Elizabeth Downs

Prof. Downs joined Georgia Southern University in 1990 and retired in 2023.

 

 

Dr. Downs earned a BS in Elementary Education and Teaching (1975) from Florida State University and an M.Ed. in Educational Psychology (1983) and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction (1989), both from the University of Florida. She served as a valued member of Georgia Southern’s Instructional Technology program from her initial appointment in 1990, moving through the ranks of Associate Professor (1997) and Professor (2008) with consistent dedication and noteworthy performance. Her legacy with Georgia Southern University includes leadership in the 1990’s to support the emergence of instructional technology to support teaching and learning; this leadership continued throughout her career to address new trends and issues, including cyberbullying, electronic portfolios, and online field experiences. She received grant money to establish and maintain the original computer labs in the College of Education. In the early 2000’s, she was instrumental in the Instructional Technology program’s efforts to pioneer the first fully online program at Georgia Southern University, notably selected as the GOML franchise Instructional Technology program. At the time that the program went online, no infrastructure existed at the University to accommodate any aspect of this transition. Dr. Downs was part of the team that worked with the administration, the Registrar, and the College of Graduate Studies to create online registration, applications, advising, and admissions processes. Her publications include The school library media specialist's policy and procedure writer published by Neal-Schuman Publishers (2010), numerous book chapters, refereed journal articles, and referreed presentations at both international and national levels. She retired with articles to be published and ongoing scholarly work still in progress. In recognition of her contributions to the University and to her field, Dr. Downs is deserving of the title Professor Emerita of Instructional Technology.*