About

Patrick T. Lafferty is an award-winning mass communicator specializing in content creation and management, as well as Professor of Web Development and Digital Media at Johnson County Community College (JCCC). Before joining the faculty at JCCC, Professor Lafferty most recently served as Director of Multimedia and Technology for The University of Kansas School of Fine Arts. He also managed and taught a staff of 200+ student journalists the ways of the new media landscape while running dozens of web sites affiliated with the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at The University of Kansas.

Outside of his teaching duties, Professor Lafferty consults with non-profits, startups and Fortune 500 industry leaders when his schedule permits, shipping privacy-first software under his Faveat Software brand. He is a Certified Prompt Engineer and holds myriad professional certifications, including in Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategy.

Most recently, Lafferty was credentialed by Anthropic in teaching the AI Fluency Framework. He joined an early cohort certified by the Creative Commons in Open Licensing and completed all coursework for certification as a Climate Change Professional (CC-P). From March of 2020 until January of 2022, his courses were entirely solar powered. Currently, more than 50% of his courses remain solar powered.

Lafferty served two terms as President of the JCCC Faculty Senate, as well as two terms as a Senator and Officer-At-Large. He co-authored the JCCC Social Media Policy (520.00) and JCCC Social Media Guidelines Operating Procedure (520.01) amid his other campus and community service. In 2026, he was appointed to the JCCC Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The University of Kansas. Graduate work followed at The University of Kansas School of Law, as did a Master of Science in Journalism and Mass Communications from the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at The University of Kansas, where he subsequently taught for four semesters.

Lafferty is the author of Implications of Ownership: Applying The Propaganda Model to Media Ownership Theory (PDF) and maintains his fork of the HTML and CSS Guidebook, a progressive web application (PWA) and open educational resource (OER) textbook. His research focuses on the democratic impact of media consolidation and conglomeration, community journalism, implementations of technology for news dissemination, evolution of the news industry, as well as the ever-changing internet journalism landscape.

Lafferty’s curriculum vitae is available here, along with his teaching philosophy, résumé, and selected media appearances.

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Teaching
Philosophy

This is my second reflection on my teaching philosophy. The first was written when I had roughly two years of experience instructing students. Now, more than a decade into my academic career, it is fascinating to reflect again on how I approach this calling.

My approach to teaching derives from a place of inquiry. The human condition is one of constant questioning. As such, I find the best way to teach is with a modified Socratic method. "Modified" in the sense that I do not only speak in interrogatories. I recognize that ultimately there may come a time when first and second year students may legitimately not know the answer to a question through no lack of effort on their part. The detriment of not informing them outweighs the benefit of making them dig deeper themselves. Rather than leave them dangling as my Socratic law professors were fond of doing, I provide enough guidance to get them to the “light bulb” moment. Inevitably, that leads to more questions and the cycle continues.

In addition to questioning students, nudging them towards logical conclusions, I also believe in maintaining a dynamic classroom environment. I don’t like to “lecture”. I prefer to have “conversations” with my (hopefully prepared) students. I suffered through many a course where the professor would stand at the front of the room and talk at us, not with us, day after day. Or worse, some would turn their back on the class and simply read a PowerPoint presentation aloud. Those courses were always the most likely to have students dozing in the desks. I am fortunate to teach subject matter that is by itself dynamic and popular with students, but that alone is not enough to keep them involved in the classroom. Subjects like copyright law and net neutrality can glaze over even the most inquisitive and bright-eyed of students.

In moments like that, the approach to the information is essential to the process of absorption for the students. In the world of web development and digital media, you ignore current events at your own peril. By weaving the latest and best media elements available into the discourse, students are able to see timely, relevant examples pertaining to the subject at hand, often torn from today’s headlines. Once, while teaching a morning and an afternoon section of the same course, I had to rewrite my lecture between classes because the law (and therefore the world) changed between my two sessions.

This dynamism isn’t common across the higher educational experience, but it is part of what makes teaching these subjects so exciting and challenging. By engaging them in conversation about events happening to all of us, students are forced to process that information enough to respond. This pushes their cognition into the next echelon.

Finally, let's consider honesty. There are too many faculty out there who are unwilling to utter the phrase, “I don’t know.” I’m not one of them. I began this piece talking about questioning. That blade cuts both ways. As much as I question my students, they in turn question me. Not my authority, per se, but how the standards, history, laws, syntax, etc. came to be. This is as it should be. None of us is above reproach. I am the authority on the subject matter in my courses, but that does not mean that I know everything. The rewritten lecture scenario above illustrates just how easily my “authority” could have gone the other way. Had I taken a leisurely lunch that day, my later lecture would have been inaccurate. Embracing this humility is key to my presence in the classroom and is missing from too much of the academy.

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Curriculum
Vitae

Areas of Research:

• AI-enhanced Software Development
• Generative Artificial Intelligence (gAI)
• Intent Engineering
• Implementations of technology for news dissemination
• The democratic implications of media consolidation and conglomeration
• Community journalism
• Evolution of the news industry in the 21st century

Areas of Expertise and Teaching Competencies:

• AI-enhanced Software Development
• Generative Artificial Intelligence (gAI)
• Prompt Engineering
• Web design and development
• Privacy-first / Data-sovereign software design
• Accessibility best practices (a11y)
• Search Engine Optimization
• Open Educational Resources (OER)
• Open Licensing / Creative Commons
• Copyright Law
• Multimedia editing/production/reporting
• Online journalism

Education:

Master of Science, Journalism & Mass Communications
William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications,
The University of Kansas, 2006

• Concentrations: Online News and Information; Strategic Communications
• Thesis (PDF): “Implications of Ownership: Applying The Propaganda Model to Media Ownership Theory”
• Committee: Assistant Professor Kristen Swain (chair), Assistant Professor Barbara Barnett and Professor James K. Gentry

Graduate studies in Law
The University of Kansas School of Law, 2002

Bachelor of Arts, Political Science
The University of Kansas, 2002

Bachelor of Science, Business Administration
The University of Kansas, 2001

Professional Certifications & Credentials

Academic Positions:

Professor
Web Development and Digital Media
Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, Kansas (2020-present)

Associate Professor
Web Development and Digital Media
Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, Kansas (2015-2020)

Associate Professor and Lead Faculty Member
Interactive Media
Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, Kansas (2013-2015)

Assistant Professor and Lead Faculty Member
Interactive Media
Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, Kansas (2010-2013)

Faculty - New Media
Kansas Journalism Institute
The University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas (2007)

Developed and taught a curriculum for high school journalism students from across the nation, with lessons focused on internet publishing via content management systems, emphasizing responsible SEO methods and web best practices. Specifically, taught the students how to distinguish themselves through their writing, basic videography and editing skills, slideshow creation (with Soundslides) and how to create netcasts of their experiences at KJI.

Lecturer
The University of Kansas
William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications
Lawrence, Kansas (2006-2007)

Multimedia Newsroom Coordinator
The University of Kansas
William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications
Lawrence, Kansas (2006-2007)

Graduate Research Assistant
The University of Kansas
William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications
Lawrence, Kansas (2004-2006)
(Professor Peggy Kuhr; Assistant Professor Kristen Swain; Assistant Professor Doug Ward)

Other Professional Employment:

Web Consultant
faveat.software // lafferty.prof
Overland Park, Kansas (2004-present)

Director of Multimedia and Technology
The University of Kansas School of Fine Arts
Lawrence, Kansas (2007-2008)

Communications Intern
Andrews McMeel Universal
Kansas City, Missouri (2005)

Claim Representative
The Hartford
Overland Park, Kansas (2003-2004)

Supervisor
Policy Research Institute
Lawrence, Kansas (1999-2001)

Teaching Experience:

*Current courses in orange

Invited Lectures & Panel Appearances:

Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, KS

• Open Education Week Global Webinar, “Individualizing & Incentivizing OER and Course Marking: A Conversation with the Bookstore and Library”, March 5, 2026
• JCCC Great Books Lecture Series, “Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451”, February 5, 2020
• The Brain Burrito podcast, s01e02, “OER (Open Educational Resources)”, Panelist, October 31, 2019
• JCCC Copyright Committee and Student Activities presents, “Should our ideas be owned?”, Panelist, April 18, 2016
• JCCC Copyright Committee and Student Activities presents, “Should our ideas be owned?”, Panelist, April 16, 2015
• JCCC Copyright Committee and Student Activities presents, “Should an idea be owned?”, Panelist, April 29, 2014
• Honors Symposium, “Privacy, Hacking and Things Left Unsaid”, Featured Lecturer, November 6, 2013
• Technology Brown Bag Lecture Series: “Managing a Facebook Page: Three Pros and Cons”, Featured Lecturer, March 21, 2012
• Technology Brown Bag Lecture Series: “Engaging Students with Twitter”, Featured Lecturer, May 6, 2011
• Technology Brown Bag Lecture Series: “Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century”, Panelist, March 2, 2011

Kansas Center for Career and Technical Education
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, KS

• KCCTE Summer Series at Johnson County Community College, “WordPress: The Basics”, Featured Lecturer, June 15, 2017

Summer Institute on Distance Learning and Instructional Technology (SIDLIT)
Overland Park, KS

• “Twitter: Evolution, Not Revolution”, Featured Presenter, August 1, 2013

The University of Kansas, Edwards Campus
Overland Park, KS

• “Twitter 101: A Hands-On Primer”, JOUR 840: Communicating Social and Environmental Initiatives, March 18, 2011, with Assoc. Prof. Simran Sethi

Kansas Journalism Institute
Lawrence, KS

• “Free your mind (and your content)”, Featured Speaker, June 15, 2010

San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA

• “What is the one skill that a journalist of the near-future should possess?”, JOUR 226: Digital Newsgathering, March 24, 2010, with Asst. Prof. Staci Baird

The University of Kansas
William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications
Lawrence, KS

• “Blogging 101: Content Management and You”, JOUR 201: Current Issues In Journalism (s'07)
• “Blogging 101: Content Management and You”, JOUR 636: Opinion and Commentary (s'07)
• “Content Management in the newsroom”, JOUR 692: TV News I (s'07)
• “This Is What Democracy Looks Like”, JOUR 608: Ethics and the Media (s'06)
• “Stephen Glass: I Lied For Esteem”, JOUR 608: Ethics and the Media (s'06)
• “Maximize Reach with Content Management – Part II”, JOUR 500: Science & Medical Writing, May 4, 2006
• “Maximize Reach with Content Management – Part I”, JOUR 500: Science & Medical Writing, April 13, 2006

Technical Skills, Programs & Protocols:

Maintain working competence with a deep stack of tools, languages, and protocols spanning web development, generative AI, accessibility, open licensing, privacy-first software, federated networking, and digital media — much of it tested in the classroom at the post-secondary level over more than a decade.

Taught:

Accessibility best practices (a11y), Audacity, Audition, Blackboard, Blogger, Bootstrap, Canvas, Chromium / Chrome, CSS, D2L Brightspace, Duck.ai, DuckDuckGo, DVD Studio Pro, Facebook, Final Cut Pro, Firefox, Fireworks, Flash, HandBrake, HootSuite, HTML, JavaScript, Jitsi, LAMP / MAMP / WAMP, LibreOffice, LibreWolf, Microformats, Microsoft Office Suite, mobile-first design, MovableType, MySpace, MySQL, Notepad++, Open Graph, OpenOffice, Signal, Soundslides, Sublime Text, TweetDeck, Twitter, Vanilla CSS only (no preprocessor), Vimeo, Windows

Regularly used:

Accessibility best practices (a11y), Acrobat, AES-256 encryption, Android Studio, Audacity, Bootstrap, Canvas, Chromium / Chrome, Claude, Codeberg, Copyright Law, Creative Commons, CSS, Duck.ai, DuckDuckGo, F-Droid, Fennec (Android), FileZilla, Firefox, FTP, Generative AI (gAI), GIMP, git, GNU/Linux, HTML, InDesign, Inkscape, Intent Engineering, Jitsi, Kodi / Plex / Minimserver, LAMP / MAMP / WAMP, LibreOffice, LibreWolf, MAVO, Microformats, Microsoft Office Suite, MySQL, Notepad++, NPM, Ollama, Open Educational Resources (OER), Open Graph, Open Licensing, organic SEO methods, OSX, Photoshop, Premiere, programming concepts, Progressive Web Apps (PWA), Prompt Engineering, RSS, Signal, Sublime Text, Tailwind CSS, UPnP/DLNA, Vanilla CSS only (no preprocessor), WinSCP, WordPress, XML, YouTube

Familiar with:

ActionScript, After Effects, Agile, AntennaPod fork stack, apt / pacman / dnf, Bluesky, Brave, Brave Search, Briar, DaVinci Resolve, Django, FFmpeg, Forgejo / Gitea (self-hosted), GitHub, Google Classroom, Google Meet, Gradle, Haven, Homebrew, Java, jQuery, Kotlin, LoRa hardware, Lucide icons, Mastodon, Meshtastic, Microsoft Teams, Mull (Android), Mullvad Browser, Node.js, OBS Studio, OnlyOffice, OpenVPN, PHP, pip, Python, React, Reticulum, Safari, SPSS, Termux, Tor Browser, Tor network, TypeScript, Vanilla JS, vite, Vivaldi, Vue, WAI-ARIA, webpack, Zed, Zoom

Grant Work & Consulting:

Adapted and modernized an original CC-BY-NC work into a textbook and open educational resource (OER) under a $2,000 OER Publication Grant from Johnson County Community College. The result is a mobile-first, accessible progressive web app — the HTML & CSS Guidebook — that allows anyone to begin to learn to code HTML and CSS following best practices. This OER is projected to save students approximately $25,000 per year on textbook costs. (s’25)

Partnered with Lorie Paldino’s Business Communications (BUS 150) courses at Johnson County Community College as a part of a $750 Collaborative Learning mini-grant from the JCCC Collaborative Learning Lab (CoLab). The project brought Web Development and Digital Media students (WEB 123) together with Business students so both groups could gain valuable experience and insight into the client/consultant relationship. The WEB consultants worked with the BUS clients to improve the design and content strategies of their WordPress-based blog sites. (s’17)

Created and led the Innovation Incubator for The University of Kansas as a part of a $230,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s 21st Century News Challenge. The project was designed to foster creative thinking about solutions to digital news problems. (sum’07)

Partnered with The University of Kansas Department of Design, the KU School of Business’ Entrepreneurship Program and the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, under corporate grants from telecommunications industry leaders Nokia and Cingular (now AT&T) on an international, multi-disciplinary project examining the viability of the high-end Nokia N73 and N93 camera phones from the perspective of multimedia newsroom implementations, design and product viability. (s’07)

Produced a video under a grant from The University of Kansas Center for Teaching Excellence in collaboration with The University of Kansas Center for Research and the Kansas Energy Office of Assistant Professor Kristen Swain’s Science and Medical Writing students highlighting new facilities and projects underway at the Multidisciplinary Research Building on KU’s West Campus. (sum’06)

Developed a new interface and aesthetic for the Associated Press Managing Editors’ National Credibility Roundtables Project web site (apme-credibility.org). The site is the repository of research and reports of this Ford Foundation-funded project that promotes continuing communication between the public and the press, encouraging journalists to build better news practices. (s’06, sum’06)

Developed the Covering Communities project web site (coveringcommunities.org) in partnership with John Harwood of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation and Professor Peggy Kuhr of The University of Kansas as a part of a $200,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation seeking improved community contact and representation via web tools for journalists and community leaders. (f’05, s’06, sum’06)

University & College Service:

Community Service:

Interactive Design Program Adviser, Center for Advanced Professional Skills (CAPS), Blue Valley School District (2011 - present)
Multimedia consultant/web master, Project: Katrina Hope, New Orleans, Louisiana and Lawrence, Kansas (2006 - 2011)

Professional Awards:

Academic Awards & Achievements:

The Chancellor’s List
The National Dean’s List
The University of Kansas Student Union Activities Board Scholarship
The University of Kansas Honor Roll
The University of Kansas Mt. Oread Scholar
The University of Kansas Honor Scholarship

Web Apps & Publications:

“Trove”, sovereign LAN file server in a ~170 KB standalone Python script with in-browser preview for images, audio, video, PDF, and text; runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, and Android (via Termux), May 2026 (GPLv3+)
“Earhorn Podcasts”, the only Android TV podcasts app at publication; a fork of AntennaPod, modernized for the Leanback launcher, April 2026 (GPLv3)
“Earhorn Music (GNU/Linux)”, keyboard-first UPnP/DLNA music player desktop build for Debian/Ubuntu/Mint and AppImage with hi-fi-grade playback of FLAC, ALAC, Opus, and MP3, April 2026 (GPLv3+)
“Earhorn Music (Android)”, UPnP/DLNA music player spanning Android phones, Android TV, and Android Auto, with Chromecast support and no telemetry, April 2026 (GPLv3+)
“Quoyle (Chromium)”, privacy-first browser extension for Chrome, Brave, Edge, Vivaldi, and Opera with optional AES-256 encrypted JSON exports, March 2026 (GPLv3+)
“Quoyle (Mozilla)”, privacy-first browser extension for Firefox, Fennec, Mull, Waterfox, LibreWolf, and Tor Browser with optional AES-256 encrypted JSON exports, March 2026 (GPLv3+)
“Quoyle Quote Slider”, CSS-driven quotation carousel web component with zero dependencies, no build step, and no render loop, March 2026 (GPLv3+)
“Quoyle”, the bibliography for Android devices and most browsers; select text anywhere and tap “Quoyle this!” to capture the quote and its contextual metadata, March 2026 (GPLv3+)
“PHACKTS”, high-fidelity, sovereign documentation engine fusing world-class aesthetics with a radical privacy-first technical architecture, February 2026 (GPLv3+)
“PHACKTS Local Search”, fully local, client-side indexing and navigation engine; data never leaves the browser, February 2026 (GPLv3+)
“Tiny Prof. Lafferty”, fully self-contained, locally-hosted, CSS-animated digital puppet that listens, reacts, and educates without ever phoning home, February 2026 (GPLv3+)
“Synoptic”, Synoptic is a sophisticated, local-first sprint tracking Progressive Web App (PWA) built with data sovereignty in mind using React 18, Tailwind CSS, and Lucide icons, February 2026 (GPLv3+)
“HTML & CSS Guidebook”, Open educational resource (OER) textbook and Progressive Web App (PWA), April 2025 (🅭 🅯 🄏)
“Timeline Builder”, developed as part of Creative Commons certification in Open Licensing, December 2019 (🅭 🅯)
“A Brief History of Copyright Law”, JSON written for use with Timeline Builder, October 2019 (🅭 🅯)
“A Brief History of Creative Commons”, JSON written for use with Timeline Builder, October 2019 (🅭 🅯)
“Implications of Ownership: Applying the propaganda model to media ownership theory”, thesis written for Master of Science in Journalism and Mass Communication, May 2006 (©2006)

Exhibitions:

High-Definition Multimedia Video: KUDesign, Permanent Installation, Digital Media Center, Art and Design Building,
The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS (2007 - present)

High-Definition Multimedia Video: KUDesign, 8th Annual Collage Concert, The Lied Center, Lawrence, KS (2007)

International Experience:

In the media:

“Open Educational Resources (OER)”, The Brain Burrito Podcast, s01e02, October 31, 2019
“A reporter researches click-baiting — the results will blow your mind!”, The Campus Ledger, March 13, 2014
“Electronic privacy nonexistant”, HHS Wildcat News, October 3, 2013
“Snapchat not as fool proof as believed to be”, HHS Wildcat News, October 3, 2013
“New measures created to crack down on piracy”, The Campus Ledger, March 14, 2013
“New social media policy still in the works”, The Campus Ledger, August 23, 2012, Vol. 35, Issue 1
“Evolving Technology”, The Campus Ledger, March 22, 2012, Vol. 34, Issue 12
“Many Facets to Computer Interactive Media”, The Campus Ledger, October 7, 2010, Vol. 33, Issue 4
“Your life is an open Facebook”, Lawrence Journal-World, June 15, 2010
“Not The Average Class, Not The Average Final”, The Campus Ledger, May 6, 2010, Vol. 32, Issue 15
“Students take digital ideas to New York competition”, The University Daily Kansan, June 27, 2007

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Web Apps &
Publications

Professional
Awards

Professional
Certifications
& Credentials

Education

Master of Science, Journalism & Mass Communications
William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications,
The University of Kansas, 2006

• Concentrations: Online News and Information; Strategic Communications
• Thesis (PDF): “Implications of Ownership: Applying The Propaganda Model to Media Ownership Theory”
• Committee: Assistant Professor Kristen Swain (chair), Assistant Professor Barbara Barnett and Professor James K. Gentry

Graduate studies in Law
The University of Kansas School of Law, 2002

Bachelor of Arts, Political Science
The University of Kansas, 2002

Bachelor of Science, Business Administration
The University of Kansas, 2001

International Experience:

Philosophy

Well, wouldn't you like to know?

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Podcasts &
Presentations

The Brain Burrito - Season 01 - Episode 02 - OER

Faculty Development Coordinator Farrell Jenab joins Robbie Miller, Diversity Recruiter, Professor Barry Bailey, Library, and Professor Patrick Lafferty, Web Development & Digital Media, to discuss Open Educational Resources (OER).

Technology Brown Bag presentations:

“Managing a Facebook Page: Three Pros and Cons” (YouTube)

“Engaging Students with Twitter” (YouTube)

“Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century” (YouTube)

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Courses

Current courses:

• WEB 110 - HTML/CSS
• WEB 112 - Professional Skills For The Digital Developer
• WEB 116 - Digital Media Concepts
• WEB 118 - Digital Workflow
• WEB 290 - Capstone

Courses previously taught:

• WEB 114 - JavaScript
• WEB 121 - Content Management System Strategies
• WEB 122 - CSS Techniques and Projects
• WEB 156 - JavaScript
• WEB 172 - WordPress
• WEB 243 - Search Engine Optimization
• CIM 200 - Forms
• CIM 270 - Project
• CIM 272 - Portfolio

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Privacy Policy

Your privacy is my policy. I collect no analytics information and retain no user data. As the wise folks at the Open Privacy Research Society say, "Technology should prioritize consent and anti-surveillance."