online Learning. Her 2009 paper for the Center for American Progress, documenting the effectiveness and cost-savings of virtual schooling, has garnered national attention and she is in demand around the country—and now around the world–as a speaker and adviser in the field of online learning. She also is co-editor of the International Journal for K-12 Online and Blended Learning.
Along with her teaching and research in education technology, Cavanaugh oversees UF education students interning with the Orlando-based Florida Virtual School and also chairs UF’s Technology Innovations Advisory Committee. She and associate professor Kara Dawson also follow classrooms in 29 Florida school districts to observe how enhanced technology and professional development can revolutionize the learning environment.
The Fulbright Scholar program, established in 1946 by Sen. J. William Fulbright, is one of the most prestigious award programs worldwide. Forty Fulbright alumni have won Nobel Prizes, more than those of any other academic program. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars.
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CONTACTS
Source:Catherine Cavanaugh, associate professor, UF College of Education, cathycavanaugh@coe.ufl.edu
Writer: Larry Lansford, News & Communications, UF College of Education, llansford@coe.ufl.edu
