Biography

Cindy Jennings is Director of Learning Technologies in the Division of Information Technology and Services at the University of South Carolina Upstate. The Department of Learning Technologies serves to support and guide thoughtful selection, instructional design for, and mindful use of technology to enhance the learning environment by creating and sustaining innovative and interactive programs to support excellence in teaching and learning and student engagement. Cindy's work life in higher education began nearly 40 years ago with a first teaching position in nursing as a brand new graduate school grad. Cindy stayed at that first institution long enough to earn tenure and be promoted for the first time, then relocated to the beautiful foothills of the Appalachians where she has been with her family ever since. Cindy has had the great good fortune to come to her current institution where she has continued to teach, and has had wonderful opportunities to branch-out into MANY other things from support for continuing her education (toward an entirely new direction - where the technology focus came from!), to helping to build a whole new major/degree program in informatics. Cindy has participated in faculty governance and has seen the institution from the 'other side' as an administrator. Her current focus on learning technology is a later-in-life direction, but better-late-than-never! In addition to directing the Department of Learning Technologies, Cindy served as Director of our campus Quality Enhancement Program - the Student Technology Enrichment Program (part of our regional accreditation process required by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges. The project - the Student Technology Enrichment Program - aligns well with the support focus already in place with learning technologies. Also, Cindy serves as Co-PI for a Department of Education Strengthening Institutions Grant which includes an Active Learning Initiative as a main focus.