Dr. Nichole Denise Pinkard is a leader in the area of how digital media is changing how people learn. Dr. Pinkard is the Founder of the Digital Youth Network and an Associate Professor at DePaul University in the College of Computing and Digital Media.
Education
editDr. Pinkard holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University, an M.S. in Computer Science from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University.[1]
Stanford has recognized Pinkard in multiple articles, primarily citing the organization she founded, the Digital Youth Network.[2] While at Northwestern, Pinkard’s dissertation was titled “Leveraging Background Knowledge: Using Popular Music to Build Beginning Readers' Reading Skills.”[3]
Career and Projects
editCareer
editPinkard is an Associate Professor at DePaul University in the College of Computing and Digital Media. Pinkard teaches a variety of courses involving technology and learning including: “Digital Media Literacies,” “Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction,” and “Interactive Media.”[4] Pinkard is also the founder of Digital Youth Network, a hybrid digital literacy program that focuses on supporting youth in developing 21st century media literacy skills.[5]
Additional Projects
editAlong with her professional career, Pinkard serves on the boards of many organizations. She serves on the Advisory Board of The Joan Ganz Cooney Center, which is an organization working to advance children’s literacy skills and foster innovation in children’s learning through digital media. She also is on the National Advisory Committee for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health Games Research program, which provides scientific leadership and resources to advance the research, design, and effectiveness of digital games and game technologies that promote health.[6]
Awards, Honors, and Accomplishments
editPinkard has received many awards and honors for the work she has done. She has received the Jan Hawkins Award for Early Career Contributions to Humanistic Research and Scholarship in Learning Technologies, as well as an NSF Early CAREER Fellowship.[7]