Directory

Katherine Izsak

Kate Izsak is Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives in the College of Information. Her interests lie in reimagining the future of higher education by integrating cutting-edge technology and pioneering research with transformative teaching practices. She strives to advance innovative approaches to pedagogy and instructional design, specifically relating to educational opportunities that ask students to critically examine how emerging technologies can be harnessed for social good and ethical policy-making.

Kate is the founder of the Campus Computing Community (C3), a novel mechanism for cross-campus student support and enrichment in computing, modeled on and extending the traditional academic writing center model. C3 hosts peer tutoring related to computing courses and projects and short courses aimed at helping students who have not historically seen themselves in computing fields see the relevance of computing to their personal and professional interests. Kate is also one of the co-founders working on establishing the INFO Commons, a common area that will offer a range of flexible spaces and unconventional programming, including labs specializing in IoT, gaming, AR/VR, prototyping, design, community engagement, and accessibility, with proximity to student and career services. In addition, Kate is one of the original founders of the DC-Metro Area Break Through Tech Program, a collaboration between University of Maryland, George Mason University, and Pivotal Ventures establishing an initiative consisting of curriculum innovation, career access, and community-building in service of achieving gender equality in tech. Kate has also co-founded numerous UMD degree programs, on topics including the following: information design, human-centered AI, social data science, community resilience, gaming and media analytics, data journalism, library leadership, and smart and connected communities.

CURRENT INTERESTS:

• STEM education
• Human-centered, explainable, and generative AI
• Learning sciences

EDUCATION

• PhD, History & Anthropology, University of Michigan
• MA, History, University of Michigan
• BA, History, Duke University