Draft:Jessica Hunt

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Jessica H. Hunt
EducationUniversity of Central Florida (PhD)
Known forAsset-based mathematics interventions, fraction learning research, educational game design
AwardsNational Science Foundation CAREER Award (2014)
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Linking Research and Practice Award (2018)
Scientific career
FieldsMathematics education, Special education, Learning sciences
InstitutionsNorth Carolina State University

Jessica H. Hunt is an American mathematics educator, special education researcher, and professor of mathematics education and special education at North Carolina State University. She is also a Senior Faculty Fellow at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. Her research focuses on mathematics learning and instruction for students with disabilities, fraction understanding, instructional coaching, educational technology, game-based learning, and STEM education.[1]

Hunt is known for her work on asset-based learning environments, mathematics interventions for students with learning disabilities, and the development of educational games designed to support mathematics learning and STEM career exploration.[2]

Early life and education

Hunt began her career as a middle school mathematics teacher in Florida. Her classroom experiences informed her later research on mathematics learning among students with disabilities and students experiencing difficulties in mathematics.[3]

She earned a Ph.D. in Special Education and Mathematics Education from the University of Central Florida in 2011 and completed postdoctoral studies at the University of Texas at Austin in 2012.[4]

Career

Hunt's early career in academia began at Utah State University, where she was an Assistant Professor of Special Education. She later transitioned to a faculty role in STEM Education at the University of Texas at Austin before joining the faculty of North Carolina State University in 2016. There, she teaches and conducts research in mathematics education, special education, STEM education, and learning sciences.[5]

Her work examines how students with disabilities develop mathematical understanding and how educators can design learning environments that support conceptual understanding, participation, and mathematical agency.[6]

Research

Asset-based learning environments

A major focus of Hunt's research is the development of asset-based learning environments, an approach that seeks to identify and build upon students' existing mathematical strengths and reasoning. Her work emphasizes listening to students' mathematical thinking, positioning students as competent sense-makers, and designing instruction that leverages students' prior knowledge and experiences.[7]

Fraction learning

Much of Hunt's scholarship has focused on fraction learning among students with learning disabilities. Through the National Science Foundation-funded Fraction Activities and Assessments for Conceptual Teaching (FAACT) project, she and her colleagues investigated learning trajectories in fraction understanding and developed interventions designed to support conceptual mathematics learning. She later built a digital game based whole class intervention program from her earlier work. [8]

Educational technology

Hunt has led the development of educational technology projects that integrate mathematics learning, accessibility, and STEM career exploration.

One of these projects, Model Mathematics Education (ModelME), was funded by the National Science Foundation and resulted in the creation of Dream2B, a game-based mathematics learning environment designed to support fraction understanding among upper elementary students, including students with learning disabilities.[9]

Dream2B has been featured at the U.S. Department of Education's Ed Games Expo and received recognition through educational technology award programs.[10]

Speaking and professional activities

Hunt has delivered invited presentations and keynote addresses on mathematics intervention, disability, educational equity, and game-based learning.

In 2022, she served as a keynote speaker for the Math Learning Center Intervention Leadership Conference, presenting on asset-based approaches to mathematics intervention.[11]

In 2025, she was a keynote speaker at the National Conference of the U.S. Math Recovery Council, where she presented Asset-Based Learning Environments to Support All Students in Mathematics.[12]

Awards and honors

  • National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2014)[13]
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Linking Research and Practice Award (2018)[14]
  • Serious Play Conference Gold Award for Educational Gaming and Instructional Design (2022)[15]
  • EdTech Digest Awards Finalist, Games for Learning / Simulation Solution (2024)[16]
  • EdTech Digest Trendsetter Awards Finalist (2024)[17]

Selected publications

  • Hunt, J. H., Martin, K., Khounmeuang, A., Silva, J., Patterson, B., & Welch-Ptak, J. (2023). Design, Development, and Initial Testing of Asset-Based Intervention Grounded in Trajectories of Student Fraction Learning. Learning Disability Quarterly.
  • Hunt, J. H., and colleagues. Research on mathematics interventions, fraction learning, educational gaming, and special education mathematics instruction.

Category:Living people Category:American educators Category:American women educators Category:American academics Category:Mathematics educators Category:North Carolina State University faculty Category:University of Central Florida alumni Category:Educational researchers Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

  1. "Jessica Hunt Faculty Profile". North Carolina State University. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  2. "Educational Game Developed by Associate Professor Jessica Hunt Named Finalist in EdTech Digest Awards". North Carolina State University. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  3. "Jessica Hunt Faculty Profile". North Carolina State University. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  4. "Jessica Hunt Faculty Profile". North Carolina State University. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  5. "Jessica Hunt Faculty Profile". North Carolina State University. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  6. "Dr. Jessica Hunt: Building Asset-Based Learning Environments". The Math Learning Center. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  7. "Dr. Jessica Hunt: Building Asset-Based Learning Environments". The Math Learning Center. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  8. Hunt, Jessica H. (2023). "Design, Development, and Initial Testing of Asset-Based Intervention Grounded in Trajectories of Student Fraction Learning". Learning Disability Quarterly.
  9. "Educational Game Developed by Associate Professor Jessica Hunt Named Finalist in EdTech Digest Awards". North Carolina State University. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  10. "Game Developed by Associate Professor Jessica Hunt to Help Students Understand Fractions Showcased at National EdTech Games Expo". North Carolina State University. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  11. "Fall Intervention Leadership Conference". The Math Learning Center. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  12. "2025 National Conference". US Math Recovery Council. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  13. "Associate Professor Jessica Hunt Aims to Help Students with Learning Disabilities Make Sense of Fractions Using NSF CAREER Award". North Carolina State University. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  14. "Jessica Hunt Faculty Profile". North Carolina State University. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  15. "Game Developed by Associate Professor Jessica Hunt Wins Gold Award at Serious Play Conference". North Carolina State University. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  16. "2024 Finalists and Winners". EdTech Digest. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  17. "2024 Finalists and Winners". EdTech Digest. Retrieved 17 June 2026.