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Daria Mizza

Daria Mizza

  • Position: Assistant Professor
  • Department: Department of Educational Studies
Brief Biography

Daria Mizza is a scholar in the field of curriculum and instruction, in which she focuses on educational technology and teaching methodology. She has written extensively about the role of technology in transforming curriculum and instruction, both at higher education and K-12 levels.

Her papers and books stress the importance of a research-based plan and recognize the role of the proactive educators as catalysts for pedagogically enhancing innovative learning solutions, in which a structured framework for instructional design (ID) and the universal design of instruction (UDI) apply. Among her recent book publications, is the co-authored book titled: Creating Effective Blended Language Learning Courses: A Research-Based Guide from Planning to Evaluation (2020), which provides the rationale, strategies, and tools to design blended learning courses.

Before joining the Department of International and Comparative Education at The American University in Cairo School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HUSS), Mizza served as the Head of Language Instructional Technology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC, where she also directed the French and Italian language programs. She has taught graduate courses on teaching methodology and instructional technology at the University of Warwick, the Catholic University of America, Middlebury College, and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. She has directed academic programs, both in Europe and in the United States, where she continues to provide leadership and expertise in the use and effective implementation of educational technologies and teaching practices.

Research Interest
  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Educational Technology
  • Blended/Hybrid Learning
  • Digital Equity
  • Universal Design for Instruction
  • Second Language Acquisition
Education

PhD from the University of Warwick, UK, 2008

Book and Book Chapters

Mizza, D., & Rubio, F. (2020). Creating Effective Blended Language Learning Courses: A Research-based Guide from Planning to Evaluation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Link

Esmaili, M. T., & Mizza, D. (forthcoming). Persian (Farsi) in International Relations and Foreign Policy: A Content-Based Approach. London, UK: Routledge.

Mizza, D., & Esmaili, M. T. (2020). “The Language educator’s role in developing effective blended language learning: From principles to practice.” In P. Shabani-Jadidi (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy of Persian. London, UK: Routledge. Link

Mizza, D., Esmaili-Sardari, M., Oliva, P., & Ghaedi, H. (forthcoming). “Integrating language and content instruction for learning Farsi as a foreign language: A methodological framework for material design.” In S. Hooman (Ed.), Handbook of Teaching and Learning of Persian as a Foreign/Second Language.Basingtoke, UK: Springer Nature.

Mizza, D., & Rubio, F. (forthcoming). “Prácticas tecnológicas eficientes.” In J. Muñoz-Basols, M. Fuertes Gutiérrez, and L. Cerezo (Eds.), E-learning y Enseñanza del Español: Cómo Planificar, Personalizar e Implementar. London, UK: Routledge.

Rubio, F., & Mizza, D. (2019). “High-leverage practices for blended learning: Towards a successful implementation in the blended language learning path.” In A. Palalas (Ed.), Blended Language Learning: International Perspectives on Innovative Practice (pp. 24-61). Beijing, China: Open University of China Press. Link

Peer Reviewed Articles

Mizza, D. 2019. “Blended learning for the teaching of Italian as a foreign language: Theoretical background and pedagogical applications in the North American and European higher education contexts.” Special Issue of Italian Canadiana, edited by Simone Casini and Christine Sansalone, 33, 35-58.

Mizza, D. (2014). “The mother tongue (L1) model vs. the second (L2) or the foreign language (FL) model of literacy instruction.” The Journal of Education and Human Development. American Research Institute for Policy Development, 3(3), 101- 109. Link

Mizza, D. (2014). “Sfide metodologiche nell’evoluzione delle tecnologie glottodidattiche: un’analisi del ruolo dell’interazione nel processo e nei nuovi ambienti di apprendimento/insegnamento dell’italiano come lingua straniera (ILS)” (“Methodological challenges in the evolution of educational technologies: An analysis of the role of interaction in the process and new environments for learning/teaching Italian as a Foreign Language”). Studi Italiani di Linguistica Teorica ed Applicata (SILTA), Vol. XLIII(2). Link

Mizza, D. (2008). “Foreign language writing as a communicative modality in technology-enhanced educational settings: Towards a socio-cognitive approach.” The International Journal of Learning, 15(4), 261-268.

Mizza, D. (2007). “La tecnologia al servizio di una nuova didattica della scrittura: un percorso interattivo in italiano come lingua straniera” (“Technology for innovative writing instruction: An interactive path in Italian as a Foreign Language”). Journal of E-learning and Knowledge Society (JELKS), Vol. 3. Link

Mizza, D. (2000). “Acrobazie verbali nella lingua italiana: un’analisi linguistica dei giochi di parole” (“Verbal ‘acrobatics’ in the Italian language: A linguistic analysis of tongue twisters”). Nuova Corvina, Vol. 7. 2000/06.

Mizza, D. (1999). “L’italiano come lingua straniera. Alcune proposte operative nell’ambito dei nuovi orientamenti didattici” (“Italian as a Foreign Language. Recommendations for teaching practices within the new educational approaches”). Nuova Corvina, Vol. 6, 113 -123. 1999/06. Link

Selected Proceedings

Mizza, D. (2018). “Instructional design for blended language learning: Methodological considerations and course applications guiding the effective design of blended language courses.” In A. Palalas, H. Norman, & P. Pawluk (Eds.), Blended Learning in the Age of Social Change and Innovation (pp. 132-144). Kavala, Greece: International Association for Blended Learning. Link

Mizza, D. (2007). “Foreign language writing as a communicative modality in the technology-enhanced educational setting.” In T. Bastiaens, & S. Carliner (Eds.), Proceedings of E-Learn 2007. World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education (pp. 6320-6324). Québec, Canada: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Link

Mizza, D. (2007). “Socio-interactive technologies for the support of writing skills in foreign languages.” In R. Carlsen, D. A. Willis (Eds.), Proceedings of the Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference Annual: March 26-30, San Antonio, Texas, USA. Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Link

  • PhD, University of Warwick, 2008
  • MS, Education, Johns Hopkins University, 2016
  • MA, Post-Compulsory Education, University of Warwick, 2007
  • MA, Applied Linguistics (ITALS), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, 2003