Ben Hollis, PhD

Executive Director, Kent State Online

Ben holds a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology, both from Kent State University.  In his dissertation, Ben examined mind wandering in online learning, an intersection of technology learning and cognitive psychology.

Ben aims to continue researching the practical approaches to improving student achievement in the classroom based on findings in technology-enhanced learning and cognitive psychology.

Ben won national awards for innovation and interactive multimedia with his instructional design contributions to the online course Media, Power and Culture offered by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University.

Ben has worked with KSU faculty to design over 125 online courses, a fully online master’s degree program in Public Relations and fully online degree concentrations in Health Informatics, Museum Studies and Scholastic Education.

In his role as Director, Instructional Design, Kent State Online, Ben will develop and manage a maintenance and support plan for online courses in all Kent State colleges; help promote the design of innovative, high-quality online courses; ensure that all Kent State colleges have access to appropriate technology and training and encourage open communication among support staff, faculty, and administrators.

In 2017, Ben was awarded the Institute for Excellence for Administrators at Kent State University. This leadership program, one of the top ten in the country, offers a curriculum for administrators to develop social and emotional skills deemed most important for leaders by the Center for Creative Leadership. The discussions and tools used are intended to increase the leader’s capacity to contribute to the mission and goals of Kent State University.