About Kody

Welcome!

I’m an Assistant Professor of Instructional Communication Research and Information Communication Technology in the School of Information Science at the University of Kentucky. I’m originally from Gastonia, North Carolina (20 minutes west of Charlotte), where I grew up eating Livermush and drinking Sundrop. Outside of scholarship, I watch anime, read science fiction, run long distances, play DnD, cook for my family, and obsess over Liverpool Football Club.

Research

My research interests are in instructional and applied communication, where I study (1) how teachers enforce their classroom rules, policies and procedures, (2) how to develop communication and technical skills for both learners and teachers, and (3) research methods relevant to classroom, educational, and assessment data. The majority of my research uses surveys or experiments to answer research questions related to these interests. I have training in qualitative methods and use these techniques where appropriate, but quantitative research has always felt like home. I also love performing reviews and feel like this is one of my strengths as a scholar - feel free to reach out if you need someone in a pinch!

Teaching

I ground my teaching in a simple phrase: “Humans First, Students Second”. I do not believe that a classroom is an isolated context. The way people often characterize the differences between instructional spaces and the real world is misleading; the classroom is the real world. The lessons, ideas, and opinions shared during instruction are not confined to these spaces but are reflections of a larger society that shapes one’s lived experiences. This leads to five core philosophies that define my teaching: (1) practicing extensive reflection; (2) tailoring pedagogy to the audience; (3) reducing uncertainty; (4) critically analyzing classroom technologies; and (5) continually practicing assessment.

For a visual representation of my research pipeline – based on the points system described by Matthew Lebo – see https://rpubs.com/tkfr222/868620. Code for the pipeline flexdashboard is available by request. Special thanks to Dr. Andrew Heiss for the inspiration.