Zinn, Karl L.

Karl L. Zinn joined the University of Michigan faculty in 1963 as a research associate in the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) and as a lecturer in psychology. Zinn was promoted to research scientist in 1969 and maintained this title until he retired from active faculty status in 1997. Zinn joined the Information Technology Division in 1995.

Zinn received his B.A. degree from Swarthmore College in 1959 and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan in 1962 and 1964, respectively. Zinn's first work assignment in CRLT was to assist faculty with problems related to testing and evaluation of computer technology for classroom use. Zinns work in this area soon led to him being identified as one of the "best informed individuals in America in the area of computer-assisted instruction, establishing connections with other research centers and setting up demonstration projects using access to the experimental computer systems at IBM, Dartmouth and the University of Illinois."[1] Other significant accomplishments include writing a proposal to the State of Michigan for a possible shared information network to be used among major universities. This proposal resulted in a planning grant for a state-wide computing network. Zinn also authored the proposal to the National Science Foundations that led to the development of the MERIT (Michigan Education and Research Information Triad) computer network in 1966. Zinn was named an associate director of MERIT in 1969.[2]

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