Adjunct Instructional Faculty
Department of STEM Education & Professional Studies

Jorge Valenzuela

Class of 2025
My Dissertation

Jorge Valenzuela, PhD, specializes in instructional innovation and action research in team building, core instruction, project-based learning (PBL), STEM pathways, entrepreneurship, life skills integration, and the purposeful use of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning. ​

Ph.D. in Education, STEM and Professional Studies, Old Dominion University , (2025)

M.A. in Education/Administration & Supervision, University of Phoenix, (2007)

B.S. in Management Information Systems, SUNY Old Westbury, (2001)

Administration & Supervision Prek-12
Sponsoring Organization: Virginia Department of Education
Date Obtained: 2014-12-01
Computer Science
Sponsoring Organization: Virginia Department of Education
Date Obtained: 2003-08-01

Expertise

Knowledge for Teaching
Empowering PLC Leaders for Instructional Innovation, Activating Action Research for Instructional Innovation, Instructional Innovation (Central Office & Schools), Curriculum and Instructional Alignment, Project Based Learning+, Emotional Intelligence Development, Restorative Conversations for Conflict Resolution, STEM & Computer Science Education, Life Skills for Youth Empowerment and STEM and Computer Science & Purposeful Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Teaching and Learning.

Research Interests

To enhance teaching and learning in K-12 schools through action research, primarily in core instruction, as a foundation for teaching and then adding innovative teaching strategies such as project based learning, computational thinking, and other aspects of computer science, like artificial intelligence.

Articles

Valenzuela, J. (2019). Attitudes Towards Teaching Computational Thinking and Computer Science: Insights from Educator Interviews and Focus Groups. Journal of Computer Science Integration 2 (2) , pp. 1-17.

Books

Valenzuela, J. (2025). Project-Based Learning+: Enhancing Academic Learning and Essential Life Skills. Corwin Press.
Valenzuela, J. (2025). Instructional Innovation+: Cultivating Teaching Teams Through Action Research. Corwin Press.
Valenzuela, J. and Fester, J. (2021). Environmental Science for Grades 6-12: A Project-Based Approach to Solving the Earth's Most Urgent Problems. ISTE + ASCD .
Valenzuela, J. (2020). Rev Up Robotics Real-World Computational Thinking in the K–8 Classroom. ISTE + ASCD .

Organizational Chart

Web Links