ABOUT THE COMPANY
VISION
Virtual Maker University focuses on practical learning, outside world impact, and projects that integrate with other programs and academic focuses. By ensuring that our curricula are purposely designed with final project goals and alignment standards from the beginning, it is easier for teachers to integrate our activities into their academic planning. This approach creates the greatest opportunities for students to not only find out how something works but also ask themselves, “Where else can I use what I learned today?”
MISSION
Virtual Maker University is highly motivated by our goal of providing quality educational services that successfully meet the needs of students, teachers, and schools. We believe that the educational system can be improved to better meet the needs of each and every student. However, the path there often requires more effort and less profits than most companies are willing to accept. At VMU, we look forward to the challenge of helping young minds to grow their curiosity for the world of tomorrow in which they will live without focusing on how much money we can make today.
HISTORY
Virtual Maker University started with the goal of assisting the education support industry by providing virtual workspaces for STEM coding activities. It was soon evident that the issues plaguing most STEM programs extended well beyond technical needs and into fundamental issues of the ad hoc approach of many companies delivering recycled content to students and teachers. It was at this point that VMU as an organization realized that the best way to provide a virtual solution for many educators was to create its own content that will later be supported by our virtual workspace portals.
ABOUT THE CO-FOUNDERS
EDWARD DENNARD – RELATIVE HISTORY
Edward spent over five years working in support of STEM education services in the NYC area. While his role originally began as an IT Director at a previous STEM education startup, his outspoken advocacy of technological solutions and the importance of original content was often at odds with most companies in the industry. This incompatibility is what led to the initial discussion of what could be done differently in a company like he envisioned VMU could be. A company where technology was seen as a tool to help students learn and not an obstacle for teachers to overcome with little to no support from the very companies that sold them the content.
JONATHAN COLLINS – RELATIVE HISTORY
Jonathan went to college for game design while working part-time at The LEGO Store. His experience working with creative children led him to work as an after school teacher for a STEM education startup in NYC. Two months into his career change, Jonathan was promoted to COO of the company thanks to his leadership and management skills. In this new position he was tasked with rebuilding the infrastructure of the company, from curriculum development to contract negotiations and everything in between. As COO, Jonathan also developed relations with every organization the company partnered with or serviced, including dealing with city and state DOE representatives.
EDWARD DENNARD – PASSIONS
As a lifelong online learner, Edward is currently completing his third degree. Having begun online courses when most universities did not commonly offer them, he saw firsthand what it is like to be a student dependent on technology that instructors did not understand and that university did not even know how to implement. These experiences, combined with working in the STEM education industry, drives him to ensure that students spend less time waiting for someone to tell them how something works and more time exploring how to solve problems for themselves.
JONATHAN COLLINS – PASSIONS
Jonathan’s passions extend beyond video games, comic books, and all things nerdy. As an avid sports fan, athlete, and coach of ultimate frisbee and snowboarding, he developed leadership skills that worked well with adults and children. Some of his most memorable moments were leading the Brick Builders events hosted monthly at The LEGO Store. What he is most passionate about, though, is helping students learn and grow without being taken advantage of by companies that see the education system as a commodity and not an investment in the future that it is.
