Dr. Vanessa Dennen is the Tyner Distinguished Professor of Instructional Systems & Learning Technologies in the Department of Educational Psychology & Learning Systems, Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health and Human Sciences at Florida State University. She joined the faculty at FSU in 2003. In 2024 she was named a Fellow of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. She has a PhD in Instructional Systems Technology and MS in Educational Psychology from Indiana University and an MS in Instructional Design, Development & Evaluation from Syracuse University.
Vanessa’s research focuses on pedagogical, social, and ethical aspects of learning and interacting in online environments. She began her academic career studying the student discussion and engagement in online classes. She has expanded this work to now focus more broadly on networked knowledge activities in professional development settings, the use of emerging online technologies (including artificial intelligence) to support formal and informal learning, and the development of identity and community in online environments. She leads two research groups at FSU, Mediated Environments for Meaningful Education (MEME) Research Group and the Students, Social Media & Schools Research Group. Vanessa has authored more than 100 journal articles and book chapters, which have appeared in publications such as Teachers College Record; The Internet and Higher Education; Distance Education; Online Learning; Computers in Human Behavior; The Handbook of Distance Education; and The Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology, among others. Additionally, she has co-edited four books: Virtual Professional Development and Informal Learning in Online Environments (2012), Social Presence and Identity in Online Learning (2019), Reshaping International Teaching and Learning: Universities in the Information Age (2021), and Global Perspectives on Educational Innovations for Emergency Situations (2022). She was a section editor for the 2023 Handbook of Open, Distance and Digital Education.
Vanessa has served the field in several editorial capacities, including a decade as co-Editor in Chief of The Internet and Higher Education (2014-2024), and 3 years as an Associate Editor for Educational Researcher. She is presently an Associate Editor for Computers in Human Behavior Reports and has edited special issues for Educational Technology Research & Development, Online Learning, Distance Education, The Internet and Higher Education, and Technology, Instruction, Cognition & Learning.
At Florida State University, Vanessa teaches courses on online pedagogy, instructional design for new and emerging technologies, and qualitative and mixed research methods. As an instructor, she is committed to the use of open educational resources and open pedagogy. She has received eight teaching and mentoring awards at FSU since 2013, and had graduated more than 30 doctoral students. Her program-building accomplishments include the design and launch of a graduate certificate in Online Teaching and Learning and the EdD program in Learning Design & Performance Technology.
As a practitioner, Vanessa has worked as an instructional designer and evaluator in corporate, government and higher education settings. Projects have included developing and teaching a MOOC, evaluating online learning programs, designing standards-compliant Web-based training programs, and developing online community supports. She is also a trained leadership and performance coach, working with graduate students, faculty, and institutions to promote personal growth, professional development, and help people reach their individual and organizational goals.
Vanessa delivers keynote speeches, professional development workshops, and webinars internationally for instructors and instructional designers on topics such as fostering online presence, online learning communities and networks, open educational resources, and instructional design for active learning. During the pandemic, she became known for her “People First, Content Second, Technology Third” humanist approach to online teaching.
Courses Frequently Taught:
EDG 6362 Instructional Systems Doctoral Seminar
EDF 6499 Discourse and Conversation Analysis
EME 5456 Online Pedagogy & Course Design
EME 6414 Web 2.0-based Learning & Performance
EME 6476 Internet Inquiry
EME 6060 Collaborative Research
EME 6694 Academic Publishing
EME 2040 Introduction to Educational Technology (faculty supervisor)
ORCID: 0000-0002-2076-074X
Websites: personal: vanessadennen.com
research group: meme.coe.fsu.edu