Sonia Howell

Sonia Howell is the Director of the Office of Digital Learning at the University of Notre Dame.12 She leads a team responsible for designing, developing, and delivering effective digital learning experiences for the university.1

Background and Education

Sonia Howell holds a Ph.D. in English and Digital Humanities from Maynooth University in Ireland, where she grew up.1 Her academic journey took an unexpected turn when she moved to South Bend, Indiana, and began working as a digital humanities research assistant at Notre Dame.1

Career at Notre Dame

Howell's career at Notre Dame has evolved over the past decade:

• She joined the Office of Digital Learning in 2014 as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow for Digital Initiatives.3
• Her first project was working on Notre Dame's first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) called "I Heart Stats" on the edX platform.1
• Over time, she has worked on various initiatives, including:
  • Notre Dame's MOOCs
  • The university's first fully online degree program
  • Directing the summer online program
  • Collaborating with colleges and administrative units on new learning experiences
  • Managing relationships with platform providers and OPMs (Online Program Managers)

Current Role and Responsibilities

As the Director of the Office of Digital Learning, Sonia Howell:

• Leads a team of learning designers, academic media specialists, and project managers.1
• Oversees high-priority and high-impact digital learning projects.1
• Manages a portfolio that includes credit-bearing initiatives (like the summer online catalog and online M.S. in data science) and non-credit offerings (such as MOOCs).1
• Collaborates with the teaching and learning technologies team and the Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence.1

Sonia Howell describes herself as a driven and creative problem-solver with a passion for digital learning and higher education.2 Her role requires her to be a generalist in the field of academic innovation, leveraging her interdisciplinary background to lead a team of specialists.1