Department of Counseling, Family Therapy and Higher Education

Krista (Terry) Wojdak is a professor in the higher education program. She holds a Ph.D. in instructional design and technology with a concentration in educational psychology from Virginia Tech. During her time at Appalachian State, she has taught a wide range of courses in the higher education and media, technology, and learning design program areas. She currently coordinates the College and University Teaching certificate program.

Dr. Wojdak’s areas of expertise are focused on designing and delivering effective instruction in the post-secondary setting. She has led a number of professional development initiatives focused on quality online teaching and was co-chair of the development of App State’s Teaching Quality framework. Her current research is focused on developing an evidence-based framework for active learning, situating trauma-informed teaching strategies within the inclusive pedagogy literature, and investigating methods for human-centered, empathetic course and curriculum design approaches that include participatory, co-design practices.

Prior to joining the App State faculty, she was the Director of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning at Radford University. She is a past President and Distinguished Fellow of the International Society for the Exploration of Teaching and Learning, and former Associate Editor of the International Journal for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. She also served as a Faculty Fellow in the University of North Carolina System Office’s Division of Academic Affairs. From 2018 to 2022, she also served as a Learning Design Specialist for App State's Center for Academic Excellence (Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for Student Success).

Connect with Dr. Wojdak on LinkedIn.

Selected Publications

• Doolittle, P., Wojdak, K., & Walters, A. (2023). Defining Active Learning: A Restricted Systematic Review. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 11. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.11.25