Dr. M.J. Bishop is the inaugural director of the University System of Maryland’s Center for Academic Innovation, which was established in 2013 to enhance and promote USM’s position as a national leader in higher education academic innovations. The Center conducts research on best practices, disseminates findings, offers professional development opportunities for institutional faculty and administrators, and supports the 14 public institutions that are part of the system as they continue to expand innovative academic practices.

Prior to coming to USM, Dr. Bishop was Associate Professor and Director of the Lehigh University College of Education’s Teaching, Learning, and Technology Program where, in addition to being responsible for the institution’s graduate programs in instructional technology, she also played a leadership role in guiding the general and special education teacher preparation programs through a curricular overhaul to address the new Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) guidelines for teacher certification.

While at Lehigh, Dr. Bishop received several awards for her research and teaching including the 2013 Stabler Award for Excellence in Teaching for leading students to “excellence in their chosen field” as well as “excellence as human beings and as leaders of society.” In addition to her teaching, M.J. was project director and a Co-PI of the Clipper Project, a 5-year Andrew Mellon funded research project aimed at evaluating the short- and long-term costs and benefits associated with offering Web-based courses to high-school seniors who had been “pre-admitted” to the university.

Prior to Lehigh, M.J. was a software development project manager and Vice President for Operations on the Multimedia Thinking Skills (MMTS) project (funded by CAETI and National Science Foundation under subcontracts from George Mason University) where she was principally responsible for the daily management of the MMTS project, including formative and summative evaluation of the modules developed.

Author of numerous national and international articles, Dr. Bishop’s research interests include exploring how various instructional media and delivery systems might be designed and used more effectively to improve learning and teaching. M.J. holds a doctorate in instructional design and development from Lehigh, a master’s in English from Millersville University and a bachelor’s in political science and English from Lebanon Valley College.

M.J. Bishop, EdD
Director, William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation
University System of Maryland