Jeff Bakken

Jeff Bakken

Professor

Ph.D., Special Education, Purdue University 1995
M.S., Special Education, Purdue University 1990
B.S., Elementary Education, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 1989

BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Jeff Bakken holds the rank of professor in Bradley’s Department of Education, Counseling, and Leadership (ECL) in the College of Education and Health Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree in special education from Purdue University and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He taught at Illinois State University for 13 years in the Department of Special Education and was also the Department of Special Education Department chair for an additional four years, as well as the interim associate dean for research, Graduate Studies and International Education in the College of Education for a year. For the last nine years, he served as the associate provost for research and dean of the Graduate School at Bradley University. He has begun full time teaching in ECL and looks forward to working directly with students and faculty in the department and college.

TEACHING

  • ENC 711: National Trends in Assessment, Data Analysis, and Accountability
    • Examines current trends in assessment and effective leadership practices in higher education to ensure accountability and inform continuous improvement.
  • ENC 719: Student and Academic Affairs
    • Systematic inquiry into ethical issues faced by contemporary educational leaders related to student and academic affairs and effective resolution strategies.
  • ENC 721: Financial Affairs in Special Education
    • Systematic inquiry into political, economic, and social issues faced by contemporary educational leaders related to the financing of higher education.

Dr. Bakken has taught undergraduate courses in special education focusing on assessment as well as inclusion. At the master’s level, he has taught courses on the characteristics of learning disabilities, strategies for teaching students with learning disabilities, and assessment. At the doctoral level, he has taught courses related to action research and the dissertation. At Bradley, he currently teaches courses in the online Ed.D. program in higher education administration. His teaching style combines traditional instruction, active learning, and reflective practice and tries to involve students in the learning process as much as possible. He has also earned recognition for teaching at Illinois State University by being awarded the Outstanding University Teacher Award as well as the College of Education Outstanding Teacher Award.

His philosophy on teaching is that he brings a lot of knowledge and experiences to distribute to students and therefore must be the leader in the classroom. Students, however, also bring knowledge and experiences that are fruitful and important to share. Classrooms are transactional learning environments where professors deliver information and students learn about different topics, but students also share information based on their background and experiences so that professors can learn from them and they learn from each other. This process creates a learning environment that is very open and positive.

SCHOLARSHIP
Dr. Bakken’s specific areas of interest include: learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, reading comprehension, response to intervention, collaboration, transition, teacher effectiveness, assessment, learning strategies, assistive technology, Smart Classrooms and Smart Universities.

Dr. Bakken has published over 200 works that include books, chapters, journal articles, proceedings at international conferences, audio tapes, encyclopedia articles, newsletter articles, book reviews, a monograph, a manual, and one publisher website. He has also made over 260 presentations at international, national and regional/state conferences and has authored or co-authored numerous grants totaling over $1 million.

Selected Publications

  • Books
    • Bakken, J. P., & Obiakor, F. E. (2020). Special education transition services for students with disabilities (Vol. 35). Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    • Obiakor, F. E., & Bakken, J. P. (2019). Special education for young learners with disabilities (Vol. 34). Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    • Obiakor, F. E., & Bakken, J. P. (2018). Advances in special education: Viewpoints on interventions for learners with disabilities (Vol. 33). Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
  • Chapters
    • Bakken, J. P., Putta, P., & Uskov, V. L. (2021). Smart universities: Assistive technologies for students with visual impairments. In V. L. Uskov, R. J. Howlett and L. C. Jain (Eds.), Smart education and e-learning 2021 (pp. 453-473). Singapore: Springer.
    • Bakken, J. P., Putta, P., & Uskov, V. L. (2021). Smart universities: Assistive technologies for students with hearing impairments. In V. L. Uskov, R. J. Howlett and L. C. Jain (Eds.), Smart education and e-learning 2021 (pp. 487-503). Singapore: Springer.
    • Uskov, V. L., Bakken, J. P., Putta, P., Krishnakumar, D., & Ganapathi, K. S. (2021). Smart education: Predictive analytics of student academic performance using machine learning modules in Weka and Dataiku systems. In V. L. Uskov, R. J. Howlett and L. C. Jain (Eds.), Smart education and e-learning 2020 (pp. 3-17). Singapore: Springer.
    • Bakken, J. P. (2020). Special education transition services for students with disabilities: An introduction. In J. P. Bakken and F. E. Obiakor (Eds.), Special education transition services for students with disabilities (Vol. 35). Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
  • Selected Presentations
  • International/National
    • Bakken, J. P., Putta, P., & Uskov, V. L. (2021, June). Smart universities: Assistive technologies for students with visual impairments. Paper presented at the 8th International KES Conference on Smart Education and E-Learning, Virtual Conference.
    • Bakken, J. P., Putta, P., & Uskov, V. L. (2021, June). Smart universities: Assistive technologies for students with hearing impairments. Paper presented at the 8th International KES Conference on Smart Education and E-Learning, Virtual Conference.
    • Uskov, V. L., Bakken, J. P., Putta, P., Krishnakumar, D., & Ganapathi, K. S. (2021, June). Smart education: Predictive analytics of student academic performance using machine learning modules in Weka and Dataiku systems. Paper presented at the 8th International KES Conference on Smart Education and E-Learning, Virtual Conference.
    • Courtad, C. A., & Bakken, J. P. (2021, March). University centers for students with disabilities: Technology and accommodations. Paper presented at the virtual conference of the Council for Exceptional Children.
    • Uskov, V. L., Bakken, J. P., Gayke, K., Fatima, J., Galloway, B., Ganapathi, K. S., & Jose, D. (2020, June). Smart learning analytics: Student academic performance data representation, processing and predication. Paper presented at the 7th International KES Conference on Smart Education and E-Learning, Virtual Conference.
    • Uskov, V. L., Bakken, J. P., Ganapathi, K. S., Gayke, K., Galloway, B., & Fatima, J. (2020, June). Data cleaning and data visualization systems for learning analytics. Paper presented at the 7th International KES Conference on Smart Education and E-Learning, Virtual Conference.
    • Bakken, J. P., Varidireddy, N., & Uskov, V. L. (2020, June). Smart universities: Gesture recognition systems for college students with disabilities. Paper presented at the 7th International KES Conference on Smart Education and E-Learning, Virtual Conference.
    • Courtad, C. A. & Bakken, J. P. (2020, June). University centers for students with disabilities: A pilot study. Paper presented at the 7th International KES Conference on Smart Education and E-Learning, Virtual Conference.
    • Bakken, J. P., Varidireddy, N., & Uskov, V. L. (2020, June). Face recognition systems for smart universities. Paper presented at the 7th International KES Conference on Smart Education and E-Learning, Virtual Conference.
  • Regional/State
    • Bakken, J. P. & Kuester, D. A. (2022, March). Working with students with disabilities.

Characteristics and engagement. Presentation at the Reunite. Reconnect. Reengage. Fire and life safety conference. East Peoria, Illinois.

  • Barajas, J., Bakken, J.P., Fairfield, A., Ganschow, C., Katz, S., and Byerly, A. (2021, January). No, you are not a terrible teacher; The struggle is real. Presentation at the Bradley University Spring Forum 2021, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois.
  • Bakken, J. P., Tronnes, L., Carty, K., McDaniel, C., Fairfield, A., Vega, J. R., & Crowe, H. A. (2020, January). Fostering a sense of belonging: We are Bradley! Discussions centering on supporting diversity and inclusion on Bradley’s campus. Presentation at the Bradley University Spring Forum 2020, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois.
  • Bakken, J. P., & Adams, M. (2020, January). Beyond the lecture: Creating classroom strategies for engaging students in multiple ways. Presentation at the Bradley University Spring Forum 2020, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois.

SERVICE

University

  • University Assessment Committee

College

  • Graduate Studies Council
  • First-Year Seminar Program Working Group

Department

  • LBS-1 Curriculum Committee
  • D. Curriculum Committee

Professional Service to the Field

  • Emerald Open Research (EOR) Advisory Board Member
  • KES-SEEL Program Committee 2022
  • Honorary Fellow: Teaching and Education Research Association (TERA)
  • International Program Committee for the AETS 2022 - 2022 3rd Asia Education Technology Symposium
  • Scientific Program Committee (SPC) of the 8th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'22, http://www.headconf.org/)

Reviewer:

  • Disabilities
  • Education Sciences
  • Exceptional Children
  • Sage Open

External Service

  • Volunteer weekly at Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, IL.
    • Work with the animals. Run the carousel.

Bradley University has engaged Everspring, a leading provider of education and technology services, to support select aspects of program delivery.