Authors

Benny G. Johnson, PhD, holds a bachelor of science in chemistry and mathematics from the University of Kentucky, and received his PhD in theoretical chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University, where he worked with a Nobel laureate. For the past twenty years, Dr. Johnson has worked in the field of artificial intelligence for education, leading the research and development efforts of the Quantum technology for tutoring and assessment in chemistry, mathematics, accounting, and special education, and the machine learning predictive analytics technology of Acrobatiq, a Carnegie Mellon spin-off acquired by VitalSource Technologies. He leads VitalSource’s research effort for using artificial intelligence to automatically create learning science-based features for textbooks at large scale. Dr. Johnson is the author of over seventy scholarly publications in academic journals and books and has delivered invited lectures at many national and international conferences. As principal investigator on various research and development projects, Dr. Johnson has received funding from the US Department of Education, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Energy, and Air Force Office of Scientific Research. He is a recipient of the Tibbetts Award, the highest recognition given by the federal government to small businesses for innovative research, and in 2007, he was inducted into the University of Kentucky’s Alumni Hall of Fame. He enjoys playing music and lifting weights with his son.

Rachel Van Campenhout, EdD, holds a bachelor of arts in philosophy and English from Duquesne University, a master of arts in digital publishing and writing from Emerson College, and a doctorate of education in instructional technology and leadership from Duquesne University. Starting as a learning engineer at Acrobatiq, Dr. Van Campenhout now leads the scholarly research and publication efforts of the VitalSource learning science team. As the senior research scientist her research focus covers topics such as the doer effect, automatic question generation, ethics and AI principles, and teaching and learning. Dr. Van Campenhout is also an active member of the IEEE IC Industry Consortium on Learning Engineering, was the co-chair of the 2023 Learning Engineering Conference, and has published papers on learning engineering and design, data science, and ethics in educational technology. She also contributes to the IEEE standards committee AIS P2247.4, developing the Recommended Practice for Ethically Aligned Design of AI in Adaptive Instructional Systems. Dr. Van Campenhout has served as the representative member for the Adaptive Learning Consortium and served on the board for the International Conference on Adaptive Instructional Systems. Outside of work she spends her time with her two young sons, teaching them the joy of art and nature.

Bill Jerome is a computer scientist whose passion is connecting with the human user, developing easy-to-use systems capable of real good in the real world. His inspiration was sparked by virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier, who taught him the respect for his medium by telling him, “Real artists don’t love their tools—they strive to push their tools further and further so they can get closer to their artistic vision. Don’t be in love with your tools.”

Bill joined the Open Learning Initiative in its earliest days and is considered a founding member. More than a decade in the world of online education enabled him to creatively apply changing technology to real and dramatic needs, and in turn, push that technology to meet the needs of the application. He loves improving the experiences of learning to better answer education’s questions in a meaningful and directed way and is exhilarated by running into unexplored areas of computing accompanied by smart, talented people.

Favorite Professor: Dr. Klaus Sutner was Bill’s first professor of a computer science course at Carnegie Mellon University—an amazing, eye-opening, and career-defining experience. Bill and Dr. Sutner still find ways to work together.

Favorite way to spend free time: Bill enjoys hiking and camping, but when weather forces him indoors, he also enjoys watching movies and listening to music. He shares these loves with his child, imparting an affection for the finer points of film, such as an appreciation for the original Star Wars movies and a healthy skepticism about the prequels.

Jeff Dittel of Britlan, Ltd., holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin and a Master of Science in Computer Science with a specialization in object-oriented design from the University of New Haven. Despite beginning to lose his sight at the age of eight and now being almost completely blind, Jeff's passion for technology has been the driving force behind his successful career as a software engineer, which he embarked on in August 1996. Throughout his career, Jeff has made significant contributions to the field of educational software. Notably, during his tenure at Henter Math, he worked closely with Ted Henter, the visionary behind JAWS, the leading screen reading software. During this time, Jeff played a crucial role in user interface design and was the mastermind behind the creation of the Virtual Pencil products, VPArithmetic and VPAlgebra. Jeff continued to thrive during his decade-long tenure with Quantum Simulations, where he was an integral part of a research and development team focused on intelligent tutoring systems. His work there spanned various domains, including chemistry, mathematics, and special education, contributing to advancements in patented software tutoring technologies. In his most recent endeavors, At Acrobatiq, now VitalSource, Jeff has been involved in pioneering research efforts leveraging artificial intelligence to transform textbooks into scalable, learning science-based courseware. As part of this learning science team, he plays an instrumental role in analyzing student usage data to demonstrate and enhance the efficacy of these educational tools.

Michelle is the senior operations manager for the learning science team and supports new and ongoing research with our institutional partners. She has been with VitalSource over a decade in a variety of roles. She holds a bachelor of arts in English and a master of arts in digital communication, both from University of North Carolina. Michelle spends her free time in pursuit of delicious pizza, whimsical textiles, and outdoor adventures that aren’t too terrifying.

Nick Brown leads the product team for the company’s student and faculty-facing portfolio, including Bookshelf, the world’s largest eTextbook platform. With a passion for learning science, UX, and AI, Nick drives innovation in digital learning, guided by his philosophy: “A prototype is worth a thousand meetings.” He frequently speaks at industry events, demonstrating cutting-edge learning experiences and exploring AI’s impact on education. Nick holds a bachelor degree in engineering and music from Dartmouth College and has been a key member of the VitalSource team for 15 years, working to create a future filled with accessible, affordable and engaging content for learners.