An alumnus of the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment has returned to NIU to share his knowledge - and, he hopes, to spark more students to follow his unique path.

J.A. Allen, who earned his Ed.D. in Instructional Technology in 2006, is “a visual learning innovator, cartoonist and entrepreneur” who creates comics, coloring books and graphic novels that teach children about health conditions.

“Decoding Asthma” and “Decoding Food Allergies,” distributed throughout the country by the Asthma Allergy Foundation of America, feature The Beauforts Team: Bo Bear, Keaton Kat, Aurora Duck, Martina Martian and Eddy Possum learn about those concerns through their adventures while young readers learn as well.

“I was a respiratory therapist for a short period of time, and I taught respiratory therapy. It was like a second language to me, and since I worked in the field, and worked with pediatric patients with asthma, I wanted to do something,” Allen says.

“That’s when I created ‘Decoding Asthma,’ using my comic characters,” he adds. “I had been moonlighting as a syndicated cartoonist, and after teaching and after taking education courses, it just seemed like a fit. It was a marriage between cartooning and education. Using the simplicity of cartoons, you can tell a story in three panels.”

His work was intended not just for children, he says, but also for “parents, teachers, the school nurse - the person’s community.”

Feedback is positive, Allen says.

“Sometimes, the impact is secondary when it’s directly from parents,” says Allen, who grew up in the Quad Cities and has drawn cartoons since childhood. “This gives more of a narrative story rather than just the facts.”

Returning to NIU had an immediate purpose: Allen delivered a Nov. 21 workshop on “Cartoon Learning for Education and Business Applications” at the 71 North Partnership Studio inside Founders Memorial Library.

Participants saw, and experimented with, ways to incorporate comic strip design techniques when portraying a complex topic.

Using his SSUP3 model (Situation, Set-Up, Punchline), which formed the basis of Allen’s NIU dissertation research, workshop guests were able to improve their storytelling abilities as they enjoyed the same professional development Allen has taught at Drake University and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and has presented at conferences.

In 2023, he published “What’s SSUP? Cartoon Think!” to teach the process; in 2024, he created a “SSUP3: Visual Learning Fun” workbook to provide “the essential tools and insights to create a collaborative learning atmosphere where visual learning shines and students thrive.”

Currently, he’s developing a mobile app with an online course to teach educators and entrepreneurs how to use the SSUP3 model in the classroom and business settings; that mission is what originally reconnected him with NIU through 71 North.

Meanwhile, his visit also reconnected him with the College of Education.

“It was great to see Wei-Chen Hung again after several years. He brought me up to speed regarding the department with a tour,” Allen says. “After seeing the AI setup, it piqued my interest: Perhaps there may be some applications of what they are developing that could help me in my app development, and maybe I could share my projects.”

Hung also invited Allen to attend a social robotics and UX demonstration led by Ph.D. student Lida Niu.