Jana Willis, Ph.D.

Professor, Instructional Design and Technology,
College of Education

Contact number: 281-283-3568
Email: willis@uhcl.edu
Office: Bayou Suite 1321.11

Biography

Dr. Jana M. Willis has worked in STEM-related areas for over 30 years. Dr. Willis has a PhD. from Texas A&M University in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Educational Technology. She is a Professor in the College of Education, Instructional Design and Technology program. Research includes online course development, project/problem-based learning, artificial intelligence to support teaching and learning, K-12 technology integration, teacher development, games in education, and self-efficacy. Scholarly works include international, national, and regional refereed/non-refereed journal articles, edited book chapters, and professional conference presentations. Willis' service spans beyond teaching to community engagement and research, earning her the 2016 UHCL President’s Distinguished Service Award. She is part of UHCL’s Million Dollar Club for collaborative efforts developing interdisciplinary projects with over $5 million awarded.

Areas of Expertise

Digital Literacy
Serious Games in the PK-12 Classroom
Artificial Intelligence to support Teaching and Learning
Integration of Technology in Learner-Centered Instruction
Instructional Technology/Educational Technology
Instructional Design

Publications

John, J., Giles, M., Cooper, J., Peters, M., & Willis, J. (2025). Integrators versus non-integrators: Technology proficiency, support, and access. In T. Cherner & R. Blankenship (Eds.), Research Highlights in Technology and Teacher Education (pp. 176-192). AACE. https://doi.org/10.70725/450460igrqkt

Willis, J. M., Baker, S. F., & Shulsky, D. (2025). Elementary school teacher candidates’ perceptions on defining and integrating civic literacy. Social Studies Research and Practice, 20(1), 105-120.

Giles, M., Baker, S., & Willis, J. (2024). A Teacher-Librarian Collaborative Experience: Perspectives of Preservice Teachers and School Librarian Candidates. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 24(2), 198-237.

Unruh, J., Giles, M., & Willis, J. (2023). Using Vicarious Experiences to Artificially Create the "Sweet Spot": Modeling Pedagogy and Technology Integration. In J. Trumble, S. Asim, J. Ellis, & D. Slykhuis (Eds.), Theoretical and Practical Teaching Strategies for K-12 Science Education in the Digital Age (pp. 238-249). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-5585-2.ch013

Bowman, H., Giles, M., Orange, A., Decman, J., & Willis, J. M. (2022). Social Media Practices of School Administrators: The Time is Now. School Leadership Review, 17(1), 4.

Giles, M. & Willis, J. (2022). Creating Tomorrow's Innovators. In C. Webb & A. Lindner (Eds.), Preparing Pre-Service Teachers to Integrate Technology in K-12 Classrooms: Standards and Best Practices (pp. 58-72). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-5478-7.ch004

Giles, M., Baker, S. F., & Willis, J. M. (2020). Pre-service teachers' peer mentoring experience and its influence on technology proficiency. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 28(5), 602-624.

Baker, S., Decman, J., & Willis, J. M. (2020). Talk or Walk: School Principals and Shared Instructional Leadership. School Leadership Review, 15(1), 17.

Baker, S. & Lastrapes, R., Eubanks, L., & Willis, J. (2020). Social media collaborative spaces: Building bridges to just-in-time training. In R. E. Ferdig, E., Baumgartner, R. Hartshorne, R. Kaplan-Rakowski, & C. Mouza (Eds.), Teaching, Technology, and Teacher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories from the Field (pp. 289-293). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

Weiland, P., Peters, M., & Willis, J. (2018). Examining the impact of modality and learning style preferences on recall of psychiatric nursing and pharmacology terms. Nurse Education Today.

Courses (Current Academic Year)

INST 3313: Survey of Instructional Technologies
TCED 6031: Application of Technology in the Classroom

Research Projects

Research includes online course development, project/problem-based learning, artificial intelligence to support teaching and learning, K-12 technology integration, teacher development, games in education, and self-efficacy.

Awards and Accomplishments

2022:
- University Faculty Fellowship Award
2018:
- 2018 University of Houston-Clear Lake Alumni Association Outstanding Professor
2017:
- 2017 National Project Learning Tree Outstanding Educator of the Year
- Texas Forestry Association's Project Learning Tree Outstanding Educator of the Year
2015:
- University of Houston-Clear Lake's 2016 Distinguished Service Award