By Mike Kilen
GCU News Bureau
The times have changed for educators.
“COVID has really spurred change in education that we could not even have imagined just three years ago – the move to more online instruction that is more commonplace,” said Dr. Alicia Kozimor, the new faculty chair of the College of Education at Grand Canyon University.
“How do we adapt our students within the College of Education to be teachers in those settings? How can we prepare them to be effective in that mode?”
Kozimor brings her own classroom experience to the table, having taught in elementary and middle school in Glendale before arriving at Grand Canyon Education in curriculum design three years ago. She completed her Master of Education in Educational Administration from GCU in 2017 and in July earned a doctorate.
One way she hopes to help both students and faculty is by connecting them with conferences, University resources and clubs that can help them excel.
“So when you leave you are not just a teacher, you are an educator. There is so much more that you do,” she said. “How are you going to change education, especially at this time when everything is changing? How are you going to make the profession better?”
With experience in writing grants, coaching and professional development, Kozimor hopes to champion faculty to help them achieve their personal and professional goals.
The avid reader and mother of a 4-year-old and 18-month-old even named her second child Scout, after the character in her favorite book, “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
“She’s living up to that name. She’s an explorer,” Kozimor said.
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at [email protected] or at 602-639-6764.
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