Contact Us
Spring Valley Building , Room 471 on a map
4801 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016-8030 United StatesA Message from Dean Foster August 1, 2026
Dear Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni, and Partners of the Baker School of Education,
Good day! It is an absolute honor and a privilege to begin my service as the Linda A. and H. Kent Baker Endowed Chair and Dean of the Baker School of Education. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Interim Dean Hopson for leading the school for the last year and a half, and to Interim President David Marchick and Provost Vicky Wilkins for entrusting me with this incredible opportunity. Most of all, I thank each of you at the Baker School of Education for making this institution what it is. Together, we will make the entire American University community incredibly proud!
My own journey began in Kingston, Jamaica, before migrating to the United States in 1998 and calling New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and now DC, my academic homes. My faith and my wonderful family—my wife, Dr. Yolanda Foster, and our two children, Aryonna (10) and Aroutis (7)—ground my values and guide my leadership. I bring that deep sense of mutual respect and warmth with me to our school. We are a community that thrives when we support one another like family.
As we look to the future, I am dedicated to bringing a vibrant, collaborative, and entrepreneurial energy to our work. But true excellence is never the job of just one person or a single leadership team—leadership is a shared responsibility that belongs to every single one of us. Every voice matters, and every role is vital. We will move forward together as a unified front, combining my big-picture vision with your unique, complementary strengths to solve complex challenges and build a brighter future.
To our brilliant faculty, staff, and students: I cannot wait to work with you, learn from you, and amplify what is working beautifully while thoughtfully improving our pain points. To our valued partners and incredible alumni: you are foundational to our future. Together, we will create a pipeline of teachers, expand world-class experiential learning, and create meaningful opportunities for generations to come.
We will grow. We will succeed. We will thrive—together as one.
I am overjoyed to join this community, and I am so excited about all that we are going to accomplish together!
Aroutis Foster, PhD (he/him/his)
Dean, Linda A. and H. Kent Baker Chair, and Professor
Linda A. and H. Kent Baker School of Education
American University
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW | Washington, DC 20016
Email: [email protected]
Publications
Journal Publications
Akkuş Çağır, N., Sarıdemir, H., Gök Ayyıldız, N., Foster, A. & Öner, D. (2025). Exploring Co-Design Processes of Epistemic Game Scenarios to Support Professional Identity Development. Co-Design. DOI: 10.1080/15710882.2025.2596053
Woodard, M., & Foster, A. (2025). Using Epistemic Analysis to Explore Black Girls' Creativity as They Learn to Code. Journal of Science Education and Technology (Special issue on Quantitative Ethnography).
Fan, Y., Barany, A., & Foster, A. (2023). Possible future selves in STEM: An epistemic network analysis of identity exploration in minoritized students and alumni. International Journal of STEM Education, 10 (1) 22.
Petrovich Jr., M. E., Barany, A., Shah, M., & Foster, A. (2022). Identity exploration for maker educators: Constructing meaning in after-school environmental science. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 54(4), pp. 535-556. DOI: 10.1080/15391523.2021.1885530
Foster, A. & Shah, M. (2021) Framing and Studying Learning and Identity in Virtual Learning Environments: Introduction to the Special Issue, The Journal of Experimental Education, 89:3, 445-449, DOI: 10.1080/00220973.2021.1873092
Shah, M., Foster, A., & Barany, A., Talafian, H. & Petrovich Jr. M.E. (2020). Facilitating and Interpreting High School Students' Identity Exploration Trajectories in STEM, The Journal of Experimental Education, 89:3, 541-559, DOI: 10.1080/00220973.2020.1808941.
Barany, A. & Foster, A. (2020). Context, Community, and the Individual: Modeling Identity in a Game Affinity Space, The Journal of Experimental Education, 89:3, 523-540, DOI: 10.1080/00220973.2020.1740966
Foster, A. & Shah, M. (2020). Principles for Advancing Game-Based Learning in Teacher Education, Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 36:2, 84-95, DOI: 10.1080/21532974.2019.1695553
Foster, A. & Shah, M., Barany, A. & Talafian, H. (2019). "High school students' role-playing for identity exploration: findings from virtual city planning", Information and Learning Sciences, Vol. 120 No. 9/10. Pp 640-662 DOI: 10.1108/ILS-03-2019-0026
Talafian, H., Moy, M., Woodard, M. & Foster, A. (2019). Easley Summer Space Camp: An Immersive Environment for STEM Identity Exploration. Journal for STEM Education Research, pp 1–23. DOI: 10.1007/s41979-019-00018-7
Akkus-Cakir, N., Gass, A., Foster, A., & Lee, F.J. (2017). Development of a game-design workshop to promote young girls interest towards computing through identity exploration. Computers & Education, 108, pp. 115-130. (Acceptance rate: 8-12%)
Foster, A. & Shah, M. (2016). Examining game design features for identity exploration and change. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 35(4) pp. 345-360. (Acceptance rate: 10-19%)
Foster, A. & Shah, M. (2016). Knew me and new me: Facilitating student identity exploration and learning through game integration. International Journal of Gaming and Computer-MediMediated Simulation, 8(3).
Duvall, M., Matranga, A., Foster, A. & Silverman, J. (2016). Mobile learning: technology as mediator of personal and school experiences. International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 6(1).
Foster, A. & Shah, M. (2015). The ICCE framework: Framing learning experiences afforded by games. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 51(4). (12% acceptance rate)
Shah, M., & Foster, A. (2015). Developing and assessing teachers' knowledge of game-based learning. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 23(2), 241-267. (Acceptance rate 6%; Flagship research journal for SITE)
Foster, A. & Shah, M. (2015). The Play Curricular activity Reflection Discussion model for game-based learning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 47(2). (Acceptance rate 13%; Flagship research journal for ISTE)
Shah, M., & Foster, A. (2014). Undertaking an ecological approach to advance game-based learning: A case study. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 17(1), 29-41. (Acceptance rate 14%)
Shah, M., & Foster, A. (2014). The inquiry, communication, construction, and expression (ICCE) framework for understanding learning experience in games. International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments, 5(2).
Katz-Buonincontro, J. & Foster, A. (2013). Integrating the visual arts back into the classroom with mobile applications: Teaching beyond the 'click and view' approach. Journal of Digital Learning and Teacher Education, 30(2), 52-59. (Acceptance rate 18%, 75% authorship)
Edited Book
Foster, A. N. & Shah, M. P. (June 7, 2024). Virtual Learning Environments: Unveiling Learning and Identity. Routledge: London. HB ISBN: 978-1-032-72653-3; PB ISBN: 978-1-032-72659-5; EB ISBN: 978-1-032-72666-3
Book Chapters
Shah, M. & Foster, A. (2021). "Integrating Games and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (EDLT 544)." In Ferdig, R., Baumgartner, E. & Gandolfi, E. (Eds). Teaching the Game: A collection of syllabi for game design, development, and implementation, Vol. 2. Carnegie Mellon University. Book. DOI: 10.1184/R1/14867193.v4
Foster, A. & Shah, M. "Educational Learning Technologies (EDLT) 541: Foundations in Game-Based Learning." (2021). In Ferdig, R., Baumgartner, E. & Gandolfi, E. (Eds). Teaching the Game: A collection of syllabi for game design, development, and implementation, Vol. 2. Carnegie Mellon University. Book. DOI: 10.1184/R1/14867193.v4
Petrovich Jr., M. E., Fornaro, C., Barany, A. & Foster, A. (2021). Game Design Features for Facilitating Identity Exploration: An Exploration of Minecraft EE Chemistry Lab. In D. Gibson & M. Ochoa (Eds.) Research Highlights in Technology and Teacher Education 2020. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).
Barany, A. & Foster, A. (2021). Mapping Identity Exploration of Science Careers Using Epistemic Networks. In D. Gibson & M. Ochoa (Eds.) Research Highlights in Technology and Teacher Education 2020. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).
Petrovich Jr., M. E., & Foster, A. N. (2021). Augmented Reality in Research and Practice: A Content Analysis of Claims in Education. In Akcayir, G., & Demmans Epp, C. (Ed.), Designing, Deploying, and Evaluating Virtual and Augmented Reality in Education (pp. 48-75). IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-5043-4.ch003
Petrovich, M. E., Shah, M. & Foster, A. (2019). An Expanded Systematic Review of Augmented Reality Learning. In D. Gibson & M.N. Ochoa (Eds.). Research Highlights in Technology and Teacher Education 2019 (pp 75-84). Chesapeake, VA: Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education.
Barany, A., Talafian, H., Petrovich, M. E., Shah, M. & Foster, A. (2019). Tracking identity exploration trajectories in game-based learning. In D. Gibson & M.N. Ochoa (Eds.). Research Highlights in Technology and Teacher Education 2019 (pp 95-104). Chesapeake, VA: Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education.
Talafian, H., Barany, A., Petrovich, M. E., Shah, M. & Foster, A. (2019). Facilitating and tracking identity change in augmented virtual learning environments. In D. Gibson & M.N. Ochoa (Eds.). Research Highlights in Technology and Teacher Education 2019 (pp 85-94). Chesapeake, VA: Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education.
Shah, M. & Foster, A. (2018). Pre-Service Teachers' Exploration of Professional Role Identities for Teaching with Games. In L. Lui & D. Gibson (Eds.). Research Highlights in Technology and Teacher Education 2018. Chesapeake, VA: Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education.
Foster, A., Shah, M., & Barany, A. (2017). Facilitating Learning as Identity Change Through Game-Based Learning. In Y. Baek (Ed). Game-Based Learning: Theory, Strategies and Performance Outcomes. New York, NY. Nova Publishers.