Metropolitan State University of Denver has hired JaeEun (Jae) Joo, Ed.D., as the executive director of Online Learning.
Joo comes to the University with 30 years of experience developing, teaching and managing national and international online programs as a professor, instructional designer, course developer and researcher. She also has a comprehensive background in integrating emerging technologies into teaching and learning in the full spectrum between face-to-face and fully online courses.
The University will draw on Joo’s experience and expertise as it continues to make progress on lts Student Success Launch, a data-driven initiative focused on retaining and graduating students, said Deputy Provost Marie Mora, Ph.D.
“With her breadth and depth of experience focusing on online learning and technology over the course of three decades, we are confident she will take the online student experience to new levels at MSU Denver, which further contributes to our work in meeting students where they are,” Mora said.
Joo says one of the biggest factors that persuaded her to join MSU Denver is the University’s commitment to creating an accessible learning environment for students of all lifestyles and backgrounds. Joo believes that online learning is one of the most significant ways that the University can meet students where they are, a Pride Point intertwined into MSU Denver’s Strategic Plan.
“I have a very strong sense of responsibility for increasing educational equity and diversity,” Joo said. “I think that online education can provide a certain avenue for people who cannot come to campus. I also know that MSU Denver is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and Minority-Serving Institution. Both the president and provost feel very strongly that that’s a part of our mission, so I absolutely plan to increase enrollment among Hispanic students as well as other minority students.”
Goals
In her new role, Joo aspires to further improve the University’s online learning experience and create a more equitable and engaging learning environment for students. Joo believes that by improving existing online courses and creating new, innovative online learning opportunities, MSU Denver can provide a high-quality educational experience for students not just in Denver but across Colorado and beyond.
Joo brings a strategic, data-driven decision making approach to her new role. One of the most impactful ways Joo plans to improve the online experience for students is by integrating Canvas and student-assessment data and learning analytics into the University’s online-learning strategy. By understanding how students are engaging with online courses, Joo says, the University will be able to improve already-existing online courses and find additional courses that could supplement online learning options to reach untapped student populations.
Joo also plans to meet faculty members where they are, whether they have never taught an online course or are online-teaching gurus.
![JaeEun Joo – headshot[40]](https://www.msudenver.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JaeEun-Joo-headshot40.png)
“I love that we ‘meet students where they are,’” Joo said. “I think that’s a very important thing, and I want to apply that to faculty members as well. I will start wherever they are, whether they have been teaching online or never thought about doing anything online.”
Background
Joo began her career after earning a Bachelor of Arts from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea. Over the next decade, Joo earned three graduate degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education: Master of Education, Certificate of Advanced Studies and a Doctor of Education, all focusing on the integration of emerging technologies in education.
In her personal life, Joo enjoys attending theatre performances and watching sporting events. As a former longtime Boston resident, Joo is a fan of the professional sports teams of Boston. Additionally, Joo says her father (who lives in South Korea) is thrilled about her move to Denver and says the city MSU Denver calls home is “his most favorite city in the world.”
By the numbers: quick facts about the Office of Online Learning
- More than two-thirds of students (10,409) enrolled for spring are taking at least one online course.
- The Office of Online Learning has awarded over $624,000 in online student scholarships for the 2023-24 academic year and provided more than 350 appointments and workshops to increase academic support and online student engagement.
- The Office of Online Learning has awarded over $769,000 to 174 faculty members to develop 231 online courses since fall 2018 through the Center for Teaching, Learning and Design’s Course Development Cycles.
- Since the fall of 2022, the Office of Online Learning has also supported over $207,000 to construct two state-of-the-art recording studios and supplied the latest audio-visual equipment for faculty course development.