The office is responsible for all extended education programs, including distance and online, and reports directly to the Provost.
Most recently, Hwu was the Director of the University of Alaska Center for Distance Education in Fairbanks. He supervised an instructional design team, student service group, information technology team, course development team and 115 faculty. The center offers 195 asynchronous online courses.
Hwu partnered with Alaska’s state education commissioner and superintendent of school districts to bridge the gap in math and science courses and augment high school graduation rates.
Hwu earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from Kansas State University in 2011, specializing in Educational Computing, Instructional Design and Online Learning. He also holds an MBA from Kansas Wesleyan University (1998) and a BA in Mechanical Engineering from Feng Chia University (Taiwan, 1995). His master’s in business administration focused on financial management and entrepreneurship.
Prior to his service in Fairbanks, Hwu was Director of Online Learning at Richland Community College in Decatur, IL, where he developed a campus-wide eLearning strategic plan.
Humboldt State’s Office of Distance and Extended Education is in charge of integrating cutting-edge distance learning technology with academic offerings, including instructional design and development.