Derek Thurber
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Phone: 602-496-2530
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AOB 350 (West Valley Campus) Phoenix, AZ 85069
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Mail code: 3151Campus: West
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Derek is a Principal Teaching + Learning Specialist at Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation at ASU, where he is dedicated to empowering faculty to enhance the quality of their curriculum, teaching, and support for students' learning through personalized educational and organizational development services.
With over a decade of experience in higher education, Derek has served as a researcher, teacher, and designer committed to advancing the quality of teaching and learning for all students. His original research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, and he has been invited to present his work on learning design at several national conferences, including AERA, Distance Teaching & Learning, EDUCAUSE, POD Network, and OLC Innovate.
Derek's expertise in educational development and learning design is grounded in his commitment to fostering inclusive learning environments that support the success of all students. He is passionate about collaborating with faculty to develop innovative and effective teaching strategies that promote active learning and student engagement.
EdD in Leadership and Innovation | Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
MS in Higher Education Administration and Policy | Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
BA in History | Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA
Derek's current research interests include curriculum coherence and faculty teaching agency within higher education. His work focuses on unpacking the various conceptualizations of curricula from the perspectives of different actors within the institution to reduce barriers to identifying what counts as “valid” knowledge within the curriculum, thereby increasing the agency of marginalized individuals to contribute to the legitimization of knowledge and decreasing the power of hidden curricula to replicate existing norms and values that perpetuate inequitable power hierarchies. As such, his research focuses on interdisciplinary concepts within learning theory, curriculum, and leadership within higher education institutions. In the past, he has researched game-based and simulation-based learning, gamification, learning and motivation, and blended learning theory using the Community of Inquiry Framework.
Thurber D., Markos, A., Ross, L., Conley, Q., & Wendt, J. (2025). Examining the use and usability of course “fact sheets” as an approach to faculty development. Journal of Faculty Development, 39(2), 41-48.
Thurber D. & Bossen, K. (2025). Curriculum review in higher education: The educational developer’s role in facilitating faculty communities of practice to improve coherence. To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, 44(1). https://doi.org/10.3998/tia.4500
Lujano, I., Thurber, D., & Romkey, M. (2024). Exploring the role of student-run journals in shaping academic identity. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education. https://doi.org/10.1108/SGPE-04-2024-0036
Thurber, D., Markos, A., Ross, L., Conley, Q., & Wendt, J. (2024). Improving implementation of a large-scale curriculum redesign: An innovative approach to balancing fidelity and agency. Innovative Higher Education, 50(2). 389-410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-024-09736-2
Speer, J., Conley, Q., Thurber, D., Williams, B., Wasden, M., & Jackson, B. (2022). A mixed-methods study of the effectiveness and perceptions of a course design institute for health science educators. BMC Medical Education, 22(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03910-w
Thurber, D. (2021). Designing learning experiences for the future of learning in the digital age: A proposed framework. Current Issues in Education, 22(1).
Thurber, D. & Trautvetter, L. (2020). Examining student reported interaction and satisfaction in higher education administration graduate seminar-style blended courses. Online Learning, 24(3), 184-202. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v24i3.2102
Courses
2026 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| TEL 701 | Action Research Quant Methods |
2025 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| HED 598 | Special Topics |
| HED 598 | Special Topics |
2024 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| TEL 711 | Strategies for Inquiry |
2024 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| TEL 708 | Collab Apprch Data-Inf Dcn Mkg |
| TEL 708 | Collab Apprch Data-Inf Dcn Mkg |
| TEL 708 | Collab Apprch Data-Inf Dcn Mkg |
2024 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| TEL 701 | Action Research Quant Methods |
2023 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| TEL 711 | Strategies for Inquiry |
2023 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| EDU 301 | Why Education? |
| EDU 301 | Why Education? |
| LSE 305 | Conceptualizing Learning |
2022 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| EDU 301 | Why Education? |
| LSE 305 | Conceptualizing Learning |
| LSE 305 | Conceptualizing Learning |
| EDU 301 | Why Education? |
2022 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| EDU 301 | Why Education? |
| EDU 301 | Why Education? |
| LSE 305 | Conceptualizing Learning |
2021 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| EDU 301 | Why Education? |
| LSE 305 | Conceptualizing Learning |
| LSE 305 | Conceptualizing Learning |
| EDU 301 | Why Education? |