Michael Bridges, Ph.D. is the interim executive director for the University Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Pittsburgh. At Pitt, he leads the university’s efforts to support effective teaching and the use of evidence-based pedagogy, educational technology, and learning space design to support meaningful student engagement and deep learning. He is the co-author of How Learning Works: Eight Research-based Principles for Smart Teaching (second edition published in 2022), which connects the research findings from the scholarship of teaching and learning to practical strategies for successful teaching. His previous professional roles include Executive Director of Online Learning and Strategy at Duquesne University, Execute Director of Education at Amber-Allen Publishing, and Vice President of Educational Strategy at iCarnegie Global Learning.
Dr. Bridges is a social psychologist and received his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University. He teaches courses in survey research design and methodology. He speaks frequently on issues related to online learning, course and curricular design, assessment, student culture, motivation, online learning, and faculty development.
