Rita Carolyn Richey is a Professor Emeritus of Instructional Technology at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

. She is known for her work on instructional design and the history of the field of Instructional Technology.

Education and academic career

From the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, Richey first earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in English in 1964; then, a Masters of Arts in Psychology of Reading in 1968. In 1971, she was the first female to earn a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

in instructional technology from Wayne State University. In 1971, she joined the faculty of Wayne State University and retired from there in 2008. For the first 10 years, her focus was on teacher education. Then, in 1981, she transferred to the Instructional Technology Department and eventually became the program coordinator.

Research

Richey developed an interest in instructional design theory and research methods even before the field was fully conceptualized. She published her first book, ''Theoretical and Conceptual Bases of Instructional Design'' in 1986 because she could not find any suitable textbooks to use with her students. In 1992 she followed with the ''Designing Instruction for the Adult Learner: Systemic Training Theory and Practice'', and the 1994 book co-written with Barbara B. Seels ''Instructional Technology: The Definition and Domains of the Field'' was published. Richey developed competencies for teacher education, creating resources to be used by the field, and critically analyzed the variables which impact systems models. She International Board of Standards for Training Performance and Instructions (IBSTPI) for ten years where she worked on competency development. Her 2000 book, ''The Legacy of Robert M. Gagne'', provided an overview of the role of Robert M. Gagné's theories both in school and outside of the school environment.

Select publications

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Awards and honors

Richey received the Distinguished Service Award from the Association for Educational Communications and Technology in 2000; the same association awarded her the James W. Brown Publication Award on three occaions. Wayne State University awarded her for excellence in teaching (1985), outstanding scholarly achievements by women faculty (2000), and she was named to their Academy of Scholars in 2002.

References

External links

*, January 17, 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Richey, Rita Living people Wayne State University alumni University of Michigan alumni Wayne State University faculty People in educational technology Educational researchers Year of birth missing (living people)