1. E-newsletter
Faculty and Staff
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
A bi-annual Publication for the Center for Excellence
in Teaching and Learning (CETL)
In the Spotlight is published by the Center for
Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at
Queensborough Community College CUNY.
Please nominate faculty and staff to be recognized
in the future issues of this e-newsletter.
For nominations and comments, please contact:
Meg Tarafdar (Editor), Associate Director, CETL
mtarafdar@qcc.cuny.eduQueensborough Community College
222-05 56th AVENUE, BAYSIDE, NY 11363 Issue 2
E-newsletterfor
Pedagogical Research Award Recipients 2013
Kimberly Banks (English)
Using Collaborative Learning Techniques to
Design More Effective Peer Review in the
Generation and Revision Stages of Writing
*
Sunil Dehipawala (physics)
Vazgen Shekoyan (Physics)
Haishen Yao (Math)
The Impact of Mathematics Facilitation in
Physics Courses
*
Wenli Guo (Physics)
Weier Ye (Academic Literacy)
A Co-teaching Interdisciplinary Approach to
Student Learning: Enhancing Conceptual
Understanding of Physics via Summarizing
Strategies
Publication by Recipients of
Pedagogical Research Award
Amy E. Traver (Sociology)
Edward Volchok (Business);
In collaboration with
Temi Bidjerano & Peter Shea
Correlating community college students'
perceptions of community of inquiry presences with
their completion of blended courses
Internet and Higher Education 20 (2014) 1–9
Welcome to our Second issue of In the Spotlight!
We witness on a daily basis the exceptional efforts of Queensborough
faculty to publish scholarly articles, earn grant awards and develop effective
teaching strategies to enhance student learning. We decided it’s high time
we share these achievements with the Queensborough community. In this
newsletter, we will profile faculty and staff who have been nominated for
exceptional work in the following areas:
In addition, the front page of In the Spotlight features some of the recent grant
awards by Queensborough faculty and their grant-related publication.
By recognizing faculty achievements, we hope to foster cross-disciplinary
collaborations and solidify our community by keeping you apprised of your
colleagues' research projects, expertise, and interests.
In order to identify the faculty and staff to be recognized in this issue of In the
Spotlight, we contacted our colleagues to ask “Who has done exceptional work
in your area?” We focused on the names that emerged. For future issues, we
will count on nominations from you.
Innovative Pedagogy (teaching projects utilizing high impact strategies)
Grants, Research, & Publication (research publications/presentations of interest)
Collaboration and Service (cross disciplinary connections; outstanding service)
Message from Queensborough’s new Provost & Senior Vice President
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited.”
These words from Plutarch, the Greek historian and essayist,
spark my imagination. When I began my academic career
teaching psychology, I spent time reflecting on the teachers
responsible for my education and how I could return their gift.
I came to realize that those who most spurred my intellectual
growth ignited a passion in me to understand the subject they were teaching.
In essence, their enthusiasm and commitment to their discipline was contagious.
I appreciate the words of the Queensborough faculty who shared their philoso-
phy of teaching with their colleagues in this newsletter. I look forward to hearing
from others about what ignites their passion.
Michael B. Reiner, Ph.D.

2. Teaching painting and drawing presents an interesting paradox. There are materials and techniques to be
covered, and some of them are quite old, but the goal is always to transcend what has become
conventional in terms of aesthetic and conceptual issues. Students must feel safe to experiment in order
to develop artistic intuition and confidence. At the same time, they acquire information and skills that
might test or challenge their intuitive choices. My goal is to encourage students to build a treasury of
artistic knowledge, skills, intuition and experience that will lead to the realization of a unique artistic
vision.
What is my teaching philosophy/ outlook on higher education? I believe in the importance of the liberal
arts education. As an art student I had teachers who presented art in the broadest possible terms. I am
still grateful to them for leading me to understand that the paintings hanging in the museum were not
simply cultural and historical artifacts, but that they had something of importance to communicate to me
as a human being and as a young artist. I believe that the humanities are enormously important,
especially in an era of rapid technological development. Intellectual integrity and critical thinking are
paramount.
How do I see my role on campus, outside of teaching? I am an enthusiastic practitioner of Service-
Learning because I believe that colleges, universities, and especially community colleges have so much to
offer their local communities. I think it is important for students to understand that their growing body of
knowledge has real-world applications and that they can have a positive impact on others. I also enjoy
collaborating with professors in other disciplines, and gaining additional perspectives in the process. This
is refreshing and important for an artist who has spent long hours working in solitude.
What do you love most about QCC? I love our students. They continue to amaze and inspire me,
semester after semester. I also love teaching at an institution that has a culture of support for students. I
love hearing from former students, and seeing what they have gone on to achieve, especially after having
witnessed their nascent talents being kindled here at QCC. I love being part of a community of faculty
and staff who envision a bright future for our students, which is the first step in helping them to achieve
it.
Innovative Teaching
Liz Di Giorgio
Painting and Drawing
Innovative Teaching
Tony Monahan
HPED
Faculty and Staff
e-newsletter
My physical fitness classes have been working on a “Tiger Trails”--a project designed to increase
awareness of physical fitness within the QCC campus. We have been measuring the walking distances
between campus buildings, counting indoor and outdoor stairs, measuring indoor miles in certain buildings
and measuring caloric output for all of the above. We hope to combine measurements to create various
on-campus fitness trails.
What is my teaching philosophy/ outlook on higher education? I am a student-centered educator. I believe
in positive regard for all students and wish them success. However I emphasize that success is achieved
through effort and attention. I practice empathetic teaching and work hard on getting to know the
students in my classes.
How do I see my role on campus, outside of teaching? I strive to be positive and professional in
everything I do. I am a project-oriented person and work on many creative endeavors outside of teaching
such as art and culture projects and professional collaborations with colleagues.
What do you love most about QCC? I love working in such a diverse environment. I am thrilled by the
support of my department chair and colleagues, and I am amazed by the level of collegiality throughout
the QCC campus.

3. Faculty and Staff
e-newsletter
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Julia Carroll
ESL Reading and
Writing
Collaborative Projects
Jennifer Maloy
Academic Literacy
Last semester I worked with my colleagues, Julia Carroll and Susan Hock, on a service-learning project in
which our students interviewed Holocaust survivors through the Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center. We
have presented on this project at the Two-Year College English Association Conference and the CUNY
Best Practices in Reading and Writing Instruction Conference, and we will present at the national TESOL
Conference in Portland, OR this spring. Julia and I have just been invited to publish an article on this
project in a national peer-reviewed journal, and we currently are collaborating with Marisa Berman from
the KHRC on a second article.
What is my teaching philosophy/ outlook on higher education? I believe that all students come to class
with a wealth of knowledge and unique experiences, and it is my job to help students to explore how
their lives connect to academic concepts and inquiry. Through reading and writing, Students learn to
investigate the world around them.
How do I see my role on campus, outside of teaching? I am a teacher first, although I try to use my
experiences in the classroom to guide my research, curriculum design, and administrative responsibilities.
What do you love most about QCC? The students! Everyday I learn something new from them. They
inspire my love of language, multiculturalism, and life in New York City.
My teaching is innovative, collaborative, and focuses on research and publication through the scholarship
of teaching and learning. For example, last spring (2013), I collaborated with two of my colleagues who
teach native speakers to create a thematic, content-based, service-learning curriculum, which focused on
theme of hatred, racial discrimination, and the Holocaust. ESL students and native speakers worked side
by side in a service learning class to interview Holocaust survivors and then write and reflect upon
those experiences. One of my colleagues, Dr. Jennifer Maloy and I collected data from our students'
reflections and we are now in the process of writing two academic articles about the experience. In
addition, we have already presented on the project twice and will be presenting on it at an international
conference next semester along with Professor Susan Hock.
What is my teaching philosophy/ outlook on higher education? I believe that reading and writing should
always be thematically taught together and that students need to be actively involved and engaged in
their own learning. I also am a firm believer in service-learning pedagogy whereby students have the
opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom to a real situation within a community
outside the classroom.
How do I see my role on campus, outside of teaching? I feel that I am an important member of the
larger campus community. Within this setting, I have the opportunity to voice my opinion as well as
learn from my colleagues from other Departments by being on committees, attending lectures,
participating in CETL activities, and being a member of the College's Academic Senate. I feel that it is
also my role to provide as much service as I can to the campus at large.
What do you love most about QCC? There are so many things that I love about QCC that it is difficult
to select only one. However, I would say that QCC's diversity first comes to mind. As I look around the
campus, I am amazed by all of the beautiful different faces I see. It is not uncommon for me to be
teaching ten or eleven different nationalities all in the same classroom! Every day I have the opportunity
to learn from my students something new about another country or culture. I think we are all very
fortunate as QCC probably has one of the most diverse student bodies in relation to other colleges in
the country.

4. Faculty and Staff
e-newsletter
Collaborative Projects
Susan Hock
Academic Literacy
I was fortunate to work on a very meaningful service learning project with Dr. Carroll and The Holocaust
Center last semester. Our students, both native and ESL, studied and analyzed a variety of literature
concerning bullying, cyber-bullying, hate crimes and The Holocaust. They interviewed survivors, and The
Holocaust Center used their responses to create a poignant brochure that illustrates one of the many
ways the Center serves as an exceptional resource on campus. We were honored to present the various
aspects of our project at TYCA-Ne this fall and look forward to speaking at The TESOL 2014 conference.
What is my teaching philosophy/ outlook on higher education? I strongly believe in a thematic approach
to teaching. I bring relevant topics into the classroom and engage students in discussion and analysis in
order to write well developed essays using pertinent information from current events and politics.
How do I see my role on campus, outside of teaching? I enjoy being part of a college community and
support the college as well as my department. I serve on my department's best practices committee where
we learn about each other's educational endeavors and techniques in the classroom.
What do you love most about QCC? I love the diversity of our student population. QCC is a microcosm
of New York City!
Collaborative Projects
Jean Amaral
Library
The truism that libraries in the 21st century aren’t the libraries most of us grew up with in the 20th does
not capture the crazy wild changes that have occurred in librarianship over the past 25 years. Through
this evolution, libraries have retained their role as learning centers where students, faculty, and librarians
come together to create vibrant learning experiences and opportunities and to create knowledge. In 21st
century libraries, it’s not about the collections, it’s about the connections. Connecting our faculty and
students to people, information, resources they need to create new knowledge for themselves and the
world. And this is what I love about librarianship and QCC. There are so many fabulous opportunities to
make connections, to partner and collaborate on projects that benefit our students and faculty and the
QCC community. For example, this past year the Library collaborated with the English department to
establish a poetry contest for the QCC library’s newsletter, and we’ll be reaching out soon to the art
department to explore the possibility of a photo contest. Another example is the library’s collaboration
with CETL to support faculty engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning.
What is my teaching philosophy/ outlook on higher education? Some of the most fruitful and rewarding
partnerships are in the classroom when librarians collaborate with faculty to deliver information literacy
instruction. It’s a welcome challenge to design lessons and activities that embody authentic, active
learning, addressing the assignment and learning outcomes for students. As the Library liaison to QCC’s
online courses, I’m also exploring ways to transfer those authentic, active learning opportunities from the
face-to-face classroom to online spaces (e.g., Blackboard and the library’s website).
How do I see my role on campus, outside of teaching? I am currently conducting ethnographic research
exploring the information needs and information seeking of community college faculty and students that I
hope will point to more possibilities for partnership and collaboration.
What do you love most about QCC? There are five laws of Library Science, the fifth of which states that
“The library is a growing organism.” We see this law embodied in our 21st century libraries. At QCC, we
are on an eternal, brilliant, exciting journey to grow and learn and adapt with our students and faculty.
And this journey is about connections, about partnerships. It is also about our students and faculty and
alumnae and administrators and the amazing work they do at QCC and in our communities. I am grateful
for being invited along for the ride.

5. Faculty and Staff
e-newsletter
My latest project is a collaborative pedagogical research study with a colleague in my department. The
project examines the effectiveness of using computer-assisted language learning to enhance character
recognition and reading comprehension in elementary Chinese classes. Besides Chinese language
pedagogy, my other research interest centers on Latin American writers of Chinese origin. My latest
article and translation concern a Chinese-Peruvian writer’s work and were published in UCLA’s Amerasia
Journal: Toward a Third Literature: Chinese Writing in the Americas.
What is my teaching philosophy/ outlook on higher education? My first teaching philosophy--that
language learning is achieved primarily by doing things with the language, is epitomized by the Chinese
maxim "What you hear, you forget; what you see, you understand; what you do, you remember." My
second philosophy is that language teaching must include instruction in concomitant culture.
Communicative competence is the ability to negotiate meaning in such a way that successfully
combines knowledge of linguistic and sociolinguistic rules in communicative interactions. It is imperative
that language teachers sensitize students to the social implications of language use. A typical lesson
plan for my class places students in a meaningful interaction with each other, not merely manipulating
language structures. I try to make the activities as authentic as possible, always conscious of the
cultural component inherent to all languages. Higher education allows students to acquire, expand,
deepen and consolidate intellectual skills, particularly critical and independent thinking, while preparing
them for a profession.
How do I see my role on campus, outside of teaching? By serving on college committees and
academies and as the coordinator of the Chinese program as well as a club advisor, I see my role as
a collaborator with faculty and supporter of students. I also see my role as a mentor to students,
especially when they are applying for further educational experiences at various colleges and programs.
What do you love most about QCC? What I love most about QCC is the enthusiasm and motivation
that students have shown me in my Chinese classes. I also value the support for pedagogical research
and the opportunities available to collaborate with faculty and staff across campus.
Collaborative Projects
Maan (Jenny)
Lin
Foreign Languages
and Literatures
Collaborative Projects
Tirandai
Hemraj-Benny
Chemistry
I am currently preparing and designing a nanoscience course to be offered to our undergraduate
students in 2014. This course will give students an introduction to nanoscience, which is a rapidly
growing field in our society.
What is my teaching philosophy/ outlook on higher education? I encourage our students to first believe
in themselves! With a positive attitude and hard work anything is possible. I also believe active learning
is essential in a chemistry classroom. I encourage group activities and active discussion to promote
critical thinking in problem solving
How do I see my role on campus, outside of teaching? As a scientist, I encourage our students to
conduct research. At QCC I have mentored eight undergraduate students in nanoscience research. They
have not only gained experience working with advanced instrumentation but they have also developed
their public speaking skills while presenting their research at local and national conferences. It is always
rewarding to see the student’s excitement when their work is published .
What do you love most about QCC? I am truly grateful for the faculty and staff on campus. Everyone is
always willing to help in my endeavors to be a better teacher and researcher to our diverse student
body.

6. I always stay current in my research field while conducting original research with the QCC students. My
research area is in the field of Nanomaterials, a cutting edge technology which finds extensive
applications in everyday life and industry as catalysts, hydrogen storage devices and electronic sensors.
In order to get insight of what is happening in the classroom from students’ perspective, I have
implemented Cogenerative dialogue in my General Chemistry II class. The dialogue provides space for
reflections and conversations where students’ issues are dealt with and resolved through understanding
of what is working and not working in the classroom. This research shows the need for continuous
dialogue between professor and students to develop (re)mediation, promote a sense of responsibility, and
improve communication between teacher and students.
What is my teaching philosophy/ outlook on higher education? Community colleges play a vital role in
educating the diverse student population. Sciences and in particular chemistry is not a subject many
undergraduates plan to pursue. I indulge in many teaching approaches and strive to make my classroom
environment welcoming, comfortable, and respectful for all students. My goal is to instill critical thinking
and problem solving skills in my students so that they can hypothesize, test and interpret theories and
devise conclusions. I provide my students with multiple learning opportunities besides lecturing in the
class; mentor them and care for their individual needs. I motivate my students to give their best, teach
chemistry with real world examples and inspire them to enjoy learning and seek knowledge. I always
strive to develop tenacity, self-confidence, and problem solving skills, which provides students with a
very strong foundation and wherewithal to become part of skilled work force and pursue higher education
in math and science.
How do I see my role on campus, outside of teaching? I have served as a faculty coordinator for the
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) academy since its inception in 2009. I have also had
the opportunity to co-organize several STEM student workshops and events. I serve as a secretary for
the college curriculum committee from past three years and this was and is very critical time for the
college in creating and reviewing new courses and degree programs in alliance with Pathways. I have
volunteered to counsel the newly appointed assistant professors at the chemistry department.
What do you love most about QCC? I love QCC for several reasons: (i) because of the cross breeding of
new research and teaching ideas among the college faculty members; (ii) the administration supports and
provides a very conducive environment and opportunities to flourish in your field and finally (iii) QCC is
not just a teaching institution; it supports research in chemistry with the student body which is a very
rare opportunity to get at any other community college.
Research and Publication
Moni Chauhan
Chemistry
Faculty and Staff
e-newsletter
Collaborative Projects
Wei Lai
Foreign Languages
and Literatures
I worked with my colleague on a pedagogical research project. The project aimed to enhance Chinese
learners' reading ability through Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL).
What is my teaching philosophy/ outlook on higher education? I believe that effective teaching must be
student-centered with emphasis on the professional knowledge of the instructor.
How do I see my role on campus, outside of teaching? I see myself as a student adviser -- academically
and non-academically. I am always happy to provide information, give suggestions and share thoughts
with my students.
What do you love most about QCC? The students. I am very impressed by QCC’s culturally diverse
students.
Queensborough Community College 222-05 56th AVENUE, BAYSIDE, NY 11363 Issue 2
Recent Publication
“Effects of the
Cogenerative
Dialogue Teaching
Method in a
Community College
General Chemistry
Course”
Journal of College
Science Teaching,
2013, 42, 6, 14-18.