Joan Rhodes, Ph.D.

Research interests

Digital literacy, the use of social media, and the impact of study abroad experiences on educators.

Courses

• Diagnosis and remediation of reading difficulties
• Media literacy
• Foundations of reading education
• Home-school communication

Bio

Dr. Joan A. Rhodes, associate professor of reading and early/elementary education, is a member of the graduate faculty for the Ph.D. in Education program in which she teaches courses in professional development and instructional theory. During her tenure at VCU, Dr. Rhodes led six study abroad programs to diverse countries including New Zealand, Hungary, Italy and Costa Rica. She served as the principal investigator for multiple grant-funded projects, totaling more than $9.7 million. She was awarded the VCU School of Education Distinguished Scholar Award in 2007 and the School of Education Alumni Council Faculty Award for Exemplary Application of Technology in 2012.

Before joining the VCU faculty in 2003, Rhodes was an assistant professor at Auburn University-Montgomery and adjunct faculty at Texas A&M-Texarkana and George Mason University. She has more than 29 years of teaching experience at the preschool, elementary, middle school and collegiate levels, and has served as an English as a Second Language educator and reading specialist.

Curriculum Vitae