Principal Researcher, SRI Education
Rebecca Griffiths, EdD, focuses on investigating how educational innovations can increase student learning and success in postsecondary and K12 systems. She leads studies that blend qualitative and quantitative methods to shed new light on the benefits and challenges of technology-enabled instructional models for diverse students, as well as the factors that drive successful implementation and scaling.
Griffiths has led large-scale research and evaluation projects involving numerous institutional partners and stakeholders. Research topics have included adaptive learning technology, college readiness, adult basic education, open education resources, and hybrid learning models. Her current work falls in three lines: evaluating the academic and economic impacts of emerging technologies, developing tools that empower educators to examine the effectiveness of digital learning, and investigating new models such as Open Education Resource degrees. Griffiths’ work has been funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Great Lakes Higher Education Association, the U.S. Department of Education, and other philanthropic, institutional, and private sector clients. Griffiths also has extensive international experience.
Griffiths presents frequently at events for researchers and practitioners, including annual conferences of the American Education Research Association, the American Evaluation Association, EDUCAUSE, Open Education, the Association of American State Colleges and Universities, and the Online Learning Consortium. She has been invited to participate in convenings related to academic innovation, open education resources, postsecondary education research, and digital learning. Her research has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Higher Education, the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, and the National Academy of Engineering’s publication, The Bridge. Griffiths served on a review panel for the National Science Foundation and as a reviewer for MIT Press and the Online Learning Journal.
Before joining SRI, Griffiths was program director for online learning at Ithaka S+R, a nonprofit postsecondary education research and advisory practice. Griffiths’ graduate training was on higher education management at the University of Pennsylvania and on new product and venture development at MIT, giving her a unique perspective on how technological innovations scale and achieve sustainability and on organizational development and change. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University.
Key projects
- Open Education Resource Degree Initiative Research and Evaluation
- Evaluation of Mastering Chemistry in General Chemistry
- Rapid Cycle Technology Evaluation for the U.S. Department of Education
- Evaluation of EdReady online Math System
- Evaluation of the Next Generation Courseware Challenge
Recent publications
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Encouraging Impacts of an Open Education Resource Degree Initiative on College Students’ Progress to Degree
Open Education Resources (OER) are an alternative to commercial textbooks that have the potential to increase college affordability, access, and instructional quality.
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An Evaluation of a First-of-its-kind Hybrid Law Degree Program
There are few published studies investigating the effectiveness of hybrid formats at the program level in graduate legal education. A hybrid Juris Doctorate (J.D.) program launched by a Midwestern institution was the first ABA-accredited law degree program with a substantial online learning component.
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Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure for STEM Education
SRI convened diverse stakeholders in workshops about midscale research infrastructure for STEM education. Participants discussed challenges and opportunities for transforming our STEM education system and what infrastructure is needed to support necessary research.
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Maintaining Momentum of 1:1 Programs: Observations from the Apple and ConnectED Initiative
The Apple and ConnectED Initiative provides valuable lessons for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers about what it takes to sustain 1:1 programs in schools serving high concentrations of students facing socioeconomic barriers.
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Sustaining a 1:1 Program – Insights From Research
This paper shares insights on sustaining 1:1 technology programs in economically challenged K–12 settings, based on a large research study of an iPad program.
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OER at Scale: The Academic and Economic Outcomes of Achieving the Dream’s OER Degree Initiative
The research and evaluation of ATD’s OER Degree Initiative provided encouraging evidence regarding the academic outcomes of students who enrolled in multiple OER courses, the economic impacts for both students and institutions, and the experiences of key stakeholders.