About

For those who may be interested, here’s a little information about me and my family, education, vocation, and research.

Family

I grew up near Wautoma, Wisconsin as the eldest of three children. My brother Travis, is an officer in the US Air Force. My sister Amanda (Wilson), resides in Ashland, OH with her husband Chris. I am the son of Roy & Linda Rhode.

I married Teara (Backens) on May 27, 2000. Teara is the love of my live, and we enjoy every day that we’ve spent together. We live in Rockford, IL and enjoy spoiling our cats “Apolo” & “Deluca.”

Education

After graduating as valedictorian from Wautoma High School in 1997, I attended North Central University in Minneapolis, MN. I graduated with a B.A. in Children’s Ministries in 2000. I went on to earn an M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction with a specialization in teaching and learning from Seattle Pacific University (2003) and a Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in Instructional Design for Online Learning from Capella University.

Vocation

I currently serve as Assistant Director of the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center at Northern Illinois University (NIU) located in DeKalb, IL. In my role at NIU I am responsible for developing and offering training programs and support for faculty and staff on teaching with technology and related topics, providing leadership on technology-related issues, and performing supervisory functions at the Center. I work closely with various units at NIU on addressing faculty needs related to online teaching. Prior to my current assignment, I worked as Online Technologies Coordinator with the Center (2004-2006) where I first began to offer training and consultations for faculty on web-course management systems and provide assistance for faculty with online teaching and related needs.

From 2000-2004, I served as the Director of Children’s Ministries at Christian Life Fellowship, Port Edwards, WI. I oversaw all ministries to children ages birth thru sixth grade and parents at CLF, which included over 250 children and 150 volunteers. My specific responsibilities included volunteer recruitment & training, curriculum development, coordination of online technologies, and general oversight of all aspects of the children’s ministries of CLF. As an instructional designer and online instructor I was able to successfully implement online training strategies in a variety of contexts.

As a children’s ministries specialist, I currently serve as instructional designer and program development director for Children’s Ministries University Online, a fully-accredited, 30 credit online degree program in children’s ministries currently under the development of Valley Forge Christian College. I serve as adjunct faculty for VFCC teaching courses related to children’s ministries theory and pragmatics. I am an ordained minister of the Assemblies of God.

Research Interests

I am interested in studying the design, implementation, and evaluation of online methodology for delivery of children’s ministry training. I am also very interested in the design, development, and evaluation of online technologies within higher education. In particular, I’m intrigued by recent research exploring social networking & the implications for online learning & community building.