vita

Dr. Rohit Mehta

Contact Information: Kremen School of Education  & Human Development. ED 235  Fresno, CA

Office: (+1) 559.278.0227 Email: mehta@csufresno.edu Meet: Calendar

Dr. Rohit Mehta is an Associate Professor of Secondary Curriculum with Instructional Technology in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at California State University, Fresno. Dr. Mehta teaches a range of topics such as adolescent learning & development, advance educational research and measurement, cross-cultural theory, practitioner resaerch, academic writing. He teachers across programs such as teacher credential, MA in Teaching, and Ed.D in Educational Leadership.  

His research interests are usually on the intersections of pedagogy, creativity, technology, and coloniality. As an educator, Dr. Mehta wants to help teachers foster creativity through teaching and learning practices that are liberatory of multiple ways of being, knowing, and doing. His collaborations have been published in academic journals like Review of Research in Education, Qualitative Inquiry, Thinking Skills and Creativity, Tech Trends, Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE), Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education (JDLTE), and Journal of Media Literacy Education (JMLE). 

Dr. Mehta was Enhancement of Global Understanding fellow to the Netherlands (2016), Inside Teaching fellow (2016), and Residential College at Arts and Humanities fellow for Hindi Integrated Language Option (2015-2016) at Michigan State University. Before coming into educational research and practice, he garnered transdisciplinary experiences ranging from electronics engineering to film editing. He is continually working on a transmedia art project to explore art-based methodologies of decolonial expression. 

EDUCATION

2017: Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology

Michigan State University, East Lansing
Advisors: Dr. Punya Mishra and Dr. Douglas K. Hartman
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Punya Mishra

Topic: What does it mean to be literate? Designing and implementing a framework of inclusive literacy practices in a rural context

2017: Certification in College Teaching

The Graduate School
Michigan State University, East Lansing

2010:  Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering

University of Florida, Gainesville
Specialization: Digital Communication and Advanced Speech Processing

2008:  Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication Engineering 

Rajiv Gandhi Technical University, Bhopal
Specialization: Digital and Wireless Communication

WORK EXPERIENCE

2023—present: Associate Professor
of Secondary Curriculum with Instructional Technology 

2018—2023: Assistant Professor 
of Secondary Curriculum with Instructional Technology 

in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction

&

2021—present: Core Faculty 
Educational Leadership (Ed.D. program)

2019—2021: Affiliate Faculty 
Educational Leadership (Ed.D. program)

Kremen School of Education & Human Development
California State University (Fresno, CA)

~

2017—2018: Post-Doctoral Research Associate

Iowa State University – School of Education (Ames, IA)

~

2013—2017: Teaching & Research Assistant

Michigan State University – College of Education (East Lansing, MI)

~

2011—2013: Assistant Professor

Malwa Institute of Technology – Dept. of Electronics and Comm. (Indore, India)

~

2011—2013: Higher Education & Study Abroad Counselor

The Globalizers (Indore, India)

~

2010—2011: Writer & Editor

Creative Canvas Entertainment (Mumbai, India)

SCHOLARSHIP

Refereed Articles 

Non-Refereed Articles (Columns and Special Issues)

Book Chapters

• Mehta, R., Weninger, C. & Martinez-Prieto, D. (in press). Literacies under neoliberalism: The enabling of ethnonationalism and transnationalism. In J.Z. Pandya, R de Roock, R.A. Mora, J. Alford & N. Golden (Eds.) The Transnational Critical Literacies Handbook. Routledge. 

• Larsen, M. W., Henriksen, D., & Mehta, R. (2020). Unexplored Terrain: The valley between creativity and creative practice. In Lyons, D., Southcott, J., Carabott, K. (2020). Phenomenological Inquiry in Education: Theories, Practices, Provocations and Directions. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.

• Shelton, C., Aguilera, E., Gleason, B., & Mehta, R. (2020). Resisting dehumanizing assessments: Enacting critical humanizing pedagogies in online teacher education. In Ferdig, R.E., Baumgartner, E., Hartshorne, R., Kaplan-Rakowski, R. & Mouza, C. (2020). Teaching, Technology, and Teacher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories from the Field. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/p/216903/, p. 125-129.

• Mehta, R., Creely, E. & Henriksen, D. (2020). A profitable education: Countering neoliberalism in 21st century skills discourses. In J.S. Keengwe & G. Onchwari (Eds.). Handbook of Research on Literacy and Digital Technology Integration in Teacher Education. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

• Henriksen, D., Mehta, R. & Mehta, S. (2019). Design thinking gives STEAM to teaching: A framework that breaks disciplinary boundaries. In M. Khine & S. Areepattamannil (Eds.). STEAM Education: Theory, Researchand Practice. Switzerland: Springer

• Mehta, R., Keenan, S., Henriksen, D., & Mishra, P. (2019). Developing a rhetoric of aesthetics: The (often) forgotten link between art and STEM. In M. Khine & S. Areepattamannil (Eds.). STEAM Education: Theory, Research and Practice. Switzerland: Springer.

• Craig, J., Mehta, R., & Howard, J.P. (2019). Quantitative literacy to new quantitative literacies. In L. Tunstall, V. Piercey, & G. Karaali. (Eds.), Shifting Contexts, Stable Core: Advancing Quantitative Literacy in Higher Education (pp. 33-46).  Washington, D.C.: Mathematical Association of America.

• Henriksen, D., Mehta, R., Mishra, P., & the Deep-Play Research Group (2014). Learning to See: Perceiving as a trans-disciplinary habit of mind. Tech Trends, (58)4, 9-12. Reprinted in Mishra, P., Henriksen, D., with Contributions by the Deep-Play Research Group (2018). Creativity, Technology & Education: Exploring their Convergence. New York, NY: Springer. (please cite the original article, not the chapter https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-014-0762-5)

• Mehta, R., Mishra, P., & Henriksen, D., & the Deep-Play Research Group (2016). Creativity in mathematics and beyond — Learning from Fields medal winners. Tech Trends (59)7, 14-18. Reprinted in Henriksen, D., with Contributions by the Deep-Play Research Group (2017). The 7 transdisciplinary cognitive skills for creative education. New York, NY: Springer. (please cite the original article, not the chapter http://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-015-0011-6)

• Mishra, P., Henriksen, D., & Mehta, R. (2015). Creativity, digitality, and teacher professional development: Unifying theory, research, and practice. In M. Niess, & H. Gillow-Wiles (Eds.) Handbook of Research on Teacher Education in the Digital Age (pp. 691-722). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8403-4.ch026

Book Reviews

• Mehta, R. & Mishra, P. (2019). Mobile learning: Perspectives on policy and practice [Review of the book Mobile learning: Perspectives on policy and practice, by D. Herro, S. Arafeh, R. Ling & C. Holden] Teachers College Record. Retrieved online from https://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=22718.

Dissertation

• Mehta, R. (2017). What Does It Mean to be Literate? Designing and Implementing a Framework of Inclusive Literacy Practices in a Rural Context. Michigan State University. (dissertation)

Conference Proceedings (Refereed)

• Mehta, R. & Weninger, C. (2020, April 17 – 21) Literacies Under Neoliberalism [Working Group Roundtable]. AERA Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA http://tinyurl.com/y5sr9jr2 (Conference Canceled)
  
• Mehta, R., Aguilera, E. & Shelton, C. C. (2020, April 17 – 21) Decolonizing Teacher Education: Humanizing Pedagogies as a Way Forward [Roundtable Session]. AERA Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA http://tinyurl.com/rxbto5m (Conference Canceled)
  
• Mehta, R. & Henriksen, D. (2018, March). Mobilizing creativity: Democratic and humanizing approaches to creativity in the classroom. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2018 (pp. 1159-1167). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

• Foulger, T. S., Shah, M., Graziano, K., Schmidt-Crawford, D., Slykhuis, D., Mehta, R., Lyublinskaya, I., & Sprague, D. (2018, March). Multiple perspectives on strengthening the ability of teacher education programs to prepare teacher candidates to integrate technology. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2018 (pp. 2041-2046). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

• Mehta, R. & Mishra, P. (2016, March). Switching between reading stances: Intertextuality and comprehension in multimodal texts. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2016 (pp. 1469-1475). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

• Mishra, P. & Mehta, R. (2016, March). What educators get wrong about 21st century learning. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2016. Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

• Mehta, S., Mehta, R., Berzina-Pitcher, I., Seals, C., & Mishra, P. (2016, March). 49 stories that make an ultimate STEM lesson plan. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2016 (pp. 2398-2406). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

• Mishra, P., Graves-Wolf, L., Gunnings-Moton, S., Seals, C., Mehta, R., Berzina-Pitcher, I., … Pawlicki, D. (2016, March). Reinventing TPACK, STEM teaching and leadership in an urban context. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2016 (pp. 2026-2030). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

• Mishra, P., Graves-Wolf, L., Seals, C., Mehta, R., & Berzina-Pitcher, I. (2015, December). Enhancing urban teachers’ STEM and leadership capacities: A preliminary report on a unique private-public-public partnership. In S. Chandrasekharan, S. Murthy, G. Banjeree, A. Muralidhar (Eds.), Emerging Computational Media and Science Education. Paper presented at Episteme 6 Conference, Mumbai (p. 227-233). Mumbai, India: Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR.

• Mishra, P., Keenan, S., Mehta, R., & Henriksen, D. (2015, December). I care about the beauty in science: Aesthetics in scientific practice and pedagogy. In S. Chandrasekharan, S. Murthy, G. Banjeree, A. Muralidhar (Eds.), Emerging Computational Media and Science Education. Paper presented at Episteme 6 Conference, Mumbai (p. 219-226). Mumbai, India: Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR.

• Mehta, R., Henriksen, D. & Mishra, P. (2014, March). You are not in Kansas anymore: educational technology in films. In M. Searson & M. Ochoa (Eds), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2014 (pp. 561–567). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.

• Rosenberg, J., Terry, C., Bell, J., Hiltz, V., Russo, T. & The EPET Social Media Council (2014, March). What we’ve got here is failure to communicate: Social media best practices for graduate school programs. In M. Searson & M. Ochoa (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2014 (pp. 1210- 1215). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.

Conference Presentations (Refereed)

•  Mehta, R. (2023, April). Stuck in the middle: Neoliberal and neoconservative expectations in teacher education. In Platformed Pedagogy: The Work of Teaching in the New Edtech Landscape [Symposium]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, USA.
  
• Mehta, R. & Hall, T. (2022, April). Technologies of the Global South: Exploring the alternatives to neoliberal colonization. In Educating techno-skeptics: Critical approaches to educational technology in a dystopian world [Symposium]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, USA
  
• Mehta, R. (2019, December). Marginalization disguised as friendship: Seeking humanizing literacies in a predominantly white rural school. Full paper presentation at Literacy Research Association (LRA). Tampa, FL, USA.

• Aguilera, E., Shelton, C., Mehta, R. & de Roock, R. (2019, May). Against the cult of efficiency: Humanizing pedagogies as acts of decolonizing in teacher-education programs. 60-minute panel at HASTAC 2019: Decolonizing Technologies, Reprogramming Education. (attended online). Vancouver, Canada.

• Mehta, R. (2019, April). The onus of change: A search of inclusive practices in a predominantly white rural school. Full paper presentation at American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting. (attended online). Toronto, Canada.

• Henriksen, D., Henderson, M., Creely, E., Yadav, A., Good, J., Foster, A., … Armstrong, D. (2018, March). What is the relationship between technology and creativity? Symposium at Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE). Washington D.C., USA

• Boltz, E., Arnold, B., & Mehta, R. (2017, March). 3 Simple Tricks that Will Change the Way You Think about Listicles Forever. Roundtable at at Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE). Austin, TX, USA.

• Mehta, R. & Gretter, S. (2016, December). Hashtag activism and gender advocacy: A virtual ethnography of activism on Twitter. Full paper presentation at Literacy Research Association (LRA) Conference. Nashville, TN, USA.

• Gretter, S., Mehta, R. & Rosenberg, J. (2016, November). This teacher attended a media literacy session: You would not believe what happened next. Speaker proposal presentation at 2016 MSU College of Education Technology Conference. East Lansing, MI, USA.

• Mehta, R. & Mishra, P. (2016, April). Switching reading stances: A study of intertextuality and meaning-making in multimodal texts. Full paper presentation at American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C, USA.

• Mishra, P., Graves-Wolf, L., Gunnings-Moton, S., Seals, C., Berzina-Pitcher, I., & Mehta, R. (2016, April). Enhancing urban teachers’ STEM, technological, and leadership capacities through innovative instructional practices. Full paper presentation at American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C, USA.

• Seals, C. Cosby, M., Beymer, P., Mehta, R., Shack, K. & Mishra, P. (2016, March). Creative uses of mobile devices in the STEM classroom. Presentation at Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL). Grand Rapids, MI, USA.

• Mehta, R. (2015, December). Reading video: The process of intertextuality and meaning-making in multimodal environments. Full paper presentation at Literacy Research Association 65^th Annual Conference (LRA). Carlsbad, CA, USA.

• Mehta, R., Rosenberg, J., Russo, T., Arnold, B. J., & Social Media Council (2015, November). Impact of Institutionally Encouraged Social Media Use on Doctoral Student Identity Formation. Full paper presentation at Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). Indianapolis, IN, USA.

• Mehta, R. & Seals, C. (2015, October 14). Using TPACK framework to foster creativity and aesthetics in STEM. MSU LOCUS Symposium on Pedagogy in a Digital Age. East Lansing, MI, USA.

• Mehta, R., Henriksen, D. & Mishra, P. (2015, March). Through the ‘Cosmos’: Beauty and aesthetics in science education and popular media. Full paper presentation at Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE). Las Vegas, NV, USA.

• Henriksen, D., Mishra, P., Mehta, R., Cain, W., Fahnoe, C., Good, J.,…DeSchryver, M. (2015, March). The Roots of Creativity: Trans-disciplinary Thinking Skills as Tools for Creative Thinking and Learning in the 21st Century. Symposium at Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE). Las Vegas, NV, USA.

• Mehta, R., Henriksen, D. & Mishra, P. (2015, March). Creative Teachers: Fueled by Interdisciplinary and Avocational Pursuits. Full paper presentation at Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE). Las Vegas, NV, USA.

Invited Talks

• Panagopoulos, T., Mehta, R. & Phan, T. (November, 2023). Ethics in AI. Panel at Kremen School of Education and Human Development, California State University, Fresno.
  
• Fobear, K., Mehta, R., Walter, E. & Yi Borromeo (March, 2021). The Best We Can Do: Managing Faculty Life in Extraordinary Times. Presented at Untenured Faculty Organization, California State University, Fresno. 
  
• Phan, T., Gonzalez, J.C., Henderson, R., Mehta, R. & Sharma, G. (February, 2021). Humanizing Pedagogy in the Classroom. Invited Speaker at panel discussion organized by Dr. Trang Phan at Kremen School of Education and Human Development
  
• Mehta, R. (December 2020). Resisting neoliberalization of education as a humanizing pedagogy. Invited Speaker at Humanizing Pedagogy Webinar Series at Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. https://lt.mandela.ac.za/Humanising-Pedagogy/Humanising-Pedagogy-Webinar-Series/HP-Webinar-Series-Blog/HP-Webinar-Series-Blog/November-2020/Resisting-neoliberalization-of-education-as-a-huma.

• Mehta, R. (November 2020). Critical humanizing pedagogy: Countering neoliberal & colonial influences in education. Invited Speaker at Teaching to the Moment Hosted by Provost Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, Fall 2020.

• Mehta, R. (October 2020). Racist roots of STEM: Understanding the role of “scientific method” in colonization, racism & creating disciplinary knowledge hierarchies. Invited Speaker at Anti-Racism Webinar Series by Enseñamos en el Valle Central, Fresno State University.

• Mishra, P., Mehta, R., & Keenan, S. (April 2017). Robust yet fragile: Developing a rhetoric of aesthetics for science education. Invited Speaker at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

• Mishra, P., Marcotte, C., Shack, K., Horton, A., Seals, C., & Mehta, R. (June 2015). Reflections on understanding urban teachers STEM and Leadership capacities: A private-public-public partnership [online]. Invited Speaker at IV Congreso de Education, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala.  

Webinars

• Mehta, R., Ahumada, V., Gutierrez, H. & Heath, M. (January, 2022). Digital Equity. In International Education Committee Zoom Panel Discussion. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/TT087WbO-M0
  
• Lopez, P.D., Mehta, R., Rojas, A., Sepulveda, A., Rosendo-Servi, M., Arimboanga, J.R. & Banuelos, E. (April, 2021). Anti-Racist and Anti-Oppressive Pedagogies for/of Liberation [Webinar]. In Anti-Racism: A Public Professional Learning Community Webinar Series by Enseñamos en el Valle Central. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTuVYvlpcEY
  
• Mehta, R. & Hemnani, P. (2020). Navigating Higher Education: Pursuing Interdisciplinary Interests [Interview]. In The Globalizers. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxvs2sL5UHY
  
• Greenhalgh, S. P., Keenan, S. F., Mehta, R., Wever, M., McCarthy, A., & Lei, M. (May, 2016). Transitions and outreach [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=405      

• Mehta, R., Greenhalgh, S. P., Keenan, S. F., McDaniels, M., White, A., & O’Connor, A. (February, 2016). Teacher professional development – what it takes [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=393     

• Mehta, R., Greenhalgh, S. P., Keenan, S. F., Wolf, L. G., Robinson, J., & Martinez, J. (November, 2015). Repurposing, reusing, remixing: An ‘open’ conversation [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=387    

• Greenhalgh, S. P., Mehta, R., Keenan, S. F., Bell, J., Cain, W., Peterson, A., & Cheng, C. (October, 2015). Telepresence robots and distance learning [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=378   

• Keenan, S. F., Greenhalgh, S. P., Mehta, R., Blair, D., Heeter. C., & Greenberg, D. (September, 2015). Informal learning [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=360  

• Hagerman, M. S., Wolf, L. G., Arnold, B., Boltz, E., & Mehta, R. (March, 2015). Digital games, online teachers, and aesthetics in science education [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=226  

• Mehta, R., Hagerman, M. S., Otten, S., Kupiecki, E., & Brown, R. (February, 2015). Technology integration to support learning in mathematics classrooms [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=221

• Mehta, R., Hagerman, M. S., Wolf, L. G., Sawaya, S., & Rosenberg, J. M. (December, 2014). Edcamp with team MAET [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=201     

• Hagerman, M. S., Mehta, R., Marcotte, C., Fahnoe, C, Nash, S. & Rimes, B. (November, 2014). Shop talk with K-12 tech integration specialists [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=198    

• Hagerman, M. S., Mehta, R., Shack, K., Gerlach, J., & Quezzaire, P. (October, 2014). Integrating tech to support social studies instruction in K-12 [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=195   

• Hagerman, M. S., Mehta, R., Philips, L., Sweeney, S., Worrell, M., & Reveilleau, G. (September, 2014). MAET women talk global trends in Ed tech [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=192  

• Greenhalgh, S. P., Mehta, R., Rajab, R., Lin, C. H., Heussaf, J. P., & Davis, W. (May, 2014). Technologies to support language learning [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=161

• Hagerman, M. S., Mehta, R., Heintz, A., Shulha, J., & Winters, B. (April, 2014). Technologies to support learning in arts education [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=153

• Hagerman, M. S., Mehta, R., Heintz, A., Shulha, J., & Winters, B. (April, 2014). Technologies to support learning in arts education [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=153

• Hagerman, M. S., Mehta, R., Heintz, A., Shulha, J., & Winters, B. (April, 2014). Technologies to support learning in arts education [Webinar]. In MAET – The Bridge. Retrieved from http://bridge.educ.msu.edu/?p=153

GRANTS, AWARDS & FELLOWSHIPS

Grants

2021-2022 (funded): Co-Principal Investigator on Assessing the Effectiveness of a Mentoring Program with Undergraduate Students in the College of Engineering. Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity Award. $5000.

2022 (funded): Co-Principal Investigator on A Critical Discourse Analysis of Public Information on Special Education Provision in the Fresno Unified Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA). Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity Award. $5000.

2022 (applied, not funded): Co-Principal Investigator on New Pathways to Digital Pedagogy. CSU CREATE Awards Program. $300,000

2022 (applied, not funded): Advisory Board Member on Exploring cultural factors that influence undergraduate ethical conduct in data collection and management. National Science Foundation (NSF). $5 million. 

2019-2024 (funded): Co-Principal Investigator on Advancing Computational Thinking for Teacher Education in Central California (ACT4TECC).  National Science Foundation: Robert Noyce Teaching Scholarship Program. $1.19 million. https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1950031&HistoricalAwards=false

2019-2021 (sub-contract): STEM Teacher Preparation Advisor on STEM Teacher Education and School Strengthening Activity (STESSA). United States Agency for International Development. $24.2 million. 

Awards

2022: Outstanding Faculty Publication Award, California State University, Fresno.

2021: Outstanding Faculty Publication Award, California State University, Fresno.

2020: Outstanding Faculty Publication Award, California State University, Fresno.

2019: The President’s Faculty and Staff Service Award for commitment to community service. 

2016: Outstanding Paper Award for ‘Switching Between Reading Stances: Intertextuality and Comprehension in Multimodal Texts’ at Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, Savannah, GA.

2015: Michigan State University AT&T Faculty-Staff Instructional Technology Award for Best Blended Course with Dr. Rabindra Ratan for TC 401-731: Science Fiction, Communication & Technology.

2014: Outstanding Paper Award for ‘What We’ve Got Here is Failure to Communicate: Social Media Best Practices for Graduate School Programs’ at Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, Jacksonville, FL.

Fellowships

2022-23: Endowed Chair, Equity and Social Justice Fellow, Kremen School of Education and Human Development ($10,000. 

2022: Institute for Teacher Educators of Color (San Jose State University and University of California, Riverside).

2017: College of Education Dissertation Assistance ($1000)

2016: Inside Teaching Fellow (discussing, designing, and leading teacher professional development in the university context) at The Graduate School at Michigan State University ($1000).

2016: Fellow for Enhancement of Global Understanding (FEGU) to The Netherlands. Working with Internationale Schakel Klas/Earste Opvang Anderstaligen (ISK/EOA) school for refugees and immigrants in Maastricht, Netherlands, to help design Conversational English classroom activities for English as a Second Language (ESL) learners from Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and other war- stricken nations, and design curriculum for graduate certification in global competence.

2016: College of Education Travel Fellowship ($500)

2015: Residential College of Arts and Humanities Language Fellowship in Hindi (2015, $8000).

2015: College of Education Travel Fellowship ($500)

2015: OISS Family Health Insurance Award Program (FHIAP) Office for International Students and Scholars, Michigan State University ($2400).

2014: College of Education Travel Fellowship ($500)

2014: OISS Family Health Insurance Award Program (FHIAP) Office for International Students and Scholars, Michigan State University ($2400).

2013: EPET Ph.D. Student Research Expenses Grant ($800). Department of Counseling, and Educational Psychology, and Special Education, College of Education, Michigan State University.

TEACHING

Courses Taught

California State University (Fresno, CA)

Kremen School of Education & Human Development 

Adolescent Learning and Development
(CI 152; Single Subject Credential Program & Fresno Teacher Residency Program; Fall 2018—present)

Foundational learning theories and research in educational psychology to inform adolescent learning and development across disciplines. Topics covered include behaviorism, cognitivism, social cognitivism, sociocultural theory, motivation, neuroscience of learning, culturally relevant teaching.

Seminar in Advanced Educational Psychology
(CI 285; Graduate Level; Spring 2019—present)

Advanced and critical approaches to learning theories and research in educational psychology to inform practice of teaching and counseling. Topics covered include philosophy of education, technology, learning, situated in society and culture. 

Writing in Academia 

(EDL 580T; Doctoral Level; Spring 2020)
Research, policy, and practice-oriented writing in educational leadership, developing argumentative and philosophical stances. 

Iowa State University (Ames, IA)

School of Education 

Toying with Technology

(MAT E 370; Undergraduate Level; Fall 2017 & Spring 2018)

Learning technologies for math certification and learning technologies minors in elementary education—using creativity, transdisciplinary thinking, computational thinking, engineering design, and repurposing as key approaches to thinking about technology in education with preservice teachers. 

Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods

(RESEV 580; Graduate Level; Fall 2017)

An introductory course to doctoral and master’s degree students from quantitative and qualitative research perspectives to appreciate and conduct qualitative research with ethical standards and quality.

Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)

College of Education 

Study Abroad Program: Fellowship for Enhancement of Global Understanding

(Study Abroad Program; Graduate Level; Summer 2017)

Co-planning, organizing, and facilitating graduate-level Fellows for Enhancement of Global Under- standing (FEGU) to The Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Germany. Conducted meetings with dele- gates from European Commission in Brussels, Ministry of Education in The Hague, Internationale Schakel Klas/Earste Opvang Anderstaligen (ISK/EOA) school for refugees and immigrants in Maastricht, University of Maastricht, University of Amsterdam, Tilburg University, and Fontys Teacher Preparation College in Sitard.

Technology and Leadership 

(CEP 815, online; Graduate Level; Summer 2017)

Leadership course for in-service teachers using technology as a tool to trigger positive change.

MSU-Wipro Urban STEM & Leadership Teaching Fellowship Program 
(Graduate Certification; 2015—2017)

Designing and teaching courses specifically for MSU Urban STEM program for teachers in Chicago Public Schools (CPS):

• CEP 805 (Learning Mathematics with Technology)
• CEP 806 (Learning Science with Technology)
• CEP 815 (Technology and Leadership).

Teachers build ambitious year-long projects to mobilize their knowledge, create new content, explore their worlds from disciplinary lenses, take leadership of their instruction, and be a public scholar.

Reflections on Learning

(TE 150; Undergraduate Level; 2015—2017)

Preparing pre-service teachers and interdisciplinary students, discussing foundational topics on educational psychology from the perspectives of global and intercultural competence, accounting role of empathy in education.

Creativity in Teaching and Learning

(CEP 818, online; Graduate Level; Fall 2014)

Implementing seven trans-disciplinary skills and creativity in everyday teaching and learning. Teachers learn how to mobilize their knowledge and be a public scholar. These teachers teach grade-levels ranging from kindergarten to high school to professional teacher development, covering subjects like math, science, theater, museum learning, etc.

MAET Summer Teaching at East Lansing

(CEP 800, 815, 822, face-to-face & hybrid; Graduate Level; Summer 2014)

Training in-service teachers through three integrated seminars in technology, learning, and teaching over a 2-week face-to-face period followed by 4-week online sessions. Teachers explore various uses of technology and get acquainted with what is currently known about human learning and development. Helped teachers learn how to mobilize their knowledge and be a public scholar. This session covered three courses including CEP 800 on learning in school and other settings, CEP 815 on technology and leadership, and CEP 822 on approaches in educational research.

Teaching Students Online

(CEP 820, online; Graduate Level; Summer 2014)

In-service teachers design online courses for students ranging from kindergarten to master’s level. The course covers essentials of online teaching and various learning and course management systems. Covered key design and content-related challenges in teaching an online course.

Malwa Institute of Technology (Indore, India)

Department of Electronics and Communication 

Advanced Data Networks

(EC 801-1, face-to-face; Undergraduate Level; Spring 2013)

Cellular Mobile Communication

(EC 602, face-to-face; Undergraduate Level; Spring 2012, 2013)

Wireless Communication

(EC 701-1, face-to-face; Undergraduate Level; Fall 2011, 2012)

Satellite Communication

(EC 702, face-to-face; Undergraduate Level; Fall 2011)

Television and RADAR Engineering

(EC 804, face-to-face; Undergraduate Level; Spring 2011)

Teacher Professional Development Workshops Conducted

Mehta, R. (2016, August). Planning to Transition to Teaching in the U.S. – An Introduction to U.S. and Michigan State University Student Culture & Teaching Policies. Teacher professional development workshop under Dr. Melissa McDaniels, Assistant Dean, The Graduate School & in collaboration with 20 peer facilitators. 

Gretter, S. & Mehta, R. (2016, May). “I saw it online. It must be true!” Media literacy across disciplines. [Twitter chat] Online teacher professional development session. 

Gretter, S. & Mehta, R. (2016, February). Going multimodal with universal design for learning. Teacher professional development workshop for Inside Teaching Lounge – The Graduate School, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.

Mehta, R. (2015, October). Multimodality is your friend. Teacher professional development session at Ruth Fox Elementary, North Branch, MI. 

Mehta, R. (2015, August). Planning to Transition to Teaching in the U.S. – An Introduction to U.S. and Michigan State University Student Culture & Teaching Policies. Teacher professional development workshop under Dr. Melissa McDaniels, Assistant Dean, The Graduate School & in collaboration with 20 peer facilitators. 

Greenhalgh, S., Rosenberg, J., & Mehta, R. (2015, May). Online presence for graduate students: An introduction.Workshop at the BHEARD Scholar Conference, College of Agriculture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.

Mehta, R. (2015, March). Bringing back Aesthetics to Science. Teacher professional development session at Ruth Fox Elementary, North Branch, MI. 

Mehta, R. (2014, August). Planning to Transition to Teaching in the U.S. – An Introduction to U.S. and Michigan State University Student Culture & Teaching Policies. Teacher professional development workshop under Dr. Melissa McDaniels, Assistant Dean, The Graduate School & in collaboration with 20 peer facilitators. 

Mehta, R. (2014, August). How to effectively conduct Google Hangout-on-Air sessions. Teacher professional development session at Ruth Fox Elementary, North Branch, MI. 

SERVICE

Institutional Service

California State University, Fresno

• Chair, International Committee, Kremen School of Education and Human Development, 2020-present.
• Departmental Representative, Scholarship Committee, Kremen School of Education and Human Development, 2018-present.
• Departmental Representative, International Committee, Kremen School of Education and Human Development, 2019-present. 

Michigan State University 

• Facilitator, CEPSE PhD Student Orientation, 2014-2017.
• Member & Social Media Manager, EPET Social Media Council, 2013-2014.  
• Co-created, co-produced, co-hosted MAET program’s webinar series for knowledge mobilization and teacher professional development: MAET – The Bridge, 2013-2015.    
• Volunteered to usher teachers visiting from Chicago schools as a part of MSU-Wipro Urban STEM & Teaching Leadership program to study advancements in Educational Technology, College of Education, Michigan State University, 2013-2014.
• Volunteered to help organizing the visit of Dr. Azim Premji, Founder, Wipro India, to further research collaboration with the College of Education, Michigan State University, 2013-2014.
• Volunteered to usher visiting scholars from Azim Premji University, India, to study the different facets and workings of the College of Education, Michigan State University, 2013-2014.

Disciplinary Service

• Co-editor, Research to Practice, iWonder: Rediscovering School Science.
• Reviewer, Literacy Research Association (LRA) 69^th Annual Meeting (2019) Tampa, FL.
• Reviewer, American Educational Research Association (AERA) 103^rd Annual Meeting (2019) Toronto, Canada.
• Reviewer, American Educational Research Association (AERA) 102^nd Annual Meeting (2018) New York, NY.
• Reviewer, Literacy Research Association (LRA) 66^th Annual Conference (2016) Nashville, TN.
• Reviewer, American Educational Research Association (AERA) 100^th Annual Meeting (2016) Washington, D.C.
• Reviewer, Literacy Research Association (LRA) 65^th Annual Conference (2015) Carlsbad, CA.
• Reviewer, Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE), 2014
• Reviewer, Society of Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE), 2015, Las Vegas, NV.
• Reviewer, Division 15 at American Psychological Association (APA) Convention 2014, Washington DC.
• Volunteer, Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education Conference, 2014 and 2015.

Professional Service

• Member, Technology Committee, Literacy Research Association (LRA), 2019-2021.
• Founder and member, Critical Educational Technology Scholars Alliance (CETSA). Established in 2019 with 30 beginning members. 
• Co-host, #MichEd Twitter chat for the purpose of knowledge mobilization on the topic of Media Literacy in classrooms in Michigan, USA. 
• Co-lead, Program to visit Internationale Schakel Klas/Earste Opvang Anderstaligen (ISK/EOA) school for refugees and immigrants in Maastricht, Netherlands, to help design Conversational English classroom activities for English as a Second Language (ESL) learners from Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and other war-stricken nations. 

Community Service

• California Food Bank
• Ann Foundation

Professional Affiliations (Past and Present)

• National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) 
• International Literacy Association (ILA)
• Literacy Research Association (LRA* 
• National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE)* 
• Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE)
• American Educational Research Association (AERA)
• Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory (HASTAC)*
• California Faculty Association (CFA)*

* active memberships

Student Advising and Mentoring

• Advising
  • Jennifer Enns, Educational Leadership
  • Lisa Gray, Educational Leadership
• Master Project Advisor
  • Bueno-Ayon, O. (2019). English language development using English 3d.
  • Lozano, K. (2019). Effectiveness of press on second grade students’ reading levels. 
  • Mayoral, I. (2019). On a quest to a deeper scaffold of writing in first grade: Using reading to teach writing
  • Salazar, C. (2019). Therapeutic process for major depressive disorder: Thematic analysis of an adolescent case study. 
  • Surabian, R. (2019). Enhancing successful high school entrepreneurship
• Master Thesis Committee Member
  • Toptayeva, B. (2017). Mass communication strategy: cross-cultural analysis of antinuclear movements in the U.S. and Kazakhstan
• Doctoral Practicum Research Committee Member
  • Richardson, C. (2016). Learning environments that support student creativity: Developing the SCALE.
• Reviewer & Co-Advisor, Deep-Play Research Group at Arizona State University.