UMass Amherst Celebrates Torrey Trust as December 2023 Spotlight Scholar

Torrey Trust, professor of learning technology in the UMass Amherst College of Education, has been featured as a Spotlight Scholar for December 2023.

Trust is a global leader in educational technology, who has dedicated her career to translating qualitative research on teaching, learning and technology to practice. Trust’s research has explored ways to use emerging technologies to improve teaching and learning, including 3D printers, makerspaces, generative AI and hyperdocs—interactive digital lesson plans that promote student-centered teaching. She disseminates evidence-based knowledge on teaching and technology through open educational resources—ranging from slide decks to e-books to open online courses—providing valuable, timely resources for educators worldwide.

Trust has authored or co-authored over 100 publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, books, editor-reviewed book chapters, practitioner articles and blog posts. Her publications have been cited a combined 12,796 times, indicating that her work is well-read in the field. Her work also has been featured in many high-profile media outlets and has earned her numerous awards, including the Making IT Happen Award from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) in 2018; the Annual Achievement Award from the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) in 2020, and the UMass Amherst Distinguished Teaching Award in 2023.

“I think there’s so much potential to use technology in education. There are also a lot of scary downsides,” said Trust. “A huge goal of mine is to help teachers think more critically about how to use technology in their practice to create more accessible and inclusive learning experiences.”