Dr. Anthony Piña
Director of Online Education
Chief Online Learning Officer
Center for Integrated Professional Development
- About Anthony
- Publications
- Curriculum Vitae
Biography
Dr. Anthony Piña joined the Center in June of 2022 as the Director of Online Education and Illinois State’s Chief Online Learning Officer. He earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Education from Brigham Young University, a Master of Science from Sullivan University, and a Doctor of Education from La Sierra University. He has taught at K-12, community college and university levels.
A nationally recognized expert in online/distance education and educational technology, Tony has served as a consultant to Fortune 500 corporations, small businesses, local government agencies, non-profit organizations, the U.S. Department of Defense, and for educational institutions across the country. He is currently serving an elected term as President of the Board of Trustees of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Foundation. He has served previously on the AECT Board of Directors and is past-president of the AECT Division of Distance Learning. He has many scholarly publications and has won multiple best book and best article awards. He is Co-Editor of the Brill Book Series “Leadership and Best Practices in Educational Technology Management” and is on the editorial/review boards of four scholarly journals.
Away from ISU, Tony is an avid musician who loves playing guitar, bass, drums, banjo and ukulele and participating in activities with his wife, Teresa.
Function at the Center
Tony will be providing strategic leadership and vision to guide the university’s implementation of online education. Within the Center, he will be leading the Online Education Team, including instructional design, faculty development, multimedia production and program development.
Journal Articles
Piña, A. A. & Martindale, T. (2025). Educating Faculty and Senior Administrators: How Online Education Really Works. Journal of Applied Instructional Design 14(2).
Watson, F. F., Piña, A. A. & Small, J. (2024). A Strategic Framework for Developing a Master Plan for Online Learning at Your Institution. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration 27(2).
Newsome, M. L., Mollazehi, M., Piña, A. A., & Ali-Ali, K. (2024). Assessing Online Faculty Satisfaction at Traditional Higher Education Institutions: The FSOTS and its Psychometric Properties. Journal of Educators Online 21(1) .
Piña, A. A. & Muller P. S. (2024). Metrics for Assessment of Instructional Design/Course Development Teams, Journal of Applied Instructional Design 13(1).
Piña, A. A. & Martindale, T. (2023). Regular and Substantive Interaction in Online Courses: Why it Matters for Administrators. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration 25(2).
Piña, A. A. (2022). Asynchronous and Synchronous Online Learning During a Pandemic. Quarterly Review of Distance Education 23(3).
Karimi, H. S. & Piña, A. A. (2022). Building Resiliency and Creating Innovation in The Digital Age Through Leadership and Human-Connection. Journal of Strategic Innovation and Sustainability 17(3).
Newsome, M. L., Piña, A. A. & Mollazehi, M. (2022). The Effect of Learners’ Sex and STEM/non-STEM Majors on Remote Learning: A National Study of Undergraduates in Qatar. Electronic Journal of e-Learning 20(4).
Karimi, H. S. & Piña, A. A. (2021). Strategically Addressing the Soft Skills Gap in Undergraduate STEM Education. Journal of Research in STEM Education 7(1), 21-46.
Piña, A. A. & Harris, P. (2019). Utilizing the AECT Instructional Design Standards for Distance Learning. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration 22(2).
Piña, A. A. & Moran, K. A. (2018). Effects of an Open Educational Resources Initiative on Students, Faculty and Instructional Designers. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration 21(2).
Thomas, J. E., Graham, C. R. & Piña, A. A. (2018). Current Practices of Online Instructor Evaluation in Higher Education. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration 21(2).
MacLennan, H. L., Píña, A. A. & Gibbons, S. (2018). Content Analysis of D.B.A. and Ph.D. Dissertations in Business. Journal of Education for Business 93(4), 149-154.
Piña, A. A. (2017). An Organizational Development Framework for Assessing Readiness and Capacity for Expanding Online Education. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration 20(3), 1-13.
Piña, A. A. & Sanford, B. K. (2017). The ID Database: Managing the Instructional Development Process. Tech Trends 61(4), 331-340.
Piña, A. A., MacLennan, H. L., Moran, K. A. & Hafford, P. F. (2016). The D.B.A. vs. Ph.D. in U.S. Business and Management Programs: Different by Degrees? Journal of Excellence in Business Education 4(1), 6-19.
MacLennan, H. L., Piña, A. A., Hafford, P. F. & Moran, K. A. (2016). Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.): A Viable Credential for Faculty in Programmatically Accredited Business Degree Programs? International Journal of Doctoral Studies 11, 217-226.
Koslow, A. & Piña, A. A. (2015). Using Transactional Distance Theory to Inform Online Instructional Design. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning 12(10), 63-72.
Piña, A. A. & Bohn, L. (2015). Integrating Accreditation Guidelines and Quality Scorecard for Evaluating Online Programs. Distance Learning 12(4).
Piña, A. A. (2015). Review of Instructional Design Competencies: The Standards by Tiffany Koszalka, Darlene Russ-Eft & Robert Reiser. Teachers College Record.
Piña, A. A. & Bohn, L. (2014). Assessing Online Faculty: More Than Student Surveys and Design Rubrics. Quarterly Review of Distance Education 15(3), 25-34.
Piña, A. A. (2012). Really Thorough Assessment for Your Distance Program. Distance Education Report 16(14).
Piña, A. A., Bohn, L. & Lyons, J. (2011). Investigating and Implementing Online Student Identity Verification. e-Mentor 38(1), 85-90.
Piña, A. A. (2011). Enroll More Adult Students with Robust Online Offerings. Recruiting & Retaining Adult Learners 14(3).
Hope, J. & Piña, A. A. (2011). Lead Your Online Program to Success. Dean & Provost 12(10).
Piña, A. A. (2010). Online Diploma Mills: Implications for Legitimate Distance Education. Distance Education 31(1), 121-126.
Scheinbuks, J. & Piña, A. A. (2010). Building Virtual Bridges with Online Teaching Partnerships. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning 7(6), 3-14.
Piña, A. A. & Bohn, L. (2010). Best Practices for LMS Integration into a Professional Doctoral Program. Instructional Practice in Higher Education 1(1), 4-6.
Piña, A. A. (2009). How Online Diploma Mills Hurt e-Learning. e-Mentor 32(5), 87-90.
Piña, A. A. (2009). How Institutionalized is Distance Learning? Excerpts from the Research. Distance Education Report 13(24).
Piña, A. A. (2008). Factors Influencing the Institutionalization of Distance Learning in Higher Education. Quarterly Review of Distance Education 9(4), 427-438.
Piña, A. A., Sadowski, K. P, Scheidenhelm, C. L. & Heydenburg, P.R. (2008). SLATE: A Community of Practice for Supporting Learning and Technology in Education. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning 5(7), 3-16.
Piña, A. A. (2008). Making e-Learning Permanent: What Can Institutions Do? Midwest Journal of Educational Communications and Technology 2(1), 2-14.
Piña, A. A. (2008). How Institutionalized is Distance Learning? A Study of Institutional Role, Locale and Academic Level. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration 11(1), 1-15.
Piña, A. A. (2008). Enhancing Teacher Education with Service Learning: Experiences in an Educational Technology Course. The Teacher Educators Journal 16(1), 16-24.
Harris, B. R. & Piña, A. A. (2007). Development of an Undergraduate and Graduate Program in Instructional Design and Technology: A Comparison. Midwest Journal of Educational Communications and Technology 1(1), 41-46.
Piña, A. A. (2007). Course Management Systems: Overview and Implications for Libraries. Library Hi Tech News 24(5).
Piña, A. A. (2006). Reflections of a Mentor Endowment Award Recipient. Tech Trends 50(4), 10.
Santovic, M. & Piña, A. A. (2006). Diploma Mills Hurt Distance Education’s Image. Distance Education Report 10(1).
Piña, A. A. (2005). Review of Online Learning: Concepts, Strategies, and Applications by Nada Dabbagh & Brenda Bannan-Ritland. Quarterly Review of Distance Education 7(1).
Piña, A. A. (2003). Technology Association Bids Farewell with Donation. Tech Trends 47(6).
Piña, A. A. (1993). Selecting a Graduate Program in Instructional Technology. Educational Technology 33(7).
Books
Martindale, T., Amankwatia, T. B., Cifuentes, L. D. & Piña, A. A. (2024). Handbook of Research in Online Learning: Insights and Advances. Brill Publishing.
Miller, C. T., Piña, A. A., Molenda, M., Harris, P. & Lockee, B. (Eds.) (2023) AECT at 100: A Legacy of Leadership. Brill Publishing.
Miller, C. T. & Piña, A. A. (Eds.) (2019). Lessons in Leadership in the Field of Educational Technology. Springer Publishing.
Piña, A. A., Lowell, V. L. & Harris, B. R. (Eds.) (2018). Leading and Managing e-Learning: What the e-Learning Leader Needs to Know. Springer Publishing.
Piña, A. A. (Ed.) (2017). Instructional Design Standards for Distance Learning. Association for Educational Communications and Technology.
Piña, A. A. & Huett, J. B. (Eds.) (2016). Beyond the Online Course: Leadership Perspectives on e-Learning. Information Age Publishing.
Piña, A. A. & Mizell, A. P. (Eds.) (2014). Real Life Distance Education: Case Studies in Practice. Information Age Publishing.
Piña, A. A. (2008). Distance Learning and the Institution: Foundations, Importance and Implementation. VDM Publishing.
Book Chapters
Piña, A. A. (2025 in press). The Economics of AI-Driven Online Learning: Cost Structures and ROI. In K. S. Ives, R. Shroeder & M. A. Cini (Eds.) AI Applications in Online Higher Education Administration: Strategies for Maximizing Returns and Improving Learning Outcomes. Routledge.
Piña, A. A., Travers, S. T., Wilson, S. L., & Hauser, A. (2025 in press). Learning Management Systems Features that Guide Instructional Design. In S. Wa-Mbaleka, B. Chen, G. Petre & A. DeNoyelles (Eds.) The Sage Handbook of Higher Education Instructional Design. Sage Publishing.
Piña, A. A. (2023). Managing and Evaluating Online Programs. In S. Wa-Mbaleka, L. Casimiro & K. Thompson (Eds) The SAGE Handbook for Online Higher Education. Sage Publishing.
Piña, A. A. (2023). The AECT Foundation: Five Decades of Recognizing Achievement and Supporting Leadership Development. In C. T. Miller, A. A. Piña, M. Molenda, P. Harris, & B. Lockee (Eds) AECT at 100: A Legacy of Leadership (413-425). Brill Publishing.
Molenda, M., Miller, C. T., Harris, P., Lockee, B. & Piña, A. A. (2023). AECT in its Second Fifty Years. In C. T. Miller, A. A. Piña, M. Molenda, P. Harris, & B. Lockee (Eds.) AECT at 100: A Legacy of Leadership (305-354). Brill Publishing.
Piña, A. A. (2022). Asynchronous and Synchronous Online Learning During a Pandemic. In S.C. Malka and R. Tiell (Eds.) Back to Normal: In Search of Stability in an Era of Pandemic Disruption–Insights from Practitioners and Academics. Information Age Publishing.
Piña, A. A. (2021). Managing the Course Development Process. In L. D. Cifuentes (Ed.) A Guide to Administering Distance Learning (141-173). Brill Publishing.
Piña, A. A. & Cifuentes, L. D. (2021). Your Distance Learning Community. In L. D. Cifuentes (Ed.) A Guide to Administering Distance Learning (355-365). Brill Publishing.
Pina, A. A. (2021). Even If You Go into Administration, Be Sure to Keep Up with Your Scholarship. In J. H. Curry and S. R. Jackson (Eds.) The Greatest Lecture I Was Never Taught: Leadership Lessons and Mentoring Moments from the Lives of Everyday Educators (47-48). Brill Publishing.
Piña, A. A. & Moran, K. A. (2020). Insights on the Use of Free and Open Educational Resources in Business and Management Education. In S. Allen, K. Gower & D. Allen (Eds.) Handbook of Teaching with Technology in Management, Leadership and Business (276-298). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Piña, A. A. (2019). I Had it All Figured Out…or So I Thought. In C. T. Miller & A. A. Piña (Eds.) Lessons in Leadership in the Field of Educational Technology (23-30). Springer Publishing.
Piña, A. A. (2018). An Educational Leader’s View of Learning Management Systems. In A. A. Piña, V. L. Lowell, & B. R. Harris (Eds.). Leading and Managing e-Learning: What the e-Learning Leader Needs to Know (101-114). Springer Publishing.
Piña, A. A. (2017). Resources. In A. A. Piña (Ed.). Instructional Design Standards for Distance Learning (32-35). Association for Educational Communications and Technology.
Piña, A. A. (2017). Evaluation. In A. A. Piña (Ed.). Instructional Design Standards for Distance Learning (60-64). Association for Educational Communications and Technology.
Piña, A. A. (2016). Institutionalization of Distance Learning in Higher Education. In A. A. Piña, & J. B. Huett (Eds.) Beyond the Online Course: Leadership Perspectives on e-Learning (3-20). Information Age Publishing.
Piña, A. A. & Bohn, L. (2016). Assessing Online Faculty. In A. A. Piña, & J. B. Huett (Eds.) Beyond the Online Course: Leadership Perspectives on e-Learning (317-330). Information Age Publishing.
Piña, A. A. (2015). Data Streaming. In J. M. Spector (Ed.) The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Technology Vol. 1 (179-181). Sage Publications, Inc.
Piña, A. A. (2015). Open Content Licensing. In J. M. Spector (Ed.) The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Technology Vol. 2 (551-553). Sage Publications, Inc.
Piña, A. A. & Scheinbuks, J. (2014). Experiences in Cross-Institution Online Teaching Collaborations. In A. A. Piña & A. P. Mizell (Eds.). Real Life Distance Education: Case Studies in Practice (159-176). Information Age Publishing.
Harris, B. R. & Piña, A. A. (2014). Incorporating Self-Regulated Learning Strategies in Online Courses. In A. A. Piña & A. P. Mizell (Eds.). Real Life Distance Education: Case Studies in Practice (3-20). Information Age Publishing.
Ashbaugh, M. L. & Piña, A. A. (2014). Improving Instructional Design Processes Through Leadership-Thinking and Modeling. In B. Hokanson & A. Gibbons (Eds.) Design in Educational Technology: Design Thinking, Design Process and the Design Studio (223-248). Springer Publishing.
Piña, A. A (2013). Learning Management Systems: A Look at the Big Picture. In Y. Kats (Ed.) Learning Management Systems and Instructional Design: Best Practices in Online Education (1-19). Information Science Research.
Piña, A. A. (2012). An Overview of Learning Management Systems. In Information Research Management Association, USA (Ed.) Virtual Learning Environments: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications (33-51). IGI Global.
Harris, B. R., Lindner, R. W. & Piña, A. A. (2011). Strategies to Promote Self-Regulated Learning in Online Environments. In G. Dettori & D. Perisco (Eds.) Fostering Self-Regulated Learning Through ICT (122-144). IGI Global.
Scheinbuks, J. & Piña, A. A. (2010). Online Teaching Partnerships in Diverse Socio-Economic Institutions. In S. Mukerji & P. Tripathi (Eds.) Cases on Technological Adaptability and Transnational Learning: Issues and Challenges (27-41). Information Science Research.
Piña, A. A. (2010). An Overview of Learning Management Systems. In Y. Kats (Ed.) Learning Management Systems Technologies and Software Solutions for Online Teaching: Tools and Applications (1-19). Information Science Research.