Akesha Horton, Ph.D.
Instructional designer and academic leader with more than fifteen years of experience helping faculty teach well and helping students learn. Her career spans K–12 classrooms, online graduate programs, and military professional education at institutions across the United States and Australia. A former mathematics teacher and Fulbright/mtvU Fellow, she grounds her practice in learning theory while building courses, mentoring graduate instructors, and securing funding for pedagogical innovation. A Gallup Certified Strengths Coach now working toward ICF certification, she brings strengths-based coaching to faculty development and mentoring. Her current focus is the responsible use of AI in teaching, assessment, and course design.
Professional Experience
Director of Academic Engagement and Learning
Aug 2025 – Present- Directs day-to-day and strategic operations for AI integration, faculty development, and professional development programming across the Luddy Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses.
- Provides work direction and guidance to Ph.D. Instructors of Record, teaching assistants, undergraduate assistants, and graduate-student instructors.
- Defines scope of work for the faculty professional development portfolio; develops project plans, timelines, and resource requirements.
- Coordinates with institutional analytics on enrollment, engagement, and instructional metrics; presents findings to the Dean, Associate Deans, and Department Chairs.
- Collaborates with senior leadership on strategic learning initiatives, grant writing, and emerging AI policy.
- Provides Gallup Strengths coaching to the school, integrating strengths touch points across the student experience.
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Aug 2018 – Aug 2025- Assisted Department Chairs and the Directors of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies with curriculum planning, teaching policies, academic programming, and special projects.
- Developed and delivered orientation, required trainings, and professional development workshops for faculty and graduate students.
- Managed a $1 million TA/UA budget and hiring decisions.
- Led and supported grant-writing initiatives related to pedagogical practices, STEM workforce development, and broadening participation efforts.
- Collaborated with the Assistant Dean of Engagement and Community to promote inclusive teaching practices across the school.
Learning Design, Development & Innovation Coordinator
Jan 2017 – Jul 2018- Collaborated with course directors on course development including media development, instructional design, assessment strategies, and evaluation of instructional outcomes in online courses.
- Served as administrative faculty for orientation courses across all online Professional Military Education certificate and graduate degree programs.
- Served on the Faculty Senate and the AR/VR Planning Committee.
Digital Collaborations Coordinator
May 2016 – May 2017Established a virtual collaboration space connecting Indiana University faculty with faculty at Minority Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges interested in partnering on research opportunities.
Associate Professor
Aug 2014 – Jun 2016Program Leader for the Differentiated Instruction Program. Supervised, trained, and mentored adjunct faculty; facilitated face-to-face and online courses for in-service teachers; conducted curriculum development for the Instructional Design Program.
Senior Educational Technologist
May 2012 – Aug 2014Provided faculty development in educational technology, pedagogic theory, culturally responsive pedagogy, and transforming curricula into online and blended courses for STEM faculty. Mentored educational technologists and supervised graduate students. Also served as Adjunct Faculty in the College of Education (EDCI 569, EDCI 513).
Online Course Designer and Instructor
Aug 2011 – May 2015Supported the development of the first Australia-based online Master's program in Indigenous education; wrote content, built instructional modules and assessments, and taught INED 804 Global Indigenous Education.
Visiting Scholar — Fulbright / mtvU Fellow
Oct 2010 – Dec 2012Examined how youth in Western Sydney engaged in global and digital citizenship through popular culture, specifically hip-hop. Wrote monthly blogs for the mtvU channel and led workshops on connecting with young, highly diverse populations. Concurrently served as Thinker in Residence at Information and Cultural Exchange, Sydney (2011).
Course Instructor & Graduate Roles
Aug 2006 – Aug 2011Taught TE 150, TE 818, TE 831, and the Summer Scholars Program; instructed in the Broad Summer High School Program; assistant-coordinated the Sydney study abroad program and Future Teachers for Social Justice; served as research assistant and technology consultant in the Department of Teacher Education.
Coordinator, Web Design and Instruction
Sep 2002 – Aug 2006Advised the Vice Provost of Research and Dean of the Graduate School on online education and web-based graduate programs; developed websites and multimedia for retention and instruction; helped develop "Teaching in the Online Environment" for the Preparing Future Faculty Program.
Education
Certifications
Teaching Experience
Select Publications
Horton, A. (2026). Examining AI Driven Art in an Educational Context. In S. A. Blevis, E. Blevis, M. Lewis, & M. Sturdee (Eds.), Seeing Interaction Design (Design Research Foundations). Springer, Cham.
Berzina-Pitcher, I., Horton, A., Wolf, L. G., Seals, C. D., & Mishra, P. (2019). Embracing the Inherent Messiness in Urban Education: Learning from a STEM and Leadership Program. In Handbook of Research on Educator Preparation and Professional Learning (pp. 60–83). IGI Global.
Horton, A., Mishra, P., Henriksen, D., Seals, C., Shack, K., & Marcotte, C. (2019). Creativity and the urban teacher: A STEM-related professional development program. In C. A. Mullen (Ed.), Creativity Under Duress in Education? (pp. 289–311). Springer, Cham.
Horton, A., Byker, E., & Heggart, K. (2017). Hip-Hop Music as a pedagogical tool: Teaching with hip-hop in global contexts. In Culture, Learning, and Technology: Research and Practice (pp. 58–74). New York: Routledge.
Seals, C., Horton, A., Berzina-Pitcher, I., & Mishra, P. (2017). A New Understanding of our Confusion: Insights from a Year-Long STEM Fellowship Program. In Handbook of Research on Teacher Education and Professional Development (pp. 582–604). IGI Global.
Zakharov, W., Horton, A., Reid, P., Willis, J., & Attardo, D. (2017). Social Media: An Integration Guideline for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. In Learning and Knowledge Analytics in Open Education (pp. 149–169). Springer International Publishing.
Horton, A. (2026). The Role Determines the Rule: A Disciplinary Literacy Frame for AI Policy in Computing Education [Manuscript under review]. ACM Transactions on Computing Education.
Public Scholarship — LuddyTeach
Selected posts from blogs.iu.edu/luddyteach, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering.
Select Proceedings & Conference Presentations
Horton, A., Asino, T., & Dickerson, C. D. (2021). Exploring Our Future: The Culture, Learning and Technology Division at a Crossroads. AECT International Convention.
Horton, A. (2018). Rules of Play: Constructing Strategic Roles and Decisions Through Statecraft. ISA International Convention.
Horton, A., & Boyer, D. M. (2017). A DuBoisian Approach to Global Citizenship Education. AECT International Convention.
Horton, A., Mishra, P., Graves-Wolf, L., Seals, C., & Marcotte, C. (2017). Developing a Culture of Shared Practice through Personal Learning Networks amongst STEM Educators. AECT International Convention.
Mishra, P., Wolf, L. G., et al., incl. Horton, A. (2016). Reinventing TPACK, STEM Teaching and Leadership in an Urban Context. SITE, Savannah, GA.
Mishra, P., Wolf, L., et al., incl. Horton, A. (2015). Enhancing Urban Teachers' STEM and Leadership Capacities. In Proceedings of SITE 2015 (pp. 981–986). AACE.
Harris, C., Horton, A., & Hedrick, G. (2014). Cloud Services: Developing an Integrated Strategy for Faculty Support. EDUCAUSE Connect, Chicago.
Blackmon, S., Horton, A., et al. (2013). Press X to Teach: Games as Means and Methodology in the Composition Classroom. Computers & Writing Conference, Frostburg, MD.
Horton, A. (2012). Hip Hop Who R U? An Examination of Hip-Hop as a Professional Development Tool. 9th International Conference Crossroads in Cultural Studies, Paris, France.
Horton, A., & Heggart, K. (2012). Explorations in Hip-Hop, Digital Literacies and Global Citizenship Among Youth in Western Sydney. Crossroads in Cultural Studies, Paris, France.
Demirbilek, M., Yucel, Z., & Horton, A. (2011). English Language Teachers' Perspectives on Using Computer Games for Second Language Teaching and Learning. AERA, New Orleans, LA.
Horton, A., Covington, C., Kim, G., & Fitzer, K. (2009). The Graduate — A Serious Game on Graduate School Retention. Games, Learning, and Society Conference, Madison, WI.
Horton, A. (2009). African American Imprint on Global Citizenship Education. AERA, San Diego, CA.
Selected Invited Speaking
Preparing a Teaching Portfolio and Preparing for Promotion. Workshop, CRA-E Chicago-Area Regional Summit for Teaching-Track Faculty in Computing (2026).
AI and CS Education. Panelist, CRA-E Chicago-Area Regional Summit (2026).
Designing for Authentic Assessment: A Community Toolkit for Generative AI Integration in Computing Education. Teaching and Learning Symposium, EDUCAUSE (2026).
Student AI Literacy Through Structured Use. The Connected Classroom Summit, Indiana University (2026).
Educators Learning in Real Time. AIxEd, Northeastern University (2026).
Tips and Tricks for AI & Pedagogy. GenAI Webinar Series — Digital Gardener Initiative, Indiana University (2026).
Getting Your Academic Hustle On: Understanding the Art and Science of Academic Branding in STEM. IU–MSI STEM Initiative Faculty Research Development Institute (2017).
The Importance of Diversity in STEM Research. Keynote, STEM Summer Scholars Program, Indiana University (2016).
Multicultural Identity Development in Virtual Environments. Warawara, Macquarie University, Sydney (2011).
Hip-Hop is My Passport: Examining Global Citizenship Education and Digital Literacies through Popular Culture. Department of Health, Melbourne (2011).
Using Social Media Tools to Create an Academic Identity. University of Melbourne (2011).
Podcasting: Pedagogical and Practical Considerations. Süleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey (2011).
Thinking about Technology: Practices All Educators Should Know. Sisters of the Academy, Auburn, AL (2009).