UM News

Allan Gyorke

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (June 2, 2017)— Allan Shawn Gyorke has been named assistant provost for education innovation to expand the role of technologies and encourage innovation in teaching and learning across the University.

Since 2013, Gyorke has served as chief academic technology officer at the University, and has been responsible for exploring and supporting technologies used by faculty and students for teaching and learning. This includes computer labs, student printing, student IT support, instructional design consultations, Blackboard, the UMiami app, IT services in the School of Architecture and Medical Education, the Faculty Learning Communities, and the annual Faculty Showcase.

In his additional role, Gyorke will work closely with William Green, senior vice provost and dean of undergraduate education, to advance the Education Innovation initiative of the University’s Roadmap to Our New Century.

Gyorke’s initial priorities include assessing the faculty’s familiarity with the range of pedagogical methods and technological resources, and devising appropriate resources and workshops to foster and promote pedagogical innovation. He already has begun that work to help develop the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) on discussion-based learning, which is part of the University’s reaccreditation report to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Prior to joining the University, Gyorke studied and worked for 21 years at Penn State University, where he oversaw computer workshops, ran the IT services for the Hazleton campus, built some of the first online courses and MOOCs, worked closely with faculty on the integration of technology into traditional on-campus courses, and led course redesign efforts to include student-generated media, podcasting, blogs, online social networks, and flipped learning models.

In addition to his university experience, Gyorke is an active participant in Educause, a higher education IT organization. He is a writer in the “7 Things You Should Know About…” series of white papers, faculty member in the Learning Technology Leadership Institute (2014-2017), and a member of the Horizon Report advisory board. He is also a reviewer for the American Journal of Distance Education.

Gyorke earned his B.S. degree in industrial engineering and his M.Ed. degree in adult education, and has worked in a variety of roles that advanced classroom and curriculum innovation and explored the bridge between technology, culture, and learning science.

At UM, Gyorke plays a key leadership role in developing a program to introduce and assess the role of narrative in online teaching. The program was supported by a generous grant from the Knight Foundation. The grant has sponsored two Faculty Showcases, in which UM faculty members share their innovative course designs with other faculty and staff.

Faculty Showcase 2017 consisted of 18 faculty-led sessions as well as information and demonstration tables operated by service units. This cross-pollination of ideas has been helping to break down silos between UM schools and elevate teaching practice across the University.