Assistant Professor of Learning, Design and Technology Ela Castellanos-Reyes to Spend Two Months in Sweden through Summer Early Career Programme

Ela Castellanos-Reyes, an assistant professor of learning, design and technology in NC State’s College of Education, has been invited to join the KTH Royal Institute of Technology’s Summer Early Career Programme in Sweden. 

The Summer Early Career (SEC) Programme supports early-career scholars in short- to mid-term visits to the Digital Futures environment during the summer months. Digital Futures is a cross-disciplinary research center that explores and develops digital technologies with the goal of generating knowledge and innovation that lead to global societal changes. 

“This is a big deal to me,” Castellanos-Reyes said. “KTH is a highly prestigious university and being invited to KTH really vouches for the fact that what I do is at the forefront of research and vouches for the quality of my work.”
As part of the program, Castellanos-Reyes will spend two months in Sweden and will have the opportunity to work alongside KTH Associate Professor Stefan Stenbom, whose work focuses on digital learning. Castellanos-Reyes’ own research focuses on online learning with a specific focus on supporting online learners’ social presence.

Castellanos-Reyes and Stenbom will collaborate on writing a theoretical article based on their collective work in online learning and collaborate with other junior faculty who focus on teaching in online learning. Additionally, she has been invited to participate as a guest speaker at a research consortium with Stenbom during her time in Sweden. 

“Not only will this opportunity give me a lot of exposure in my career as a junior faculty member, but it will give me exposure to what other scholars are doing in other parts of the world, and I’m very excited about that,” Castellanos-Reyes said.