Deb Gearhart

Deb Gearhart has worked in the field of distance education for over 30 years. Presently she is an online/distance education consultant. She retired as the director of operations at the University of South Dakota in May 2017. Prior to that, she served as the vice provost for E-Learning and Strategic Partnerships at Ohio University from 2012 to 2016. Gearhart has co-authored a textbook entitled Designing and Developing Web-Based Instruction and edited another publication titled Cases on Distance Delivery and Learning Outcomes: Emerging Trends and Programs, which was released in December 2009. She is a master reviewer for Quality Matters and has done consulting, training, and program review for distance education programs. Gearhart has been involved with WCET (WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies) for seventeen years. She is part of the Academic Integrity CIG, the Student Success CIG and the leadership group. Gearhart is currently serving on the WCET steering committee.

Gearhart earned a MEd in adult education with a distance education emphasis and an MPA in public administration, both from Penn State. She completed her PhD program in education, with a certificate in distance education, from Capella University.

Updated 10-26-2017