Staff

Meet Our Staff!

Dr. Shenghua Zha

Dr. Shenghua Zha is the Director of TITIL and is a Professor at Texas A&M University. Dr. Zha’s research interests include technology-integrated learning, group dynamics, and peer interactions. My current research effort is focused on integrating computational thinking education in K-8 education and pre-service teacher education.

Dr. Zha holds a B.A. in English for Science and Technology from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, a M.A. in Computer-Assisted Language Learning in Applied Linguistics from Shanghai JiaoTong University, and a Ph.D. in Information Science and Learning Technologies from the University of Missouri-Columbia.  

Dr. Rebecca Schlegel

Dr. Rebecca Schlegel is the Co-Director of TITIL and is a Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University. Dr. Schlegel’s research is in social and personality psychology, with a focus on existential psychology. She studies issues related to self/identity, authenticity, and meaning in life. Her work with TITIL has focused on questions surrounding how to foster an academic sense of self among students in elementary, middle, and high school.

Dr. Schlegel joined Texas A&M in 2009 and helped found TITIL in 2018. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Kansas State University  and a PhD in psychological science from the University of Missouri. 

Dr. Glen Hordemann

Dr. Glen Hordemann is one of the three Lab Managers of TITIL. In this role, he is responsible for co-managing the 20-member staff with TITIL’s other lab managers; managing lab funds and expenditures; and mentoring junior staff on qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Dr. Hordemann earned a B.S. in Computer Science from Gonzaga University, a M.S. in Computer Science from Bowling Green State University, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Texas A&M University. His research interests involve Human-Computer Interaction, Teleprersence Robitics, High-Performance Computing, and Artificial Intelligence. His research includes investigating how education intersects with technology, and how technical tools can aid instruction and guide learning.

Dr. Joshua Howell

Dr. Joshua Howell is one of the three Lab Managers of TITIL. In this role, he is responsible for co-managing the 20-member staff with TITIL’s other lab managers; managing lab funds and expenditures; and mentoring junior staff on qualitative and quantitative research methods. He is currently in the process of planning new grant proposals for TITIL and is currently open for collaborative projects. 

Dr. Howell graduated in 2014 with his Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from Texas A&M, after which he spent three years working in industry as a professional software engineer. In 2017 he rejoined Texas A&M as a doctoral student and graduated with his Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2024. His research interests involve Human-Computer Interaction and his dissertation was on Creating Accessible Mathematics for Individuals With Blindness or Severe Low Vision.

Skylar Deady

Skylar Deady is one of the three Lab Managers of TITIL. In this role, she is responsible for co-managing the 20-member staff with TITIL’s other lab managers; managing lab funds and expenditures; and maintaining communication with the business office. 

She graduated from TAMU in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.