Michael Scott Van Winkle is a visiting lecturer in the educational psychology leadership and higher education department and a Ph.D. student in the learning sciences program. He has an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction (secondary) from UNLV and a bachelor's degree in English from Stanford University. He has lived in Las Vegas/Henderson for over 30 years and graduated from Bonanza High School.

Research interests include argumentative writing, online collaboration, and socio-emotional balancing behaviors in argumentative discussions. Scott van Winkle has contributed to a professional learning intervention centered on argumentation in middle-school science classrooms, resulting in gains in teachers' and students' confidence with argumentation. In ongoing work, he is investigating how argumentative writing affects science learning.