Professional Learning Specialist

Valentina DeNardis

Dr. Valentina DeNardis earned her Ph.D. in Classics at New York University. She currently serves as Director of Classical Studies at Villanova University, where she teaches undergraduates and graduate M.A. students ancient Greek and Latin languages & literature and Greek & Roman culture. In fall 2016 she established a successful online M.A. Program in Classical Studies at Villanova.

Valentina is passionate about using technology to explore the ancient world and developed a Classics & STEM initiative for her students. Projects include “Travels Through Greco-Roman Antiquity,” a website which highlights digitized rare books in Villanova Library’s Special Collections, “Exploring the Athenian Acropolis in Virtual Reality,” an interactive digital 3D model of the Athenian acropolis, “Coding the Roman Triumph,” a coding, robotics and engineering project which recreates the path of the Roman victory parade in ancient Rome, and “Minecrafting the Classics,” an exploration of virtual heritage through recreating ancient buildings and scenes from classical literature in Minecraft.

Valentina’s other passion is sharing her innovative uses of Microsoft 365 tools in higher education. She is a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, an MIE Trainer, and a Certified MIE. In 2017-2018 she served as VITAL (Villanova Institute for Teaching and Learning) Faculty Associate and trained fellow Villanova faculty and staff on how to use Microsoft 365 tools to enhance teaching, student advising, and program administration. She has written on OneNote for Microsoft and EdTech Magazine, and was recognized by EdTech Magazine in 2018 as one of the top 30 IT bloggers in higher education.

In her spare time, Valentina enjoys spending time with her family, and loves to sing, play guitar, and record her own songs, whose themes range from her love of antiquity to her love of Microsoft tools.

Location: Phoenixville, PA