Michael Barbour

Michael Barbour is an Assistant Professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, where he teaches Instructional Technology and Qualitative Research Methodology. He completed his Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from the University of Georgia. Originally from Newfoundland and Labrador, Michael’s interest in distance education for rural students began after accepting his first high school teaching position in a regional high school in a rural community of approximately 3,500 people. Having been educated in an urban area, Michael was troubled by the inequity of opportunity provided to his rural students and began a program to offer Advanced Placement (i.e., university-level) social studies courses over the Internet to students at his own school and other schools in the district. Michael’s current research interests focus on the effective design, delivery and support of online learning to K-12 students in virtual school environments, particularly those in rural jurisdictions. Michael currently resides in Windsor, Ontario.