Dr. Alicja Rieger
Professor of Special Education
- Ph.D. in Special Education
Syracuse University (2000) - M.A. in Special Education
Cracow Pedagogical University (Poland) (1993)
Teaching Fields: Special Education, Assessment, Curricula and Instruction, Disability Studies
Dr. Alicja Rieger is a Professor of Special Education. She earned her Ph.D. in Special Education from Syracuse University. Dr. Rieger’s primary scholarship involves cutting edge research on humor among families living with children with disabilities; work concerning the use of children’s literature and the media with characters with disabilities for increasing disability awareness as well as research on integration of comics books and graphic novels to create supportive learning environments for struggling learners and students with disabilities. The most recent area of research focuses on the role of AI in the classroom.
Recent Publications or Presentations:
McGrail, J.P., McGrail, E., Rieger, D., & Rieger, A. (2024). AI-generated “omniprose:” Its perils and promises – An ethical framework for educational contexts. In C.M. Moran (Ed.). Revolutionizing English Education: The power of AI in the classroom (pp. 195-219). Langham, MD: Lexington Book.
McGrail, E., McGrail, J.P., & Rieger, A. (2021). Telling the story of youth, sports, and disability in Friday Night Lights. In K. Garland, K.S. Dredger, C. L. Beach, & C. Leogrande (Eds). Stories of sport: Critical literacy in media production, consumption, and dissemination (pp. 95-123). Langham, MD: Lexington Books.
McGrail, E., McGrail, J. & Rieger, A., (2020) “Friday night disability: The portrayal of youthful social interactions in television's Friday Night Lights”, Disability Studies Quarterly 40(4). doi:
Doepker, G. M., McGrail, E., & Rieger, A. (2018). Using comic books to improve three elementary students’ reading and writing skills: A multi-case study analysis. READ: An Online Journal for Literacy Educator, 4(6),4-27.
McGrail, E., Rieger, A., Doepker, G. M., & McGeorge, S. M. (2018). Pre-service teachers’ perspectives on how the use of TOON comic books during guided reading influenced learning by struggling readers. SANE Journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education, 2(3), 1-28.