Jana Hunzicker

Jana Hunzicker

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor

    Westlake Hall 208
    (309) 677-3171
   jhunzicker@bradley.edu

 

Ed.D., Curriculum and Instruction, Illinois State University 2006
M.A., Educational Administration, Bradley University 1994
B.S., Elementary Education, Bradley University 1989

Biography

Dr. Jana Hunzicker holds the rank of professor in Bradley’s Department of Education, Counseling, and Leadership and serves as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for Bradley’s College of Education and Health Sciences. In addition to seven years of teaching experience at the middle school level, Dr. Hunzicker served for nine years as an elementary/middle school administrator before coming to Bradley in 2007.

Teaching

Dr. Hunzicker teaches graduate courses and serves as a faculty advisor for students in Bradley’s online Doctor of Education program. Her teaching style combines traditional instruction, reflective practice, and coaching toward an end goal of mastery learning. She tries to enliven her classes with meaningful discussion, activities, and projects that promote higher order thinking and provide opportunities for students to authentically apply information and ideas. Dr. Hunzicker especially enjoys teaching and working side-by-side with students on the iterative processes of researching and writing for publication.

    Scholarship

    Dr. Hunzicker's research interests include teacher leadership, higher education leadership, effective teaching practices, and professional development. Her research approach utilizes qualitative and mixed methods research designs, including ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory, case study, survey research, and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Dr. Hunzicker has authored over 75 refereed journal articles and book chapters. She is editor of the NAPDS-endorsed book Teacher Leadership in Professional Development Schools and a guest editor of the winter 2020 special issue of School-University Partnerships, themed “The Impact of Teacher Leadership on Student Learning in Professional Development Schools.” Dr. Hunzicker is the creator of the Characteristics of Effective Professional Development Checklist and the Five Features of Teacher Leadership Framework and Self-Determination Guide, a practical tool teachers can use in daily practice to help distinguish acts of teacher leadership from acts of teacher professionalism through self-reflection and self-assessment.

    Service

    In addition to department, college, and university-level service for Bradley University, Dr. Hunzicker serves on the Washington Township United Fund board of directors in Washington, IL. She also reviews scholarly manuscripts for several refereed journals, including International Journal of Teacher Leadership, Journal of Teacher Development, and International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Dr. Hunzicker is a past recipient of the Joan L. Sattler Endowed Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, the College of Education and Health Sciences Faculty Research Award, and the College of Education and Health Sciences Faculty Service Award.

    Licensures and Certifications

    • Illinois Professional Educator License: Standard Elementary Teaching Certificate
    • Illinois Type 75 Administrative Certificate
    • Illinois Superintendent Endorsement