About Dr. Georgianna Laws

​

With over 25 years of experience in education, I am a practitioner, researcher, and consultant specializing in online and hybrid learning. My expertise encompasses curriculum development, instructional design, teaching, faculty training, program creation, educational technology, technical writing, project management, leadership development, consulting, and spearheading organizational initiatives. Throughout my career, I have contributed to award-winning projects and led efforts that transformed institutions and set benchmarks for educational excellence.

​

Research

My research focuses on online education leadership, including the role of Chief Online Education Officers (COEOs) and strategies for integrating artificial intelligence in education.

​

Expertise and Leadership

• Teaching, Training, Educational Technology, and Technical Writing: 25+ years of experience equipping faculty and instructional designers with tools to deliver high-quality education.

• Curriculum, Instructional Design, and Web Development: 20+ years designing impactful, learner-centered online and hybrid courses and programs.

• Leadership and Project Management: 13+ years leading cross-functional teams and driving institutional initiatives in online education.

• Consulting: 8+ years of providing online program development and supporting institutions looking to calibrate, hire, support, retain, and develop their Chief Online Learning Officer.

• Artificial Intelligence: 3+ years of working with AI for curriculum, instructional design, teaching, learning, training, research, service, and leadership.

 

Select Career Highlights

• Helping Build and Operate the College of Online Education at Life University: I worked closely with the institution's Chief Online Education Officer as we launched the College of Online Education. I implemented a custom, Quality-Matters driven systematic instructional design process, and developed quality assurance systems, peer-review frameworks, and the Online Faculty Expectations Handbook, which are still in use today. My efforts helped Life University’s programs achieve national recognition, including the 3rd best online Master’s in Psychology and the 6th best online Bachelor’s in Biology, while tripling enrollments and generating $1 million in the first year.

• Serving the Executive Board of the United States Distance Learning Association: In my first year of producing the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) National Distance Learning Week (NDLW) annual virtual conference, programming more than doubled, registrations increased eight fold, we launched a mobile conference app, and introduced bilingual (English/Spanish) content.

• Designing at the Savannah College of Art and Design: Systematically designed and developed 100+ online course development projects, including the SCAD eLearning Experience, which won the OLC Institutional Strategies & Innovations Best-in-Track Award and the CASE SW Recruitment Website Award of Excellence in.

• Designing the NSA-Funded Cybersecurity Program: Served as project manager and instructional designer for a $289K grant by the National Security Agency (of which $84K were paid for my services) to design and develop three cybersecurity courses. Supervised graduate assistants and coordinated the efforts of the 7-person team. This project went on to be named among the top 5 cybersecurity courses among the round of NSA grantees.

• Designing the CIT MOOC: Managed the international development of a massive open online course (MOOC) version of the Compassionate Integrity face-to-face training, in both self-directed as well as facilitated formats. This initiative was a collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) and the Life University Center for Compassion, Integrity, and Secular Ethics (CCISE).

• Designing the Online Programs at Texas Lutheran University: Designed and implemented Texas Lutheran University’s first online program, namely the OSCQR-compliant Master of Business Administration program. In process of consulting for TLU’s second online program, the QM-compliant Doctor of Education in Interdisciplinary Leadership, I was invited to serve as course director for the program’s EDUD 732, Leadership for Transformational Change & Innovation course.

 

Education and Certifications

• Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership: Graduated in the top 1% of the class, with published research on the role of Chief Online Education Officers (COEOs) in the United States.

• Doctoral Coursework in Instructional Systems Design: Completed a year of doctoral coursework with a GPA 4.0. and served as inaugural President of the Instructional Systems Design Student Association at Florida State University.

• Master’s in Adult Education and Distance Learning: Graduated in the top 1% of the class, with a capstone on e-learning implementation.

• Bachelor’s in Teaching English and French: Graduated in the top 3% of the class with a full merit scholarship.

• Certifications include:

  • NextGen Learning with Generative A.I. Tools, Certificate – UNC Charlotte

  • Executive Leadership, Certificate – Oxford University, Saïd Business School

  • Corporate Sustainability, Social Innovation, and Ethics, Certificate – Imperial College London, Business School

  • Leading in a Remote Environment, Certificate – Harvard University, Business School

  • National Certification, Council for At-Risk Student Education and Professional Standards – CASEPS

  • Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning (Project: National COEO Association) – Online Learning Consortium

  • Quality Scorecard Mastery Certification (Administration of Online Programs) – Online Learning Consortium

  • Online Teaching & Course Design Certification – Online Learning Consortium

  • Instructional Coordinator, Certificate – Quality Matters

  • Higher Education Chair, Certificate – Quality Matters

  • French Baccalaureate, Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française – French Ministry of Education

 

Awards and Recognitions

• Excellent Session Award for “Cybersecurity Implications in Online Higher Education” – United States Distance Learning Association

• Online Teaching Excellence Award – Life University

• Bruce N. Chaloux Scholarship Recipient – Online Learning Consortium

• Research and Scholarly Activity Award for “Chief Online Education Officers: A Groundbreaking National Research Study” – Life University

• Top 5 Cybersecurity Courses for “Cyber Conflict,” “Strategic Cybersecurity,” “The Global Cyber Threat Environment” – National Security Agency

• Institutional Strategies & Innovations Best-in-Track Award for "ELRN 100, SCAD eLearning Experience" – Online Learning Consortium

• Recruitment Website or Microsite Award of Excellence for "ELRN 100, SCAD eLearning Experience" – CASE SW District III

 

Honors

• Invited Advisory Board Member – Harvard Business Review

• Keynote Speaker – Distance Learning Administration Conference

• Moderator – North Dakota Legislator’s Retreat, Hunt Institute

• Board of Directors Executive Officer – United States Distance Learning Association

• "National Distance Learning Week Conference" Producer – United States Distance Learning Association

• Chair, Leadership and Advocacy Track – Online Learning Consortium Innovate Conference

• Chair, Marketing & Communications Committee – United States Distance Learning Association

• Chair, Online Learning Advisory Taskforce – Auburn University at Montgomery

• Leader, Innovation Crew – Online Learning Consortium Innovate Conference

• Reviewer – Online Learning Journal

• Reviewer for the OLC Innovate and OLC Accelerate Conferences – Online Learning Consortium

• Reviewer for the USDLA National Conference and the International Forum for Women in eLearning – United States Distance Learning Association

• Advisory Board Officer, Confucius Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Faculty Development & Teaching Excellence – Augusta University

• Executive Officer, Board of Trustees – Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School

• Inaugural President for the Instructional Design Student Association – Florida State University

 

Global Impact
I have worked with organizations such as Auburn University, Augusta University, Berlitz, CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education), Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School, French Ministry of Education (DELF/DALF), Harvard Business Review, Hunt Institute, Imperial College London, Life University, Maryville University, National Security Agency (NSA), Online Learning Consortium (OLC), Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Texas Lutheran University (TLU), United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), University of North Texas at Dallas, and University of Phoenix to elevate instructional design, implement strategic initiatives, and train educators worldwide.