Expert Profile

Kenneth Staudt Willet

Asst Professor

CEHHS OFFICE OF RESEARCH | COLLEGE OF EDU HLTH & HUMANSCI

Research Terms & Keywords

Research Terms

Educational Technology

Keywords

Big Data Data Analytics Learning Analytics Network Analysis Patterns And Sources Of Social Networking Professional Development Professional Networks Self-directed Learning Social Media Social Media And Social Networking Social Networks Teacher Learning

Industries

Digital Media Modeling, Simulation, & Training (MST)

Research Projects

Ends

Title

06-2026

Aligning Graduate Education and Workforce Opportunities: A Robust, Equity-Focused Landscape Scan of Computing Terminology Aligning Graduate Education and Workforce Opportunities: A Robust, Equity-Focused Landscape Scan of Computing Terminology

Biography

Dr. Bret Staudt Willet (he/him/his; last name: Staudt Willet) is an Assistant Professor of Instructional Systems & Learning Technologies at Florida State University.

Dr. Staudt Willet’s research investigates self-directed learning, a subset of informal and networked learning. He is fascinated by how people figure things out on their own. He is most interested in what happens when students, learners, and trainees finish formal instruction, preparation, and training. What do they do after they walk out the door or log off? How do they continue to develop their knowledge, skills, and abilities? Where do they look for resources? Who do they talk to?

Dr. Staudt Willet is interested in how self-directed learners navigate the affordances and constraints of social connections through the internet and exploration through games. He frequently investigates self-directed learning with the tools of educational data science, including learning analytics, social network analysis, discourse analysis, natural language processing, and educational data mining.

At FSU, Dr. Staudt Willet teaches courses such as EME6356: Learning & Web Analytics; EME5601: Introduction to Instructional Systems, and EME6665: Synthesis, Analysis, & Argumentation in Instructional Systems Research.

Dr. Staudt Willet holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology & Educational Technology, a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology, and a Graduate Certificate in Serious Game Design & Research from Michigan State University.

Degrees

PhD, Educational Psychology & Educational Technology

Michigan State University ▪ 2021
MA, Educational Technology

Michigan State University ▪ 2015

Awards & Honors

Early Career Scholar Award

American Educational Research Associate (AERA) - SIG Technology as an Agent of Change in Teaching and Learning (TACTL) ▪ 2023

Publications

Na, H., & Staudt Willet, K. B. (2024). Understanding beginning teachers’ socio-ecological challenges: Self-directed learning in the r/Teachers subreddit. Information and Learning Sciences. doi:10.1108/ILS-12-2023-0197

Na, H., Staudt Willet, K. B., Shi, H., Hur, J., He, D., & Kim, C. (2024). Initial discussions of ChatGPT in education-related subreddits. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. doi:10.1080/15391523.2024.2338091

Staudt Willet, K. B. (2024). Early career teachers’ expansion of professional learning networks with social media. Professional Development in Education, 50(2), 386-402. doi:10.1080/19415257.2023.2178481

Staudt Willet, K. B., & He, D. (2024). Educators’ invisible labor: A systematic review. Review of Education, 12(2), e3473. doi:10.1002/rev3.3473

Staudt Willet, K. B., & Na, H. (2024). Generative AI generating buzz: Volume, engagement, and content of initial reactions to ChatGPT in discussions across education-related subreddits. Online Learning, 28(2). doi:10.24059/olj.v28i2.4434

Greenhow, C., Lewin, C., & Staudt Willet, K. B. (2023). Teachers without borders: Professional learning spanning social media, place, and time. Learning, Media and Technology, 48(4), 666-684. doi:10.1080/17439884.2023.2209326

Smith, C., & Staudt Willet, K. B. (2023). A model for culturally sustaining instructional design. Journal of Applied Instructional Design, 12(2). doi:10.59668/722.13027

Staudt Willet, K. B., & Rosenberg, J. M. (2023). The design and effects of data science workshops for early career researchers. Journal of Formative Design in Learning, 7, 83-97. doi:10.1007/s41686-023-00083-7

Na, H., & Staudt Willet, K. B. (2022). Affinity and anonymity benefitting early career teachers in the r/Teachers subreddit. Journal of Research on Technology in Education doi:10.1080/15391523.2022.2150727

Muljana, P. S., Staudt Willet, K. B., & Luo, T. (2022). Adjusting sails for changing winds: Exploring Reddit use for professional purposes in higher education. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 34(3), 679–707. doi:10.1007/s12528-022-09317-2

Carpenter, J. P., & Staudt Willet, K. B. (2021). The teachers' lounge and the debate hall: Anonymous self-directed learning in two teaching-related subreddits. Teaching and Teacher Education, 104, 103371. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2021.103371

Greenhow, C., Staudt Willet, K. B., & Galvin, S. (2021). Inquiring tweets want to know: #Edchat supports for #RemoteTeaching during COVID-19. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(4), 1434-1454. doi:10.1111/bjet.13097

Staudt Willet, K. B., & Carpenter, J. P. (2021). A tale of two subreddits: Change and continuity in teaching-related online spaces. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(2), 714-733. doi:10.1111/bjet.13051

Rosenberg, J. M., & Staudt Willet, K. B. (2021). Balancing privacy and open science in the context of COVID-19: A response to Ifenthaler & Schumacher (2016). Educational Technology Research and Development, 69, 347–351. doi:10.1007/s11423-020-09860-8

Greenhow, C., Lewin, C., & Staudt Willet, K. B. (2020). The educational response to Covid-19 across two countries: A critical examination of initial digital pedagogy adoption. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 30(1), 7-25. doi:10.1080/1475939x.2020.1866654