Wallace “Wally” Hannum, an associate professor of educational psychology, is retiring from the School of Education, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1979.
Hannum has taught graduate-level courses on the use of technology in education, learning theories and instructional design.
Hannum was very supportive of his students, said Amanda Stang, who obtained her master’s degree in educational media and instructional design in 1991.
“I was always struck by how, even after having taught for many years, he was always excited to teach and to learn,” Stang said. “He has incredible intellect and an incredible openness to hearing what students have to think. He was very supportive of our own pursuit of knowledge.”
At the School, Hannum has served as associate director of technology of the National Research Center on Rural Education Support and conducted research on instructional uses of technology, especially distance education, an interest he attributes to growing up in rural Alabama and seeking to help extend educational opportunities to people who live far from city centers.
Hannum has widely consulted for corporations and federal agencies, helping them improve their education and training functions.
He is the author of four books on instructional systems design, task analysis, educational applications of computers, and emerging training technologies, and has published numerous journal articles on developments in technology and implications for educational institutions. He has won awards for his books and for his research on factors influencing the learning of intellectual skills.
Hannum earned his bachelor’s and M.Ed. degrees from Auburn University, and his Ph.D. from Florida State University.