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Dr. Margaret Riel is the Academic Program Chair for the Master of Arts in Learning Technologies Program at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology. She also directs the Center for Collaborative Action Research at Pepperdine University. Building on her earlier work with Learning Circles, Riel combines the Learning Circle model (onlinelearningcircles.org) with online teaching of Action Research (ccar.wikispaces.com) in a course that was recognized by the United Stated Distance Learning Association with a Gold Award. She has designed professional development workshops around action research and given presentations at national and international conferences. Over her career, she has written research reports and articles, designed computer programs, authored curriculum books and software documentation, designed websites, and consulted on television broadcasts around the use of learning technologies. She is the current Chair of the American Educational Research Association Action Research Special Interest Group.

Margaret Riel, Ph.D.
Visiting Faculty, Education
B.A., University of California, San Diego; M.A., University of Chicago; Ph.D., University of California, Irvine

Dr. Margaret Riel is Academic Chair of the Master of Arts in Learning Technologies Program at GSEP. Her early work involved the design of a model of cross-classroom communication -- Online Learning Circles -- in the K-12 context. She designed the program for thousands of teachers from schools around the world to engage their students in the work of learning circles. The Learning Circle model has become the structural design of her online teaching of Action Research at Pepperdine for which she received an award from the prestigious United Stated Distance Learning Association. She has designed and participated in workshops to provide professional development with technology to teachers at universities, at national conferences, and as a consultant for professional education organizations. Over her career, she has written research reports and articles, designed computer programs, authored curriculum books and software documentation and developed websites, and consulted on television broadcasts. She serves as a fellow for the George Lucas Education Foundation and as the director of Center for Collaborative Action Research.
Contact: margaret.riel@pepperdine.edu
Key Awards/Affiliations:
Gold-level award for Online Technology in Higher Education in the category of Best Practices for Excellence in Distance Learning Teaching
Academic Interests:
Participatory action research
Personalized learning communities
Social capital and network ties among school teachers
Teacher professional development
Technology for knowledge-building
Distance learning
School reform
Selected Links:
Faculty Spotlight
My Courses
My Online Office
Center for Collaborative Action Research
George Lucas Education Foundation