Wendy Freeman

B.F.A. York University, M.Sc. Syracuse University, Ph.D., University of Toronto

Research:
Dr. Wendy Freeman has a long career in information and communication technology use in adult and post-secondary education. Before coming to the School of Professional Communication, she worked as an Instructional Designer in both nonprofit and private sector organizations.  Most recently, she worked at Ryerson with faculty as they integrated technology into their teaching. She has been Principal Investigator on funded projects that focus on the use of technology in educational settings and her research interests involve the use of technology to improve learning environments. Specifically, she investigates aspects of community and culture s they affect and are affected by new technologies such as blogs and other social media with a focus on socio-technical and socio-cultural theories. Dr. Wendy Freeman received a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in 2008, where her thesis research investigated the use of blogs for postsecondary distance students.

Recent Publications

Freeman, W., and Brett, C. (2012). Prompting authentic blogging practice in an online graduate course. Computers and Education, 59, 1032-1041. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2012.03.019.

Freeman, W. (2010). Graduating undergraduate student Internet use: How tech-savvy is the Net-Generation? Telecommunications Journal of Australia, 60(4), 56.1-56.12. doi: 10.2104/tja10056.

Stockley, D. & Freeman, W. (2010). Assessment of Online Participation. Chapter in The Dynamic Classroom: Engaging Students in Higher Education, Catherine Black, Ed., Madison, WI: Atwood Publishing.

Recent Papers

1. Freeman, W. & Tremblay, T. (2012, May). Worlds Apart: Experiences in Introducing Hybrid Learning, Paper to be presented at the Canadian Society for Studies in Higher Education, Waterloo, ON.
2. Istl, D., Freeman, W., & Bell, D. (2011, June). Promoting Academic Integrity Using Digital Case Stories, Paper presented at Canadian Association of College and University Services, Toronto, ON.
3. Freeman, W., Schryer, C. & Gamble, A. (2011, May). Meeting the Challenge of Large Class Size with a Hybrid Introductory Communication Course, Paper presented at the Canadian Association for the Study of Discourse and Writing, Fredericton, NB.
4. Freeman, W. (2010, May). Undergraduate Use of Social Network Technologies in and Out of School, Paper presented at the Canadian Association for the Study of Discourse and Writing, Montreal, QC.
5. Freeman, W., & Brett, C.  (2007, April). Finding the Individual in Collaborative Online Learning Environments. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. Winner Best Paper Award in TACTL (Technology as an Agent of Change in Teaching and Learning) Special Interest Group.