AECT mourns the loss of Dr. J. Michael “Mike” Spector, a scholar, leader, mentor, colleague, and friend whose contributions to AECT and to the field of educational technology extended across decades.
For many within AECT, Mike needs little introduction. His name has been intertwined with AECT for more than three decades—as AECT President, longtime Development Editor and contributor to Educational Technology Research and Development (ETR&D), an editor of the Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology, and a scholar whose work helped advance our understanding of learning, instructional design, assessment, and educational technology.
These roles tell only part of Mike’s story.
AECT is, at its heart, a community, and Mike invested deeply in that community. He gave his time and expertise to the Association, helped advance its scholarly mission, encouraged its international reach, and contributed to the professional lives of colleagues and emerging scholars. More importantly, Mike was always willing to give his time to support the members of AECT.
That commitment was ultimately recognized by AECT through the establishment of the J. Michael Spector Appreciation Award, honoring extraordinary leadership and service to AECT. It is difficult to imagine a more fitting legacy. Each time the award recognizes someone who has given generously of themselves to AECT, Mike’s own example of service is remembered as well.
A Career Without Boundaries
Mike’s career crossed disciplinary and geographic boundaries, bringing together interests in philosophy and epistemology, computer science and artificial intelligence, instructional systems, complex learning, assessment, critical thinking, and technology-enhanced learning. Across these diverse interests, his work continually returned to a fundamental concern: how technology could be used to improve learning and education.
Through his 15 years as ETR&D Development Editor and his work with the Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology, Mike did more than contribute his own scholarship. He helped create opportunities for others to contribute their scholarship and, in doing so, helped expand the knowledge base of the field.
His influence was also distinctly international. Mike’s academic career and professional relationships extended well beyond the United States, and he helped strengthen connections among educational technology scholars around the world. Within AECT, he was regularly involved with the International Division and worked closely with international scholars and students. In doing so, he contributed to AECT’s development as an increasingly international scholarly community.
Tributes from Colleagues
Mike’s professional accomplishments are an important part of his legacy, but for those who knew him, worked with him, learned from him, debated ideas with him, or simply shared a conversation at an AECT convention, there are other stories that matter just as much.
I had the good fortune to collaborate with him in different roles and efforts throughout our time as professors in the field—as a researcher, co-editor, and in various leadership roles in AECT. We co-planned the first AECT Research Symposium in 2008, which benefitted greatly from his expertise in complex learning domains. Most significantly for me, I followed in his footsteps as AECT President and served as his conference co-planner for Louisville in 2012 as well, along with Miriam Larson. I can’t imagine a better experience, as Mike was intent on planning a meaningful, efficient, and enjoyable event for all who attended. His was a model that I could only strive to follow.
—Barbara Lockee, AECT Past President
When I began working with doctoral students, I wanted them to understand that even the most seasoned professionals receive constructive feedback on their journal submissions. I reached out to Mike to see if he might be able to provide some examples from ETR&D. His response was essentially, “How about I make you a reviewer for the Development section, and you can share your feedback with the students?”
Because of Mike’s invitation, I had the opportunity to serve as a reviewer for the journal while also helping my students understand an important lesson: everyone gets feedback.
—Chris Miller, AECT President
Mike once told me: “What have I learned in all these years? (1) I do not know very much, and (2) Most others think they know more than they actually know. Humility is a lost art. Hubris is the theme of the times. Meanwhile, I shall adopt the ways of J. Alfred and wear my trousers rolled and long for those days as a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas.”
—Bob Doyle, AECT Foundation Treasurer
Mike Spector was an ally, supporter, protector, colleague, and friend. I owe a portion of my academic success to Mike. Thank you!
—Rob Branch, AECT Past President
Mike ran the ETR&D Development section for fifteen years and five terms from 2003 to 2017 the way he did everything: quickly, openly, and with the author in mind. Decisions came back when he said they would. A rejection arrived with an explanation and a path forward. He read submissions from scholars outside the usual networks with the same care he gave established names, and the section’s authorship widened because of it. He also built the bench. Mike mentored many new reviewers rather than simply assigning them and ran workshops and conference sessions for first-time authors and first-time reviewers – teaching people how the work of a journal actually gets done. He understood that a journal’s real output is not volumes, but knowledge built and shared, and the people capable of building it.
The field is larger and more generous because of you. That is his editorship legacy – Responsive, Respectful, and Impactful. Thank you, Mike, for all you gave! It was an honor and privilege to serve with you.
—Tristan Johnson, Editor, Featured Papers, Past Research Section Editor-in-Chief, ETR&D
As much as I admired Mike the scholar, I especially enjoyed the informal Mike – the Mike who emerged when he took a break from writing, researching, and thinking about our field. He was a captivating storyteller, and I loved listening to him share stories and experiences from across his life, from his childhood growing up in L.A. (Lower Alabama), to his time at the Air Force Academy and his military service across the globe, and later his extraordinary academic career. Those conversations gave me the opportunity to know a side of Mike that could never be captured by a vita or a list of publications, and they are among the memories of him I will treasure most.
Mike made an extraordinary contribution to our field, but his legacy goes well beyond his scholarship. It lives on in the people he mentored, the opportunities he created for others, the colleagues he encouraged, and the many lives and careers made better because he was part of them.
—Marcus Childress, AECT Past President
A Legacy of Helping People Learn
Those memories show us that true legacy is not just about publications, awards, titles, or offices held. They remind us that legacy is also about the relationships we build, the people we encourage, the colleagues we support, and the communities we leave stronger because of our involvement.
Mike did all those things.
His influence remains in the leadership he provided, the scholarship he produced, the publications he helped shape, the colleagues and students he influenced, the international relationships he fostered, and the Association to which he devoted so much of his professional life.
In his farewell reflections as ETR&D Development Editor, Mike recalled hearing Robert Gagné say many times: “our job is to help people learn” (Spector, 2017, p. 1416). Reflecting on that message, Mike wrote words that seem particularly fitting today: “The goal is not to pile up papers and build a reputation or become famous—the goal is to help people learn” (Spector, 2017, p. 1416).
Mike lived a life of helping people learn, and AECT is stronger because he was part of it.
We extend our deepest sympathies to Mike’s family, friends, colleagues, students, and the many members of the international educational technology community whose lives he touched.
We will miss him. We will remember him. And we can honor his legacy by continuing the work to which he devoted so much of his life: helping people learn.
Reference
Spector, J. M. (2017). Reflections on educational technology research and development. Educational Technology Research and Development, 65(6), 1415–1423. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-017-9545-y