Gianina Fink

Gianina Fink
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Educational Leadership, Evaluation and Organizational Development
Room 360 - College of Education
502-852-6475
gianina.hayes @ louisville.edu

 

BIO

Dr. Gianina H. Fink, affectionately known as Nina, is a North Carolina native who first joined the University of Louisville as a member of the Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning in May of 2018. She later served as a part-time instructor for UofL’s Master Educator Course before joining LEAD full-time.

Dr. Fink is a two-time graduate of our nation’s largest HBCU, North Carolina A&T; State University, where she earned a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication and an M.S. in Adult Education; while there, she was honored as a Waldaran Kennedy Scholar for graduating with a 4.0 GPA. Nina later earned her Ph.D. in Adult Education from the University of South Florida (USF) where she was nominated for an Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award.

Nina's experience with designing online, competency-based courses dates back to 2012 when she designed a diversity module for a Human Resources Certification as part of Villanova’s Lean Six Sigma program (via Bisk Education). The most recent example of her online, competency-based course design skills is an Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) course she transformed from face-to-face to online for Echo Analytics Group (EAG). The CEO of EAG, Buddy Jericho, credited her for a return of over 25K within the first few days of the course’s launch. Moreover, Nina’s instructional design skills are steeped in a background of Instructional Technology and Information Technology. This is evident in her previous roles as a Blackboard HelpDesk Support Specialist at UofL, the Instructional Technology Supervisor and Web Content Manager of the iTeach Lounge at USF, and as the Director of Technology and Systems Integration of Cristo Rey Tampa High School.

Earlier in her career, Nina put her degrees to use in radio as an on-air DJ and producer at 97.1 WQMG and on television as a traffic reporter for WXII Channel 12 News and News 14 Carolina. Today, Nina still relies on her journalism experience to produce videos and narrate learning activities for corporate and education training.

Educational Background

  • Ph.D. University of South Florida May 2016 Curriculum and Instruction (Adult Ed.)
  • M.S. North Carolina A & T State University December 2009 Adult Education
  • B.A. North Carolina A & T State University December 2002 Journalism & Mass Communication

Teaching Areas

  • Instructional Design
  • Instructional Technology
  • Diversity Equity and Inclusion

Awards and Honors

  • Honor Societies: Kappa Delta Pi (inducted in 2016), Delta Epsilon Iota (inducted in 2014), and Phi Kappa Phi (inducted in 2009)
  • Recognitions: Waldaran Kennedy Scholar (NC A & T State University in 2009 for completing my Master's with a 4.0 GPA) and Most Outstanding Intern (NC A & T State University in 2002)
  • Fellowship: Graduate Student Success (2012 - 2015)

Research Interests

  • Instructional design
  • Instructional technology
  • Adult education
  • History of college tuition and student loans
  • Autoethnography
  • Mast cell diseases

Professional Affiliations

  • American Association of Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE)
  • The Mast Cell Disease Society (TMS)