July 14, 2022

This paid piece is sponsored by Dakota State University.

Dakota State University is known for programs built on technology and innovation. These same words can be used to describe Dr. David De Jong, the new dean of the College of Education.

De Jong is well experienced in the world of education. He has spent time as an elementary school teacher, principal, superintendent and later as an assistant professor and chair of the Division of Educational Leadership at the University of South Dakota.

Throughout his career, he has maintained an interest in innovation and technology. He is a strong proponent of using technology in education, particularly simulations and telepresence robots.

At an educational conference, De Jong sat and watched a 10-minute simulation, which led him to reach out to SchoolSims to become a client. He sees it as one of the best tools to train current and aspiring teachers and leaders.

“You watch a little video about a scenario, and then you make a choice on how you would proceed, and then you allow people to talk about what they chose and why,” he explained. “It’s getting people to talk about their past experiences, value systems and biases.”

Since being introduced to SchoolSims, De Jong has facilitated hundreds of simulations for thousands of people in every state.

“I really believe that using simulations to train teachers and school leaders is the future of how we’re going to be training people,” he said.

Dakota State has been using a similar simulation service, Musrion’s TeachLivE, since the fall of 2017. The simulation, dubbed the Virtual Avatar Learning Experience, provides students with the opportunity to learn classroom management skills in a mixed-reality classroom with simulated students.

De Jong plans to introduce SchoolSims to Dakota State as a potential supplementary option for training teachers.

He also is conducting research focused on analyzing 828 responses from students who have experienced an online asynchronous simulation through SchoolSims. He is coding the responses and determining if the students go through Kolb’s experiential learning theory, where students have an experience, reflect, think and then act on it.

In addition to his experience with simulations, he was introduced to telepresence robots by a colleague. A telepresence robot has a rolling base with an iPad that operates as the camera, displaying the user on the screen. The person operating the robot can control it from a computer, tablet or phone.

De Jong has used these in his classrooms, mainly for adult learners who are available to attend class but unable to be physically present. He was excited to learn that DSU’s College of Education has had a telepresence robot, Dewey, since 2018.

At USD, De Jong had experience working with educational leaders in the classroom as an adviser and as a member of dissertation committees. This has allowed him to get to know many of the principals and superintendents in South Dakota. Feedback from them will enable him to help determine what Dakota State needs to know to train the next generation of teachers based on what they are experiencing in schools.

In his new position, De Jong is ready to listen and learn, and build relationships within the Dakota State and Madison communities.

“If you could measure my excitement for this role, it would put a big smile on your face,” he said.

As he has gotten settled into his new office in the Kennedy Center at DSU, he has hung leadership quotes that have impacted him as a leader.

The first, “It is more important to be interested than interesting,” is a reminder that leaders need to be interested in other people and how things are going, he shared.

Another reads, “What a leader does consistently over time eventually becomes the emphasis within the organization.” This inspires De Jong to “pay attention to relationships, solve problems, listen to others and help people achieve their goals.”

A third reads, “Never be lacking in zeal,” which signifies the importance of “finding what you’re passionate about and being all-in.”

A fourth reads, “I believe that leadership is learned many times over,” noting that learners often create a group of learners. “I am a ferocious learner,” he said.

Finally, “Good leaders understand the smartest person in the room is the room.”

De Jong describes this as knowing that any one person, including himself, will not have all the answers.

“I know when I listen well and get people together, we’ll make some pretty good decisions as a team.”