Faculty Academy Staff
Amanda Miller's particular areas of interest include promoting active teaching techniques, helping faculty ensure the success of underrepresented students, and researching new models of assessing faculty development. She has presented work with her colleagues on Project Based Learning at both regional conferences and for professional organizations as well as published on assessing faculty development in Assessment Update. Miller is also an professor and chair of the Department of Sociology.
James Willis started at UIndy in 2016. He began working with the Faculty Academy in 2020 as a Faculty Extender. This later expanded to helping the university roll out the Brightspace LMS as a Faculty Academy Fellow. With a diverse research agenda in religious studies and higher education, James has contributed to journals such as the Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory, Educause Review, and Educational Technology Research & Development. Initially trained in religious studies, theology, and philosophy, he expanded his expertise to educational research, employing qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. He also has experience developing credentialing systems like open digital badges.
He has been instrumental in supporting faculty through the use of Brightspace and developing effective teaching strategies for both in-person and online modalities (synchronous or asynchronous). His dedication to fostering academic excellence and innovation has significantly enhanced the educational experience for both faculty and students. His passion for advancing interdisciplinary scholarship, integrating educational technology to improve teaching and learning, and fostering collaborative research will be pivotal in driving the Faculty Academy's mission forward. He is an Assistant Professor of Practice for Religion in the Philosophy & Religion Department.
Serdar Oğuz joined the University of Indianapolis in 2009, bringing extensive experience in implementing and administering learning technologies. With nearly three decades of experience in higher education technology, he specializes in learning management systems, enterprise integrations, and secure learning infrastructure.
With experience as a PeopleSoft Systems Analyst and Learning Management System (LMS) Administrator, Serdar uses his knowledge to maintain a robust, secure, and reliable learning environment for the university community. He plays a central role in integrating numerous third-party tools into UIndy’s Brightspace LMS, ensuring a technically sound, durable, and user-friendly platform for teaching and learning.
While at Butler University, he implemented and administered the Blackboard LMS, building deep expertise in learning technologies that he later brought to UIndy. Upon arriving at UIndy in 2009, he led UIndy’s Sakai “ACE” LMS implementation and was instrumental in UIndy’s 2020 LMS transition and integration to Brightspace.
Throughout his tenure at UIndy, Serdar has spearheaded the integration and administration of multiple enterprise systems and technologies, including Blackboard, Sakai, Brightspace, Ellucian ILP, and a wide range of Third-Party eProducts. Serdar remains committed to serving the UIndy community through his expertise in the following key areas:
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Brightspace: Learning Management System (LMS) administration and optimization
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Ellucian: Intelligent Learning Platform (ILP) data synchronization
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System Integrations: Banner and Third-Party eProducts with Brightspace
Marsha Wilson Wood holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in Higher Education from Purdue University Global and a postgraduate certificate in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University - Bloomington. She also focused on Educational Psychology in doctoral studies at Walden University.
Marsha has taught in higher education since 1999 in both online and in classroom settings. She also has served as a program director for Allied Health Sciences at Methodist Hospital and as an Instructional Designer for online college and adult training courses. Most recently, Marsha worked in secondary education as a science teacher while continuing to teach online for Memba Institute in training medical coders.
Her interests include transitioning courses to create a learner centric environment through the ADDIE model of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation; assisting instructors to excel in the classroom; and creating online environments that provide today’s learner the information they expect to be readily available but also streamline the instructional workload.
Bringing forth over 16 years of extensive expertise across academia and industry, Dr. Boadum has been a driving force in innovating education since 2006. With a foundation laid in K-12 STEM education for eight years and transitioning to dedicate continuing years in Higher Education applied innovative learning design with extensive experience in online learning research, curriculum development, faculty development, and learning experience design.
He is a well-rounded technology professional, with considerable expertise in cloud computing, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, and has demonstrated organizational leadership skills, leading diverse cross-functional teams towards success.
Fee holds an MS, Gerontology, from the University of Indianapolis and was previously the Indiana Workforce Development training supervisor where her responsibilities included design and delivery of training programs. She is a Dementia Friends Champion, providing education sessions for those caring for people with dementia and for the community at large. She also coordinates UIndy's dementia-friendly Memory Cafe programs and serves as the project assistant for the Faculty Academy.