ABOUT ME

I am an award-winning educator, author, and creativity advocate advancing faculty development & enhancing students’ literacy skills.

I work to democratize digital creativity by mobilizing accessible design technologies so that students and teachers can realize their creative potential and narrativize their knowledge, passion, and impact dynamically and intentionally across digital platforms.

My passion for education lies at the intersection of literacy, technology, and instructional leadership.


The ways we drive and develop our students’ essential literacy skills — whether creative, digital, or linguistic — matter now more than ever, and teachers deserve quality professional development resources that empower them to leverage technology to elevate their instructional practice.

How did I get here?

I began my education career teaching K-12 developmental reading classes before designing and teaching interdisciplinary writing and literature courses at the college level. After earning my Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in English, my area of content specialization, I became a teaching-track faculty member and administrator in the Department of English at Indiana University Bloomington. My investment in faculty development and instructional coaching emerged while serving as Associate Director of Undergraduate Teaching, training and supporting graduate student and post-doctoral instructors teaching digital composition and intensive writing courses.

What’s in the works?

When I am not busy teaching or furthering my own education in instructional leadership and learning technology, I continue to facilitate faculty development workshops and write about teaching topics, including creativity, digital pedagogy, and multimodal literacy. I am also the author of a growing library of open educational resources designed to support faculty and students in general education courses.

Education

Education •

Degrees Conferred

Ph.D., English
University of Georgia

Primary: Victorian Literature & Visual Culture
Secondary: Romantic Literature; Art & Image Theories

Concentration: Studies in the Novel
Summa cum laude
& Honors Program Highest Honors

Graduate Certificate in Learning Sciences, Media, & Technology
Indiana University Bloomington, School of Education

In progress - anticipated completion spring 2025


Certificate in Instructional Leadership
Harvard University, Graduate School of Education

In progress - anticipated completion spring 2025

B.A., English
University of Georgia

Continuing Education

Awards & Recognition

Awards & Recognition •

Teaching Awards

Martha F. Bowden Teaching Prize
SE American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 2024

“The prize seeks innovative pedagogies for teaching the time period to students at the undergraduate or graduate level.”


Excellence in Teaching Award
University of Georgia Graduate School, 2022

“The Excellence-in-Teaching Award was established by the Graduate School to recognize those who have demonstrated superior teaching skills and have contributed to teaching beyond their own classroom responsibilities, making a significant contribution to the instructional mission of the university.

“This award is intended to recognize graduate students who have demonstrated superior teaching skills while serving in a significant instructional role at UGA.”



Open Educator of the Year Award
Indiana University Libraries, 2024

“An honor bestowed annually to an IU Bloomington faculty member for their outstanding contributions to open education, measured by the resulting cost savings for students and the broader educational influence… Stecher stands out for her prolific creation of OER focused on writing and writing pedagogy.”  

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
University of Georgia Center for Teaching & Learning, 2021