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Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education

Interview with Dr. Lawrence Tomei, 2015 InfoSci®-Journals Distinguished Fellowship Honoree

By IGI Global on Feb 11, 2016
IGI Global Editor Travels To MyanmarDr. Lawrence A. Tomei, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of Education at Robert Morris University, has contributed years of research and written and edited several publications and proceedings in the developing area of instructional technology. Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, Dr. Tomei was recently selected for IGI Global’s 2015 InfoSci®-Journals Distinguished Fellowship Award.

In order to qualify for this honor, an Editor-in-Chief must exhibit a record of success in raising citation, visibility, and scholarship of their journal. They must also secure an adequate quantity of submissions from leading authors and publish each journal issue on a timely basis. The fellowship honors exceptional work in gaining recognition of the journal in top indices. Dr. Lawrence A. Tomei recently took some time to speak with IGI Global about his journal, continuing research, and career.


Tell us a little about your area of study and expertise. How long have you been involved in the field of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology?

All successful students point to at least one teacher who made them excited about learning, so says the designers of the Gallup Index of Great Jobs and Great Lives (2015). For me, that mentor was my educational psychology professor throughout my doctoral program. Since completing my studies in 1983, teaching and learning both as theory and classroom practice have been my passion. Growing up with computer mainframes in the 1970’s and witnessing the dawn of personal computers a decade later, it continues to amaze me that the promises of instructional technology are still unrealized; perhaps the true excitement is that they may never fully be achieved. Until that day, I will continue to engage myself in the potential that pedagogy and technology portend.

Tell us a little about the International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education. Why is research in the area of ICT development so important?

The IJICTE was proposed by IGI in 2004. Instructional technology was still on the cusp of a merger of pedagogy and technology. For years, journals regarded teaching and learning theory distinct from classroom technology. An invitation went out for an editor-in-chief and I enthusiastically accepted. Together, we aspired to create an internationally reputed journal that would meld ICT and education in a three-pronged quest for best practices, theoretical foundations, and scholarly research. Over the past 12 years, the IJICTE has grown in scope offering its readers exceptional research, global perspectives, and timely examinations of critical topics. With increasing numbers of contributors, a dedicated staff of learned editors, and, most importantly, a loyal reader base, the IJICTE will continue to present the latest in research, practice, and position in pedagogy and instructional technology.

What researchers can most benefit from the journal?

Educators, instructional technologists, and classroom teachers (at all levels) have the most to gain from the IJICTE. Every manuscript published in our journal was selected by a team of over 40 editors and reviewers. Our topics run the gamut from the latest research, best practices in the classroom, to contemporary thinking about ICT and education. Contributions are scrutinized for their literature review, research design, data analysis, conclusions, and recommendations. Best practices investigate new theoretical models, their impact on learning, and practical applications in the classroom. Novelty of concepts, conceptual frameworks, and their importance to education are criteria for position papers included in our journal. The IJICTE benefits the practitioner, the scholar, and the investigator.

How is ICT influencing education today? What are some changes we can expect in the future regarding technology implementation in education?

The four major influences of ICT on education encompass research, globalization, online learning, and access to expert instruction. If a university library is outdated or lacks a selection of titles, technology bridges the gap by providing virtual resources on the web, electronic databases, and multimedia. As long as there are computer labs and erudite librarians, students will have access to unlimited reserves. The digital version of the IJICTE is one of those important resources. Students in different states and countries connect through video conferencing without leaving the classroom. They take courses over the Internet at their convenience. They participate in virtual field trips, web-based seminars, and discussions with experts apart from their campus. I predict that social media and smart technologies will continue to expand the horizons of education as we move through the 21st century.

What findings have you found most fascinating in your research experience?

My personal research agenda has focused on a new paradigm for developing faculty in both pedagogy and technology. The Integrated Readiness Matrix (IRM) was introduced as a chapter in a 2012 book, Technology and Its Impact on Educational Leadership: Innovation and Change (Wang, 2012) by my co-authors Bernauer and Davis. The IRM is a tool to identify faculty skills and competencies along two critical dimensions of teaching: pedagogy (via Bloom’s Taxonomy) and technology (via my Taxonomy for the Technology Domain). Locating faculty on the X-Y dimensions of this matrix and using their current position to expand their mastery of both dimensions is a prudent path towards lifelong professional development. Since then, Bernauer and I have continued to develop the matrix paradigm in the 2015 book,Integrating Pedagogy and Technology: Improving Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and a new book to be released in 2016, Developing a Center for Teaching Excellence: A Case Study Using the Integrated Readiness Matrix.

Is there any message you would like to give to your readers as it pertains to your research?

In the book that will coming out later this year (2016), authors will invite their readers to join our IRM-Higher Ed Network, an online forum to expand your personal professional development by networking with higher education faculty worldwide. Membership is free and brings together educators who are eager to share their best practices and experiences with peers and colleagues. The IJICTE journal will remain the pivotal source of literature for discussions, online dialogues, and ongoing conversations as well as publication of best practices and research that spring from those network interactions.


Dr. Lawrence A. Tomei is Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and a professor in education at Robert Morris University. Born in Akron, Ohio, he earned a BSBA from the University of Akron (1972) and entered the US Air Force, serving until his retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1994. Dr. Tomei completed his MPA and MEd at the University of Oklahoma (1975, 1978) and EdD from USC (1983). His articles and books on instructional technology include: Professional Portfolios for Teachers (1999), Teaching Digitally: Integrating Technology Into the Classroom (2001), Technology Facade (2002), Challenges of Teaching with Technology Across the Curriculum (2003), and Taxonomy for the Technology Domain (2005).

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