Diane Van Ausdall is a consultant for Understanding by Design, presenting frequent workshops to educators on the program's implementation. Her expertise includes peer review, authentic assessment, the use of rubrics and the design of a standards-based curriculum. Before retiring from public education in 2003, Van Ausdall was a social studies teacher at Windsor High School in Windsor, Connecticut, for 39 years, during which time she helped revitalize the school’s curriculum through technology. Her students swiftly mastered the use of email, real-time conferencing and video-teleconferencing, maintaining a regular dialogue with their peers in Europe on issues such as genetic engineering, the Bell Curve and the negative effects of tourism on the ecology. Van Ausdall’s transatlantic educational project brought Windsor High School to the attention of international media. Van Ausdall was also selected to be part of a five-teacher SNET Leadership Team that tested new technology and its classroom applications.
Central Connecticut State University, Ed.S.
