Meet the team
Bill Cope
Professor,
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Bill Cope is a Professor in the Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a leading scholar in the fields of literacy and technology-mediated learning. His recent research has focused on the development of AI-supported digital writing and assessment technologies. In conjunction with Common Ground, he has led the development of CGScholar and CyberScholar platforms with the support of grants from the US Department of Education, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.
Mary Kalantzis
Professor,
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Mary Kalantzis was from 2006 to 2016 Dean of the College of Education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Before this, she was Dean of the Faculty of Education, Language and Community Services at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, and President of the Australian Council of Deans of Education. She has co-authored with Bill Cope: New Learning: Elements of a Science of Education, Cambridge University Press, 2008 (3rd edition, 2022); Literacies, Cambridge University Press 2012 (2nd edition, 2016); and the two volume grammar of multimodal meaning: Making Sense and Adding Sense, Cambridge University Press, 2020.
Duane Searsmith
E-Learning Technical Specialist,
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Duane Searsmith is an E-Learning Technical Specialist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he leads development work on the CyberScholar platform. With over two decades of experience in artificial intelligence and advanced natural language processing , his recent work focuses on using generative AI to create prompt engineering software for writing support and peer review feedback. This software has been deployed in graduate courses at the University of Illinois. Duane holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Case Western Reserve University.
Anastasia-Olga (Olnancy) Tzirides
Research Scientist
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Anastasia-Olga (Olnancy) Tzirides is a Research Scientist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Visiting Lecturer at the University of Illinois Chicago, with applied research experience at Google. Her work in the learning sciences examines the integration of artificial intelligence in education, focusing on generative AI, human-AI collaboration, and user experience in digital learning environments. She has published widely on AI literacy, feedback systems, and multiliteracies, and presented at international conferences in Europe and the United States. She holds a Ph.D. in Learning Design and Leadership from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Michele Galla
Ed.D. student & AI industry insider,
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Michele Galla is an EPOL Ed.D. student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an AI industry insider with a rich, 28-year history in K-12 education, highlighted by her leadership in developing statewide online learning programs in Alaska. With 11 years of pioneering online instruction and eight additional years in higher education, she is a results-oriented professional adept at crafting innovative and inclusive instructional programs. Michele is a strategic and collaborative leader who excels in optimizing technology to empower students and faculty, ensuring successful educational outcomes in remote, hybrid, and traditional settings.
Tamsyn Gilbert
Director of Program Development and Collaborative Partnerships,
Common Ground Research Networks
Tamsyn Gilbert is the Director of Program Development and Collaborative Partnerships at Common Ground Research Networks, where she leads strategic initiatives across the organization’s global research networks and directs key projects of the Common Ground Media Lab. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Media Studies and Sociology from The New School for Social Research. Tamsyn is also the co-founder of New Criticals and Immaterial Books, and has held roles at The Museum of Modern Art, Anthology Film Archives, and The New School. Her work spans media theory, visual culture, and the intersections of technology, art, and society.
Research & Implementation Partners
Gabriela C. Zapata is Associate Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham. Her research addresses generative AI in higher education, AI literacy, multiliteracies-based pedagogy (Learning by Design), and multimodal semiotics. She has published four books on multiliteracies, four Spanish textbooks, and co-edits volumes on AI and literacy.
Vania Castro is a Teaching Assistant Professor in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, teaching in the Learning Design and Leadership program. Her research and teaching examine how digital technologies, mobile devices, and artificial intelligence can support inclusive, equitable, and engaging learning experiences.
Yu-ling You is a Professor of English at the National Changhua University of Education in Taiwan. For over 25 years, her work has focused on EFL pedagogy, especially reading and writing. Her recent research examines multimodal composing, genre analysis of multimodal texts, and the use of AI tools to support EFL learners.
Dora Kourkoulou is Clinical Assistant Professor of Educational and Instructional Technology at the University of Iowa. She holds a PhD and EdM from the University of Illinois. Her research examines educational technology, playful and informal learning, and AI in education. She co-edited Trust and Inclusion in AI-Mediated Education and also studies resistance in video games.
José Luis Ortega Martín is Professor of Language and Literature Methodology at the University of Granada. He coordinates the MA in Spanish as a Foreign Language and leads EFL in the Teacher Training MA. He directs the Foreign Language Teaching research group and is Spanish Language Scientific Director at Common Ground Research Networks.
Stuart L. Mattingly, EdD, MBA, is Doctoral Program Coordinator for the Learning Design & Leadership program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Cooperating Teacher Supervisor at the University of Arizona. A Louisville native in Tucson, his research focuses on authentic assessment, pedagogy, technology-enhanced assessment, and AI in higher education.
Chris Hughes is a learning design researcher focused on transpositional grammar in digital education. He earned a PhD in Learning Design and Leadership from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His work on AI and video pedagogy appears in Computers & Education. Development Specialist and adjunct at University of the People.
Petrilson Pinheiro is Professor and Director of the Institute of Language Studies at the University of Campinas, Brazil. He co-authored Letramentos (2020) with Mary Kalantzis and Bill Cope, the Brazilian edition of Literacies. His research covers digital mother-tongue pedagogy, multiliteracies and teacher education, AI-mediated writing, disinformation, and critical literacies.
Eugenia Arvanitis is Professor of Interculturality and Diversity in Education at the University of Patras and Practicum Coordinator of Intercultural Education and Mediation MA. She coordinates the Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, edits the Diversity Network, is a Fulbright scholar, and researches Learning by Design using Nea Mathisi, CGScholar, CyberScholar.
Duncan Ferguson is Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. His research designs and evaluates methods to strengthen clinical reasoning, recently refining rubrics and medical knowledge bases to power AI prompts that provide formative feedback during case workups and medical record notes.