Christopher Dignam, Ed.D.

Dr. Christopher Dignam is an assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Development at Governors State University, where he prepares and supervises aspiring and practicing educational leaders in the Principal Leadership and Interdisciplinary Leadership programs. He joined the university in January 2022 and received its 2025 Excellence Award in recognition of excellence in teaching, performance of primary duties, and creative writing.

Dr. Dignam’s teaching and scholarship draw upon nearly three decades of experience in K–12 education and more than nineteen years of university teaching. His areas of expertise include educational leadership, interdisciplinary curriculum design, innovative pedagogy, STEM and STEAM education, social and emotional learning, and the ethical and human dimensions of artificial intelligence in education. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, presented his work at national and international conferences, and collaborated with university colleagues and students on scholarly research and creative activity. His approach to teaching is grounded in the belief that intellectual rigor flourishes when paired with compassion, creativity, curiosity, and student-centered leadership.

Dr. Dignam began his career as a high school biology teacher and subsequently taught chemistry, physics, anatomy and physiology, and Advanced Placement Biology. He later served as an area science instructional coach, supporting a diverse portfolio of 24 schools. His progression into educational leadership included service as an assistant principal, middle school principal, high school principal, acting superintendent, and superintendent of schools.

As principal of Lane Tech College Prep High School, one of the nation’s largest and highest-performing public high schools, Dr. Dignam led the school when it received the U.S. Department of Education’s National Blue Ribbon School distinction in 2012. His other professional honors include the Principal Achievement Award in 2013 and 2015 and recognition as the 2014 Illinois Principal of the Year by the McCormick Foundation.

Dr. Dignam holds a bachelor’s degree in biological science with a double major in education, a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, a Master of Arts in School Leadership with principal licensure, and a Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership. He also completed postdoctoral licensure studies in the superintendency.

A first-generation high school and college graduate and the son of Irish immigrants, Dr. Dignam regards education as a transformative force capable of turning adversity into opportunity. Outside the university, he is an accomplished guitarist who writes and records music in his home studio. He and his wife enjoy spending time outdoors and embracing life as empty nesters while their twin daughters pursue their own paths.
 

Dignam, C. (in press). Beyond the acronym: Interweaving STEAM, linguistic identity, and culturally-rich experiential learning. International Journal of Education Science, 2(2).

Dignam, C., Kelly, A. L., & Smith, C. M. (2026). Coaching the coach: A digital autoethnography of generative AI in teacher and leadership preparation. International Journal of Technology in Education, 9(2), 303-329. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.6504

Dignam, C. (2025). From automatons to autonomous beings: The humanistic evolution of robotics and the pursuit of sentience. In O. Noroozi (Ed.), Artificial intelligence (AI) in education. (pp. 117-149). ISTES. ISBN: 978-1-952092-89-3 https://www.istes.org/storage/01KEN1MYK1CEYFNK29DTZSTZJS.pdf

Tadros, E., Dignam, C., Grosholz, J., & Welshhans, E. (2025). We are all sentenced: The lived experience of mothers with an adult incarcerated daughter. Feminist Criminology, 20(2), 163-185. https://doi.org/10.1177/15570851241260912

Dignam, C. (2025). Makerspace and the 5C’s of learning: Constructing, communicating, collaborating, critically-thinking, and creatively-thinking. International Journal of Studies in Education and Science, 6(1), 104-127. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijses.135

Carl, K., Dignam, C., Kochan, M, Alston, C, & Green, D. (2024). Discovering prompt engineering: A qualitative study of nonexpert teachers’ interactions with ChatGPT. Issues in Information Systems, 25(4), 205-220 https://doi.org/10.48009/4_iis_2024_117

Dignam C., Pennington, L. K., & Daifallah, A. (2024). Beyond the acronym: Interconnections of STEAM, the humanities, and digital citizenship. International Journal on Social and Education Sciences, 6(3), 452-480. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijonses.686

Dignam, C. (2024). Harmonies on the string: Exploring the synergy of music and STEM. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science, 8(3), 491-521. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijtes.571

Dignam C., & Taylor, D.* (2024). Beyond the acronym: Entwining STEAM education, self-regulation, and mindfulness. Journal of STEAM Education, 7(2), 159-190. https://doi.org/10.55290/steam.1473884
*Published with a student/former student

Dignam, C., Gates, J.*, & Cooney, M. (2024). Governance and school district leadership: Addressing race based academic achievement disparity and board member perceptions. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 19(1), 62-79. https://www.icpel.org/uploads/1/5/6/2/15622000/dignam_et_al.pdf
*Published with a student/former student