Dr. Caitlin Riegel, assistant professor of education at Niagara University, and Dr. Jennie Carr, associate professor of education at Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, Va., co-published a chapter in “A Retrospective of Teaching, Technology, and Teacher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” an eBook published in September 2022 by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Their article, entitled “Weekly Teacher Encouragement: One Text Message at a Time,” discusses the encouragement teachers received through text messages provided during and after the pandemic. They found that weekly text messages may support and boost in-service and pre-service teachers’ mental health and confidence during times of stress.

“It is promising to learn that existing educational technologies can be utilized to engage prospective and current educators using preferred means of communication to support and boost mental health and confidence during times of stress, like the pandemic,” said Dr. Riegel.

Dr. Riegel, who joined Niagara University in 2022, focuses her work on enhancing the preparation of educators during this time of high need in the field. She serves on the board of directors for the International Society for Educational Planners and is the East regional representative on the board of directors for the Association for Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education. She also serves on the review boards for the Journal of Teacher Education, the Journal of Research on Technology in Education, the Educational Planning Journal, and the Association for Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education Journal.

Dr. Riegel is a member of several professional organizations, including the Association for Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education, the New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education, the International Society for Technology in Education, the American Educational Research Association, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, the Association of Teacher Educators, the International Society for Educational Planners, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in education with a concentration in adolescent mathematics, a Master of Science degree in special education, and a doctorate in leadership and policy from Niagara University.