Margeaux Johnson is a Learning Tools Specialist at the Center for Informational Technology and Training at the University of Florida (UF). She discusses her journey combining her passion for technology and education and how that led her toward higher education.
What inspired you to pursue a career in Educational Technology?
So, I have always been passionate about academics and enjoyed learning. I love technology and the intersection with knowledge.
I have always sought opportunities to work with others and find a role I can serve on a team. I enjoy working [in an] interdisciplinary [field], which has allowed me to develop skills that can cross every discipline, and technology is something that can cross every discipline.
I’ve found it beneficial to be in a role that allows me to work on many different teams and other projects. I can overlay this intersection of pedagogical knowledge and technical knowledge with other people’s content, knowledge, and disciplines and really contribute.
Can you discuss your research in Educational Technology?
A research project I am currently working on combines nursing and dentistry. UF has developed an AI agent that nursing students can use virtually to work with patients.
When the patient comes in, the student can talk to that patient, and they respond and discover that this patient has trauma to their mouth and has knocked out a tooth. The next step is for the nursing student to refer the patient to a dental student who can see that virtual patient and talk to them so that the nurse and the dentist can devise a care plan together. So, the chatbot AI agent catalyzes two students to work together.
Could you tell me about the path that led to your current role as a Learning Tools Specialist in the Center for Informational Technology and Training at UF?
So, my path has been nonlinear, and my current role is staff. My original position at UF was as a faculty member, and my background is in library and information science. So, I was a faculty librarian at UF. Then, I had an opportunity to work in the tech industry at a startup affiliated with UF. So, a professor at UF was one of the co-founders of the tech startup. After that, I returned to UF as an instructional designer, and now I work at UFIT, so it is a dynamic path.
What are your responsibilities as a Learning Tools Specialist?
My role is to help faculty with emerging technologies like AI, augmented reality, or virtual reality and ensure they align with their learning goals. At UF specifically, we have a fantastic initiative where they're trying to build an AI university. They received a $70 million infusion from a company called Invidia, which makes AI chips and is a leader in the AI industry. I support faculty by promoting the use of AI in pedagogically sound ways that make sense for how faculty teach across various academic disciplines.
For example, I have guided faculty on how to use AI for item writing while developing exams. To support the faculty, I found that if you took their course materials and used AI to generate multiple-choice questions based on those course materials and used a process of peer review, then AI speeds up the process of writing multiple-choice questions rather than the professor starting with a blank page. Instead, they begin with their course summaries and slides. The AI uses these materials to generate questions based on the course content for the professor to refine and review.
What mentors and sponsors have had the most significant impact on your career?
Dr. Alex Hodges was my supervisor for my part-time job as an undergraduate student at UF. He currently holds the position of associate dean in the Graduate School of Education. He has been part of my life since I was 20 and has always encouraged my academic career.
All my faculty members and professors were outstanding when I was at the University of Maryland, earning a master’s [degree] in library and information science. Two professors guided me: Derek Hansen and Carrie Krauss. We worked on papers together while I was in graduate school, and after I graduated, we presented at conferences together.
When I was an instructional librarian at UF, my original department chair, Tara Cataldo, taught me how tenure worked and how to balance research, teaching, and service.
These people and many more have helped me shape my career and who I am as a human being.
What was the most complex challenge you faced in your career, and how did you resolve the situation?
Yeah, my decision to leave my faculty position was complex because I loved being a librarian and enjoyed my colleagues. I love many elements of library science, but I needed to take a risk and try something new. I still had those foundational roots of being a librarian. Still, in the tech startup world, there is so much experience [I] gained, especially in Agile software development, how to work with teams of engineers, and how to work with teams of diverse people.
Ultimately, I returned to higher [education] because instruction design combined my love for education and technology.
Where do you feel vulnerable, and how do you overcome that?
I’m an introvert, but when I have imposter syndrome, I need social support to keep going. I’ve been able to create those structures, or I have brilliant friends who have come up with ways that we can have these structures and not let my overthinking get in the way of success.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Be persistent. There will be many changes, and everything is constantly changing, but you must keep going.
How do you manage the balance?
I have two dogs, enjoy gardening, and travel is wonderful. I have had the opportunity to travel to Greece and Turkey, where I enjoyed the culture and saw beautiful things.
Hawa Allarakhia has an M.Ed. from the University of South Florida and is currently a doctoral candidate pursuing an Ed. D. at USF. Her research is in Disability Services. She is the graduate assistant in the Office of Research on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. For questions, please email her at hawa1@usf.edu.