Eric Fredericksen has been appointed associate vice president of online learning at the University of Rochester. In this new role, Fredericksen will provide leadership for the exploration of online learning initiatives across the University. His appointment is effective immediately.

“Eric’s background and prior experience make him a perfect choice to serve in this newly established role at the University of Rochester,” said Robert Clark, dean of the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and interim senior vice president for research. “Effective use of technology in the classroom to facilitate online learning initiatives for residential students as well as those at a distance is an essential focus for Rochester and our peer institutions. Having leadership devoted to this endeavor is critical to providing support for faculty in this rapidly evolving domain.”

Fredericksen joined the University as the associate vice provost for University Information Technology in 2005, managing programs including the Educational Technology Center, Classroom Technology, Web Services, the Center for Integrated Research Computing, and the University IT Center, all which support Rochester’s academic and research missions. “I look forward to working with our great faculty as they explore opportunities for online learning and supporting the highest quality academic experience the University is known for,” Fredericksen said. “Rochester is poised to be a part of the creative and innovative ways universities can offer courses.”

Fredericksen, a national leader in online education, brings research credentials to the post, serving as the co-principal investigator and administrative officer for three multi-year, multi-million dollar grants on Asynchronous Learning Networks from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. He was twice recognized by the Sloan Foundation; receiving the Sloan Award for Excellence in Faculty Development for Online Teaching and the Sloan Award for Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Education. His work also received the EDUCAUSE Award for Systemic Progress in Teaching and Learning. He was recently elected to the board of directors for the Sloan Consortium and also serves on the advisory board for enterprise learning at New York University. His experience provides important perspectives to the role, having been an online student with a master’s degree in curriculum development through the Graduate School of Education at the University of Albany, which was earned entirely online, and he has been an online professor, developing and teaching graduate courses at Albany for more than a decade.

In this new position, Fredericksen will recruit and lead teams that will support faculty in the curriculum development and instructional design of online courses. He also will be responsible for coordinating research initiatives that will evaluate programs, technologies, and software that support online learning.

A resident of Pittsford, N.Y., Fredericksen received a bachelor’s degree from Hobart College and an MBA from the William Simon Graduate School of Business. He also received a doctorate in education from the Warner Graduate School of Education, where he currently serves as a visiting assistant professor in the department of educational leadership.