ITRC Team

Lori Austill is a Senior Instructional Technologist in the ITRC and provides support and guidance to faculty as they adapt their course materials for online delivery. She encourages faculty to weave sound technology and educational principles into their courses and uses the Quality Matters Rubric as the foundation for quality. Lori is a Quality Matters certified peer reviewer and workshop facilitator. She has over 15 years of experience working with instructional technology as an instructor, course designer, and distance learning specialist.

Mark Cooper is a dynamic instructional designer with nearly 20 years of cross-sector experience shaping engaging learning experiences for higher education and corporate environments alike. Whether partnering with faculty to build powerful online courses or designing immersive training programs for global brands, Mark blends creative vision with proven instructional design strategies to drive results.

At Idaho State University, Mark works with faculty to design and development of high-impact online courses using Canvas, applying best practices such as backward design and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). His work spans faculty training, course quality assurance through the Quality+ Program, and digital pedagogy workshops that empower educators to teach with confidence.

Mark’s education includes a B.S. in Marketing and an M.B.A. with a focus in Organizational Development from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mark is a Certified Peer Reviewer through Quality Matters.

Rick Fowler is an Instructional Designer who  assists faculty with Moodle, Canvas, Zoom, and other technology offered by the ITRC. Rick has worked for Educational Technology Services as a student employee and later as full-time staff, and has over 20 years of experience providing customer service and technological support for faculty on the ISU campus.

Rick came to the ITRC after working as an Interactive Video Conferencing Classroom Specialist for the past 15 years, where he worked with faculty and staff to provide support for distance-based education and technology. Rick received his B.A. in Mass Communication from Idaho State University with his emphasis in television and film production and attended ISU’s sister university the University of Plymouth in Plymouth, England for a year doing media studies. He is currently working on his Masters in Instructional Design and Technology at Idaho State University. Rick has worked in public health, where he was contracted through the Centers for Disease Control, and is an Extron Certified AV Associate.

Bob Houghton is a distinguished professional with a robust background in IT and academia. As an IT cybersecurity expert, Dr. Houghton has honed his skills in safeguarding digital infrastructures, ensuring data integrity, and mitigating cyber threats. His expertise in IT project management has enabled him to lead complex projects to successful completion, demonstrating his ability to coordinate teams, manage resources, and deliver projects on time and within budget. Dr. Houghton’s academic contributions are marked by the authorship of two published textbooks and the securing of four published patents, through which he has shared his extensive knowledge and innovative ideas about Information Technology and cybersecurity with the broader community. Dr. Houghton’s previous leadership roles include serving as a department chair and associate dean of the College of Business.

Lisa Kidder works with the ITRC team in supporting online course delivery systems. She has over 12 years experience in education and over 10 years integrating technology in education.

Lisa's education includes a B.A. in French and Chemistry Education from Brigham Young University, a M.A. in Educational Technology from Pepperdine University, and a Ph.D. in Instructional Design from Idaho State University. She is constantly learning and looking for ways to improve teaching and incorporate technology.

Prior to coming to the ITRC Lisa taught a variety of subjects in K-12 schools; supported faculty in incorporating technology; and spent several years teaching and supporting teacher candidates at Loyola Marymount University. Her love of teaching and learning along with varied subject interests helps her to match content with delivery.

Cathy Leavitt is an Instructional Technologist who facilitates knowledge acquisition at Idaho State University through various interactive methods. She has over 20 years of experience in education and is committed to improving educational experiences.

Cathy earned a B.S. in Health Sciences from Brigham Young University and an M.Ed. in Instructional Design and Technology (ID&T) from Idaho State University. She is currently working on an Ed.D. from ISU in ID&T. Before coming to the ITRC, Cathy taught for over 20 years in K-12 schools. She has a passion for STEM, integrating technology, and collaborating with faculty and students.

Max is a Learning Management System (LMS) Administrator responsible for maintaining the Moodle ISU systems. He has a passion for programming and is enthusiastic about staying on the cutting edge. Max has a strong IT background with an emphasis on information security, having worked in IT Security for several years at ISU. As a proud graduate of ISU with a B.A. in Computer Science, he aspires to make ISU an industry leader in LMS technology.

Ryan Randall is an Instructional Designer in the ITRC, working to help faculty develop engaging and accessible courses. Before joining the ITRC, Ryan taught students and collaborated with faculty as the College of Western Idaho Library's Instruction Coordinator. He has taught First-Year Writing and Humanities courses at several colleges and universities.

Ryan's education includes a B.A. & M.A. in English from the University of California, Riverside, an M.A. in Visual and Cultural Studies from the University of Rochester, and an M.L.S. in Library Science from Indiana University. He is currently working on his dissertation project for ISU's Ph.D. in English and the Teaching of English.

Ryan is enthusiastic about helping faculty use high-quality open educational resources (OER) and open pedagogy practices, as well as create learning environments that improve outcomes for every learner.

Michael Spall, Instructional Technology Consultant, is responsible for design, development, and production of curricular materials to support ISU faculty and staff. He has helped to maintain the LMS and other ITRC servers. Through his work in support of the initial pilot of ISU eLearning, Michael has become actively involved in the Moodle community, helping resolve issues and contributing code. He also helps train faculty and staff in the use of educational technology and best practices in the delivery of online content. Supervising student staff working in the ITRC front lab is another responsibility.

Before coming to the ITRC, Michael worked for American Falls School District, teaching math and computer classes for fourth through twelfth grade and managing a computer lab. He also supported faculty in the use of course management and other software. His background is in math and microbiology and he maintains a continuing interest in science and scientific computing.