D. Joe Ohlinger, Ph.D.
D. Joe Ohlinger, Ph.D.
Joe Ohlinger is an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Purdue University Fort Wayne, where he teaches educational foundations and social studies methods. Prior to joining the faculty at PFW, Professor Ohlinger taught at the elementary and middle school levels for eight years in the Chicago area. While completing his Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies, he spent six years teaching courses on curriculum, foundations, and learning environments in both face-to-face and online formats. His approach to teaching is centered on empowerment—as both an idea and a skill—grounded in students' identities, cultivated through classroom dynamics, and explored within a broader societal context. His scholarly interests focus on self-study and narrative inquiry.
- EDU 32500 Social Studies in Elementary School
- EDU 44300 Methods of Teaching High School Social Studies
- EDU 34001 Education and American Culture
- Smith, J., & Ohlinger, D. J. (2025). Farm to college: Community engagement, learning, and addressing food security while growing local foods on a Midwest campus. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-05-2024-0333
- Ohlinger, D. J. (2025). Making discussion existentially relevant to students. Viewpoints: Indiana Council for the Social Studies. https://indianasocialstudies.com/making-discussions-existentially-relevant-to-students/
- Ohlinger, D. J. (2025). The belly of the whale: Who dares to certify? Currere Exchange Journal, 9(2), 154-159.
- Ohlinger, D. J. (2021). The landscape of self in curriculum studies. In W. H. Schubert & M. F. He (Eds.), The Oxford excyclopedia of curriculum studies (pp. 1155-1167). Oxford University Press.
- Ohlinger, D. J. (2021). A curriculum of becoming. In I. Nuñez & J. Goulah (Eds.), Hope and joy in education: Engaging Daisaku Ikeda across curriculum and contexts (pp. 178-187). Teacher College Press.
- Ohlinger, D. J. (2019). Book review: Worth striking for: Why education policy is every teacher's concern (Lessons from Chicago). Mid-Western Educational Researcher, 31(3), 375-381.
- Ohlinger, J., Pierce, T., Clark, V., & Nuñez, I. (2025, October 29-November 2). Foundations in field: What undergraduate teacher cadidates can learn from practicing educators. Paper presented at the American Educational Studies Association annual meeting, Albuquerque, NM, United States.
- Wilkinson, B., Ohlinger, J., & Nuñez, I. (2025, October 16-18). Curriculum for cognitive complexity: Resisting authoritarianism in three contexts. Panel presentation at the Bergamo Conference on curriculum Theory and Classroom Practice, Daython, OH, United States.
- Ohlinger, D. J., & Nuñez, I. (2024, December 4-6). Bringing philosophy & theory to K-12 professional development. Paper presented at the American Educational Studies Association Annual Meeting, Greenville, SC, United States.
- Nuñez, I., Oliver, B., Bradford, M., & Ohlinger, D. J. (2024, October 17-19). Dialogue as a curriculum of peace. Presentation at the Bergamo Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practice, Dayton, OH, United States.
- Ohlinger, D. J., Cooper, K., Pierce, T., & Clark, V. (2023, November 8-12). Theoretical and practical visions of critical pedagogy: Social foundations in the K-12 classroom. Paper presented at the American Educational Studies Association Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY, United States.
- Ohlinger, D. J., & Lisak, B. (2021, November 3-7). Cultivating deliberative spaces. Paper presented at the American Educational Studies Association annual meeting, Portland, OR, United States.
- Goulah, J., Nuñez, I., Inukai, N., Huckaby, F., Lupinacci, J., & Ohlinger, D. J. (2021, November 3-7). Hope and joy in education: Engaging Daisaku Ikeda across curriculum and context. Panel presentation at the American Educational Studies Association annual meeting, Portland, OR, United States.
- Helfenbein, R., Taliaferro, D., & Ohlinger, D. J. (2019, October 10-12). Race, class, and transportation in Dayton: Free to Ride documentary screening and panel discussion. Opening plenary at the Bergamo Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practice, Dayton, OH, United States.
- Co-Author, Allen County Bicentennial Educational Series Timeline Curriculum Project, 2025-2026.
- Judge, National History Day Indiana, 2023-2025.