Matthew Hora

Matthew Hora is an assistant professor of Adult and Higher Education in the Division of Continuing Studies at UW-Madison. His research on active learning, skills gaps, and curriculum reform is informed by his training in cultural anthropology and the learning sciences.

Education
BA University of California – Santa Barbara (Literature)
MA University of Maryland – College Park (Applied Anthropology)
PhD University of Wisconsin-Madison (Educational Psychology, Learning Sciences)

Dr. Matthew Hora is an assistant professor of Adult Teaching and Learning in the Department of Liberal Arts and Applied Studies at UW-Madison.

After several years of experience in organic agriculture, Matt received his master’s degree in applied anthropology from the University of Maryland – College Park where he focused on the interactions among food habits, culture, and local food systems. He earned his Ph.D. in the learning sciences from the Department of Educational Psychology at University of Wisconsin-Madison where his work examined how postsecondary teachers make decisions within complex organizations.

Matt’s research program focuses on three areas. First, he specializes in the analysis of how individual decision-making and behavior is influenced by the cultural and organizational contexts in which people work and study. This problem is being examined in research on data-driven decision-making in academia, faculty work and professional development, how students approach their study habits, and how educators and employers think about 21st-century competencies in the workplace. Much of this work has focused on how these dynamics unfold in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, and implications for educational reform initiatives. Second, this work has led to a growing focus on the role of self-regulated learning in professionals career development and student academic achievement, and how educators and corporate trainers can begin to teach their students and employees how to develop this important aptitude. Third, he also is engaged in developing research instruments and methodologies for the educational research community.

At DCS this research program will contribute to the knowledge base regarding adult teaching and learning, with a focus on how research findings can be applied to the field of practice in adult education and professional development. Matt’s research is supported by the National Science Foundation. Matt shares his work in peer-reviewed journals such as The Journal of Higher Education, The Journal of Learning Sciences, and The Review of Higher Education, through policy briefs, and through workshops and public presentations.

He also has an appointment in the Center for Education and Work at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research and as an affiliate assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA) in the School of Education at UW-Madison.

See Matthew Hora’s full profile on the Division of Continuing Studies website.