Julie Smart, Ph.D.

Dr. Julie Smart is a native of South Carolina and has served in the Upstate area for twenty years as a K-12 educator, college professor, non-profit leader, and community advocate for education. Dr. Smart holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Clemson University and received a Bachelor of Science from Furman University and a Master of Education from Converse College. She began her career in education as a public-school teacher before moving to higher education to begin her work as a teacher educator and research methodologist. At Presbyterian College, Dr. Smart served as Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for Elementary Education and held the position of Accreditation and Assessment Director. Dr. Smart then returned to Clemson University, where she specialized in educational research as an instructional designer, professor, and research consultant in the Graduate School and Teacher Residency program. Dr. Smart currently serves as Director of the Doctor of Education (Ed.D) program and Assistant Professor of Graduate Studies at Anderson University. She is also an active scholar in her field and publishes her research regularly in international and national educational research journals, presents research at annual research conferences, and has authored a book for science educators. Dr. Smart’s primary areas of research include inquiry-based instruction in STEM, instrument development, observational measures of teaching effectiveness, and factors affecting teacher motivation for online teaching and learning.

EDLL 601 Education Policy Analysis
EDLL 601 Principles of Instructional Leadership
EDLL 631 Critical Issues on Curriculum and Instruction
EDLL 636 Methods of Assessment for Educational Effectiveness
EDLL 701 Research Methods
EDLL 702 Advanced Research Methods, Design and Analysis
EDLL 623, 633, 643 EdD Internships
EDLL 780 Dissertation I
EDLL 790 Dissertation II

2021

I am honored to join the faculty at Anderson University where the academic, spiritual, social, and emotional growth of our students is prioritized at the highest levels.

Traveling, Figure Skating, Playing the piano and guitar, Writing

Dr. Smart also serves the Upstate community through her leadership as Board Chair for Public Education Partners (PEP) and Chair of PEP’s Elevating Teachers Committee and Teacher Grants Committee. Dr. Smart sits on the Board of Directors for American Heart Association Upstate and provides leadership for the CPR in Schools Program and advocates for issues in youth health and safety across the state of SC. Dr. Smart also serves the community through her involvement with GHS MedEx Academy Advisory Board, GHS Women’s Hospital Advisory Board, and the All In Foundation.

Was a competitive figure skater for 20 years and sang back-up vocals for Christian recording artist, Sandy Patty

Greenville, SC native for 43 years!

I love working with talented colleagues who are passionate about their work and care deeply about their students. I am so thankful to be working in a Christ-centered environment where we all share a common mission and commitment to faith-based education.

I would want potential education majors to realize the tremendous potential they have to impact the lives of children and youth in a positive and life-changing way. For our future EdD students in education, I want them to know that educational research can have a powerful connection to their practice and that research can be approachable and rewarding! So many students come into a doctoral program with a negative perception of research and it's my desire that they grow to love the process of educational research and the pragmatic implications that it can have in their schools and communities.

My classes are very interactive and alternate between group discussions, engaging activities, targeted lectures and opportunities for individual student reflection. I like to make sure that my students feel supported and comfortable in my classes and I often use humor and stories from my life to connect with them on a personal level. I look forward to teaching and I like to make sure my students look forward to class too!

Alston, D., Marshall, J., & Smart, J. (2020). Classroom inquiry patterns that characterize the different levels of inquiry instruction. Science Educator.
Smart, J., & Linder, S. (2018). Development, validation, and implementation of the Elementary Mathematics Motivation Inventory (EMMI): Examining motivational constructs in elementary mathematics. Fields Journal of Mathematics Education.3 (2), https://doi.org/10.1186/s40928-017-0005-7.
Smart, J. (2017). Capturing ladybug moments: Inquiry in the age of Google. Red Leaf Press Blog. https://redleafpressblog.org/2017/10/09/ladybug-moments.
Marshall, J., Smart, J., & Alston, D. (2017). Inquiry-based instruction: A possible solution to improving student learning of both science concepts and scientific practices. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 15, 777-796.
Marshall, J., Smart, J., & Alston, D. (2016). Development and validation of Teacher Intentionality of Practice Scale (TIPS): A measure to guide and scaffold teacher effectiveness. Teaching and Teacher Education, 59, 159-168.
Linder, S. & Smart, J. (2015). A multi method investigation of mathematics motivation in elementary age students. School Science and Mathematics, 115(8), 392-403.
Smart, J. (2015). What’s Cooking? Teaching Children Mathematics. 22(3), 136-137.
Smart, J. (2014). A mixed methods study of middle school science students’ perceptions of teacher-student interactions and related domain-specific motivation. Research in Middle Level Education Online, 38(4), 1-19.
Smart, J. & Marshall, J.C. (2013). Interactions between classroom discourse, teacher questioning, and student cognitive engagement in middle school science. Journal of Science Teacher Education, DOI: 10.1007/s10972-012-9297-9
Marshall, J. C. & Smart, J. (2013). Teachers' transformation to inquiry-based instructional practice. Creative Education, 4(2), 132-142.
Marshall, J., Smart, J., Lotter, C., & Sirbu, C. (2011). Comparative analysis of two inquiry observational protocols: Striving to better understand the quality of teacher facilitated inquiry-based instruction. School Science and Mathematics, 39(1), 210-237.
Marshall, J. C., Smart, J., & Horton, R. M. (2011). Tracking perceived and observed growth of inquiry practice: A formative plan to improve professional development experiences. Science Educator. 53(1), 90-121.
Smart, J. & Igo, B. (2010). A grounded theory of behavior management strategy selection and implementation by induction year elementary teachers. Elementary School Journal, 110(4),567-584.
Marshall, J. C., Smart, J., & Horton, R. M. (2010). The design and validation of EQUIP: An instrument to assess inquiry-based instruction. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. 8(2), 299-312.
Marshall, J. C., Horton, B., & Smart, J. (2009). 4E x 2 Instructional Model: Uniting three learning constructs to improve praxis in science and mathematics classrooms. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 20(6), 501-516.
Smart, J. & Marshall, J. (2007). Geometry in nature: Exploring geometric features of the plant and animal world. Science and Children, 44(11)
Smart, J. (2006). Writing in the digital domain: Enriching writing instruction through technology. Reading Matters, Winter, 15-24.
Smart, J., Marshall, J., & Alston, D. (In Review). Reducing measurement error in teacher evaluation: A grounded theory of evaluators’ attributions for variability in observational ratings of teachers’ classroom practices. Journal of Mixed Methods Research.

BOOKS
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Smart, J. (2017). Inquiring Young Minds: Guiding Young Children in Exploring and Understanding their World through Inquiry. St. Paul, MN: Red Lead Press.
Smart, J. (2017). It’s Gameday in Death Valley! New York, NY: Mascot Books.
Smart, J. (In development). Motivating and Engaging Young Children in STEM. Red Leaf Press.