Andrea Harkins-Brown, EdD, is an Assistant Research Scientist in the Center for Technology in Education, within JHU’s School of Education. Prior to joining JHU, she served as the Graduate Program Director and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at Towson University. Harkins-Brown was a special educator and later a central office administrator, providing technical support in special education at the district-wide level, prior to her current work in higher education. Her areas of expertise include foundations of special education and inclusion; technology integration; assistive technologies; Universal Design for Learning; and serving students with a range of disabilities. Her research focuses on the translation of evidence-based practices for practitioners, effective technology integration, online learning, development of competency-based professional learning, and innovative teaching practices to support diverse populations of learners.
Harkins-Brown leads applied research projects related to special education and systems change and has served as a Principal Investigator for awards funded by the Longwood Foundation, the Delaware Department of Education, the Maryland State Department of Education, and the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. She has published research in multiple peer-reviewed academic journals, including Teaching Exceptional Children, the Journal of Teaching and Technology Education, the Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, the Journal of Educational Computing Research, and School-University Partnerships. She routinely presents at international, national, and local conferences. She holds a B.S. in Special Education from Towson University, an M.Ed. in Special Education from Johns Hopkins University, a post-baccalaureate certificate in Educational Administration from Goucher College, and an Ed.D. in Instructional Technology from Towson University.
Keywords: Special education; competency-based professional learning; assistive technology; Universal Design for Learning; teacher professional development; teacher preparation; Autism Spectrum Disorder.
