Director of Teaching, Learning, & Innovation Bio

Barb Bird

Director of Teaching, Learning, & Innovation

Education

• B.A., Taylor University
• M.A., Ph.D., Ball State University (Composition/Rhetoric)

About

Barb Bird joined Ohio Wesleyan University in 2024. She is the inaugural Director of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation at OWU. In the newly endowed position, Bird oversees the strategic design, implementation, and continuing work of teaching effectiveness, engaged learning, and curricular innovation at Ohio Wesleyan. She is a strategic leader in faculty development and student learning, supporting faculty engagement in evidence-informed best practices in teaching and learning.

Prior to this position, Bird was the Dean of Faculty Development and Director of the Bedi Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Taylor University (2017-2024) and the Writing Center Director (2001-2017) as well as a professor in the English Department (2001-2024).

Outside of her OWU work, Bird enjoys spending time with family: her husband, two adult children (and daughter-in-law), parents, and siblings. She also enjoys running, having completed a 50K trail run, the Disney Dopey Challenge (48.6 miles), 10 marathons, and 11 (and counting!) half marathons. 

Areas of Interest / Expertise

Bird's scholarly research: 1) institutional structures, processes, and programs that inspire and support faculty's work as teachers, including Teaching Effectiveness Frameworks; 2) pedagogies for engaging emerging adults. Additionally, she has researched the role of emotions and affective presence in learning, creating belonging for all students (including Universal Design for Learning pedagogies), and course design. 

Prior to her work in faculty development and teaching centers, Bird's scholarly publications focused on basic writing and writing center work.