Rate My Professor Barbara Lockee

Dr. Barbara B. Lockee is Professor of Instructional Design and Technology in Virginia Tech's School of Education and Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. She earned a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (Instructional Technology) from Virginia Tech in 1996, an MA in Curriculum and Instruction (Educational Media) from Appalachian State University in 1991, and a BA in Communication Arts from Appalachian State University in 1986. Lockee began her career at Virginia Tech as a postdoctoral fellow in the Office of Distance Learning after her PhD. She advanced to assistant professor, was promoted to associate professor in 2001, and to full professor in 2007. She served twice as Associate Director for Educational Research and Outreach in the School of Education, overseeing more than $20 million in funded research. In 2018, she became the first Faculty Fellow in the Office of Faculty Affairs, and in 2022, she was appointed Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.

Lockee's research focuses on instructional design and distance learning, particularly advancing effective practices for distance-delivered courses and programs across K-12, higher education, and workplace contexts. She has consulted for over 25 years with professionals in healthcare, space industry, military, government, and non-profit sectors. Her scholarship has attracted over $14 million in funding from the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Agency for International Development. A leader in the field, she is Past President of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Vice President for Education of the International Academic Forum, and serves on the Board of Directors of the CMR Institute. Awards include Virginia Tech's Zenobia Lawrence Hikes Award and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology’s Distinguished Service Award. Notable publications encompass "Streamlined ID: A Practical Guide for Instructional Design" (2019, with M.B. Larson), "The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online Learning" (2020, cited more than 12,000 times), "Online education in the post-COVID era" (2021), "Gamification in Learning and Education" (2017), "Building Virtual Communities of Practice for Distance Educators" (2014), and "Direct Instruction Revisited: A Key Model for Instructional Technology" (2005).