Dr. Beth Simon is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Education Studies. Her research interests lie in the areas of computing education and online and technology-enhanced teaching. Beth is currently involved in development of high school computing curriculum and the training and community needs of K-12 teachers wanting to bring computing education opportunities to their students. She has recently developed a Graduate Certificate program for K-12 Computer Science Education. Previously, Beth has studied the impacts of evidence-based active learning practices (e.g., Peer Instruction) on student outcomes in higher education, student conceptions of computing concepts, and novice computing students’ self-efficacy. Beth has served as the Faculty Advisor for Digital Learning in the UCSD Teaching + Learning Commons where she supported faculty and instructional staff in the use of technology to support their educational efforts both on-campus and through MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses).
Beth has served as a Teaching Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department, and as Director of UCSD’s Center for Teaching Development (now part of the Teaching and Learning Commons). From 2014-2015, Beth served as the Principal Teaching and Learning Specialist at Coursera, supporting faculty in development of MOOCs and advising on pedagogical platform development. During 2007-2008, Beth served as a Science Teaching and Learning Fellow in the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative at the University of British Columbia.
