Kui Xie is passionate about using innovative approaches to integrate advanced computer technology into education.

“Every generation of new technology brings excitement because it changes and improves the human experience,” Xie said. However, many teachers lack training and time to use technology to transform their teaching.

His cutting-edge research was among the first to reveal how to motivate student learning in online discussion forums. For these reasons, he was appointed as the Ted and Lois Cyphert Distinguished Professor last summer.

Frederick R. “Ted” Cyphert was dean of the College of Education from 1974 to 1979. Before his death in 2005, he and his wife, Lois, endowed a fund to improve public school teachers’ ability to enhance student learning.

Today, the professorship advances work in Xie’s Research Laboratory for Digital Learning. Grants of more than $30 million also allow him to support public school teachers. Xie helps kick-start their use of technology to augment students’ learning and achievement.