Scholar

Leading A High-impact Interdisciplinary, mixed-methods research agenda,
exploring the role of accessible information and communications technologies (ICTs)
in disability inclusive social and economic development

Overview

Dr. Derrick L. Cogburn is Full Professor at the School of International Service and the Kogod School of Business at American University. He is also Executive Director of the AU Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP) and Faculty Co-Director of the Internet Governance Lab (IGL).  Dr. Cogburn is also affiliated with the American University School of Communication. His research and teaching includes: global information and communication technology and socio-economic development; multistakeholder institutional mechanisms for Internet governance; transnational policy networks and epistemic communities; and the socio-technical infrastructure for geographically distributed collaboration in knowledge work.  Dr. Cogburn has published in major journals such as Telecommunications Policy, International Studies Perspectives, Journal of International Affairs, Assistive Technology, and Information Technologies and International Development (ITID).  He has published with and/or advised the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), United Nations World Institute for Development Economics Research, the World Bank, UNESCO, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).  He has served as PI or co-PI on over $10 million in externally supported research, with grants from sources as diverse as the National Science Foundation, US Department of Education, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft Research, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and The Nippon Foundation.  Dr. Cogburn directs the Center for Research on Collaboratories and Technology Enhanced Learning Communities (COTELCO), an award-winning social science research collaboratory investigating the social and technical factors that influence geographically distributed collaborative knowledge work, particularly between developed and developing countries.  Dr. Cogburn is editor of the Palgrave Macmillian book series on Information Technology and Global Governance, and is co-editor of a new book in the series entitled, The Turn to Infrastructure in Internet Governance, which may be purchased on Amazon.com in both physical and Kindle format.  The launch for the new book, held on Wednesday, 13 April 2016, was co-hosted by the DC Chapter of the Internet Society, as well as the School of International Service and the School of Communication at American University. He is past president of the Information Technology and Politics section of the American political Science Association, and past president of the International Communication section of the International Studies Association.  He is a founding member and past Vice Chair of the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet).

Research Site Profiles:

My research agenda is focused on three major thrusts: (1) accessible multistakeholder global governance for ICTs; (2) geographically distributed collaborative work and learning; and (3) big data analytics and text mining in international affairs.  I organize this research agenda through various research centers, institutes and programs within American University and other institutions. Please feel free to explore my research by clicking on any of the following links.

AU2030

AU 2030 is a strategic planning initiative that looks to the institution's future and identifies groundbreaking areas for which AU can be nationally and internationally recognized as the very best.  Before the initiative began, Latin American and Latino Studies was selected as an area for investment, launching what is now the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies. In 2012, the AU 2030 initiative officially launched following a call for proposals. Faculty submitted their ideas, which were then reviewed by their colleagues and the academic deans. Subsequently, six areas of interest emerged and an additional four areas were added soon thereafter.

IDPP - Institute on Disability and Public Policy/AU2030

We prepare transformative disability policy leaders and serve as a collaborative "think tank" on disability policy for the ASEAN region through an unparalleled network of 20 leading universities and 4 outreach partners, with founding and sustained support from The Nippon Foundation. We contribute to the vision of an ASEAN region that is inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based, and pioneered the world's first virtual master's degree program in disability policy, offered by American University's School of International Service.

Selected Publications:

  • Ellis, Jennifer T., Arnone, M.P., Cogburn, D.L., Accessible Cyberlearning in Practice. Journal on Technology and Persons with Disabilities, California State University, Northridge, June 2014, pp 155-166.

  • Cogburn, D.L., Ellis, J.T., Levinson, N., Arnone, M.A. “Developing and Evaluating an Accessible Cyberteaching Training (ACT) Now Program for Faculty” Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-48). Kauai, Hawaii, 7 January 2015.

Internet Governance Lab/ AU2030

The Internet Governance Lab is a center at American University in Washington D.C. for evidence-based research, policy formulation, and teaching in Internet architecture and governance. Internet policy debates rank among the most important public policy areas of the 21st century, shaping civil liberties, human rights, access and inclusion, and economic development across the globe. American University is globally known for housing some of the world’s leading scholars whose work has helped theorize and shape the scholarly field of Internet governance over the past decades. The mission of the Internet Governance Lab is to study the implications of Internet governance approaches for society and the global economy, to advance the marketplace of ideas with original research, to inform policymakers and the public, and to train the next generation of thought leaders in this area.

Selected Publications:

Big Data Analytics Task Force/AU2030

The main learning objective of this program is to give students the knowledge and skills to: (1) formulate an organizational problem; (2) identify the data necessary to analyze the problem; (3) select the most appropriate methods and tools to conduct the analysis; and (4) make data driven decisions based on the results of this analysis. The program was designed to provide a framework in which students are not only trained on quantitative and analytical skills, but also on a functional domain of specialization to enhance the students’ ability to better understand how to conduct analysis in that domain.

One of my major contributions to the AU2030 Big Data initiative is my work on Big Data Analytics and Text Mining.

Selected Publications:

  • Computationally Intensive Content Analysis of Public Diplomacy Data: Understanding the Public Remarks of US Secretaries of State, 1997-2011, Proceedings of the 46th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 7-10 January 2013.

  • Computationally Intensive Content Analysis of Public Diplomacy Data: Understanding the Public Remarks of US Secretaries of State, 1997-2011, Proceedings of the 46th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 7-10, IEEE Computer Society Press, January 2013.

Cybersecurity Center

The Kogod Cybersecurity Governance Center at American University aims to promote “good governance” in the preparation for, prevention and detection of, and response to cybersecurity breaches. The Center conducts collaborative, objective, multidisciplinary research related to cybersecurity governance, enterprise risk management, and cyber risk management across business, legal, public policy, and public administration disciplines.

COTELCO

The Center for Research on Collaboratories and Technology Enhanced Learning Communities (COTELCO) is an an award-winning social science research collaboratory investigating the social and technical factors that influence geographically distributed collaborative knowledge work, particularly between developed and developing countries. COTELCO explores the socio-technical infrastructure required to support virtual teams and organizations and is based upon principles of universal design and accessibility.

Selected Publications:

  • Cogburn. D.. “Computer-Mediated Communication Technologies and Cross-National Learning, he International Studies Encyclopedia, Robert Denemark, Ed., Wiley-Blackwell, March 2010.

Academic Organizations

Throughout my academic career, I have been active consistently in several key academic organizations.  Those that I remain most active in, and the specific communities that are my homes within those associations, are as follows