The University of California, Davis, has the following faculty members who can comment on the growing trend toward online education from kindergarten to graduate school.

Established online classes

Robert Blake, professor of Spanish at UC Davis and director of the UC Consortium for Language Learning and Teaching, created a Spanish Without Walls course that is offered through UC Davis Extension. UC Davis students have been able to take the course for college credit since last fall. Blake also developed an Arabic Without Walls Class and is working on a similar course in Punjabi. He wrote the 2008 book “Brave New Digital Classroom.” He believes college students could satisfy their undergraduate language requirements entirely online. Contact: Robert Blake, Spanish and Classics, (530) 219-8427, rjblake@ucdavis.edu.

Linda Behrens, executive director of online learning for UC Davis Extension, has been involved in creating online programs and courses for continuing education for more than 12 years. She has worked with many campus departments and professional schools as well as administrative units to develop and deliver online programs. Contact: Linda Behrens, UC Davis Extension, (530) 754-5101, lbehrens@ucdavis.edu.

K-12 schools and higher ed

Cynthia Carter Ching, associate professor of education, specializes in the uses of technology in K-12 schools and higher education. Her research on learning technologies has been published in the Journal of the Learning Sciences, Computers & Education, and E-learning and Digital Media. Ching also has taught online courses in education for six years, at both the University of Illinois and UC Davis. Contact: Cynthia Carter Ching, School of Education, (530) 752-4427, ccching@ucdavis.edu.

Online and digital learning

Andy Jones, a poet and tech-savvy lecturer for the UC Davis University Writing Program, hosts a weekly radio program on Technology and Poetry. A longtime champion of harnessing technology to improve teaching, he for years coordinated the university’s Computer-Aided Instruction Program. He was the first faculty member on campus to teach with the iPad and is the author of a chapter in a forthcoming book, "Teaching Arts and Science with the New Social Media," edited by Charles Wankel. The chapter is titled “How Twitter Saved My Literature Class: A Case Study With Discussion.” Contact: Andy Jones, University Writing Program, (530) 752-3408, aojones@ucdavis.edu.

Carl Whithaus, an associate professor in the UC Davis University Writing Program, does research on the impact of information technology on literacy practices, writing assessment and professional writing in the sciences. His books include "Teaching and Evaluating Writing in the Age of Computers and High-stakes Testing" (2005) and "Writing Across Distances and Disciplines" (2007). He has served on the National Council of Teachers of English Best Practices for Online Writing Instruction and has taught courses ranging from first-year writing to graduate-level classes in traditional, hybrid and distance learning environments. Contact: Carl Whithaus, University Writing Program, (530) 754-6903, cwwhithaus@ucdavis.edu.