William Morris
University of South Carolina

William S. Morris, Jr., Ph.D.
Clinical Instructor
College of Education
University of South Carolina
wsm@sc.edu



I have worked at a college or university for the past twenty-seven years in various capacities.  As a staff member, I worked in publishing and digital design, computer development and training, computer support, and served eight years as the director of Technology, and an academic advisor, for the South Carolina Honors College at the University of South Carolina (USC).  

As an academic I have worked on NSF grant projects, contributed to the university’s Center for Teaching Excellence, and now serve in our new Educational Technology program after six years teaching in the Educational Psychology program:  both in the College of Education at USC.

My current and past course loads include introductory educational psychology, learning theory, instructional design, games and simulations, and action research.

My research interests compliment my course load and include the biological underpinnings of motivation, and the value an individual ascribes to particular game mechanics and characteristics based on the individual’s personality factors.  I have enlisted the assistance of two graduate students to begin the development of a large-scale personality, games, and motivation survey for data collection in 2018.

With my background in both practice and theory, I approach this position from a practical mindset.  I believe that representation is both important and difficult.  It is important to adequately represent the diversity of ontologies, epistemologies, and methodologies contained within the division’s membership to both academics and non-academics within and without AECT.  It is difficult to do this in just a year.  Thus, I approach this as a three to five-year commitment serving the interests of the Research and Theory Division, while recognizing the position as a single year appointment with the hopeful opportunity for renewal.