Dr. Criselda G. Garcia is an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Texas-Pan American. Dr. Garcia is a recent graduate of a cooperative Educational Leadership Doctoral Program from Texas A&M University in Kingsville and A&M University of Corpus Christi, Texas. Her major field of study was Educational Leadership with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction. In her dissertation study, she examined the impact of a WebCT seminar, Critical Literacy Advancement Seminar (CLAS), designed to promote critical thinking skills of pre-service teachers, titled Analysis of Web-Based Seminar on Critical Thinking Skills of Minority Teacher Candidates.  In 1999, she earned a Master of Education degree in Reading and in 2002, she acquired a second M.Ed. in Educational Leadership at the University of Texas-Pan American. An Edinburg native, she has been an educator since 1992 serving students in Rio Grande Valley public schools, adult learners at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and university students at UTPA .

Dr. Garcia serves as coordinator of the English/Language Middle School Certification Program in the College of Education. Dr. Garcia teaches reading methods, instructional strategies, and classroom management in the elementary, middle and secondary teacher education programs. Dr. Garcia’s research interests surround the issue of teacher quality, including the certification process and the preparation of a highly qualified Latina/o teacher workforce by explicitly developing critical thinking skills through the teaching of critical literacy using technological tools and online learning environments along with cooperative learning structures. Her work at the university has included helping develop an online seminar for ExCET/TExES PPR preparation for student teachers. Her work resulted in a co-authored article titled Using a Web-Based Seminar for ExCET Preparation in a Predominately Hispanic University Environment. Currently, she resides in Edinburg with her husband and 9-year-old son Michael Ray.