SUNY Online Summit 2021 Day 5 Presentation Moderator: Erin Maney, SUNY Online Communications & Community Engagement Manager. Recognition: SUNY Online Teaching Ambassadors https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/2021/01/29/recognition-online-teaching-ambassadors/ https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/tag/day-5/ Annual conference for the SUNY online teaching and learning community of practice. https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/ February 22-26, 2021 Virtual Event Conference website: https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/ Program: https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/program/ Speakers: https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/speakers/ Recordings/ Materials: https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/live-recordings/ Program Tracks: https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/program-tracks/

1. 2021 SUNY Online Teaching
Ambassadors Recognition
http://bit.ly/SUNYambassadors

2. SUNY Online Teaching Ambassadors are exemplary online
teaching faculty, nominated by their campus, who are
enthusiastic and effective in online teaching, and who can be
positive and strong advocates for online teaching in our SUNY
community.
SUNY Online Teaching accepts nominations from each SUNY
institution annually to recognize outstanding SUNY online
instructors as SUNY Online Teaching Ambassadors.
Program Overview

3. Ambassador Engagement
• Contribute to “Advice from Ambassadors” column.
• Guest author a blog post on the Online Teaching Hub.
• Volunteer as a SUNY Online Mentor.
• Support peers in discipline-specific Workplace groups.
• Lead a Fellow Chat.
• Create a video testimonial or overview of a teaching
strategy for the SUNY Online YouTube channel.
• Design an infographic or guide/resource to share with the
SUNY Online Teaching Community.

4. Introducing the
SUNY Online Teaching Ambassadors
2021 Cohort

5. Karla Back, Ph.D
Professor
Alfred State College
Dr. Back has found over the years that
students tend to participate and are much
more active in an online learning environment
when they can choose their own time and
pace, are offered a wider variety of different
resources, and tend to engage more readily
because they are more in control of their
learning.
Nominated by: Maureen Caschera

6. Nicholas Stefanski, J.D., Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Alfred State College
“I find that the online format is ideal for
enabling students to realize that they
already possess a great deal of expertise
and that applying the principles of rhetoric
and effective speaking can help them
share that expertise with the world.”
Nominated by: Danyelle O’Brien

7. Tom Bartenstein, Ph.D
Adjunct Lecturer
SUNY Binghamton
“My goal is to develop interactive on-line
teaching techniques which enable the two-
way communication that makes in-person
teaching so powerful without sacrificing
the benefits of being on-line.”
Nominated by: Andrea MacArgel

8. Rebecca Kissling, Ph.D
Instructor
SUNY Binghamton
“My husband recently made a mini light
board studio for me so that I can create
short demonstration videos linked to
problem solving and reflective exercises.”
Nominated by: Cherie van Putten

9. Deborah Taub
Faculty and Chair, Student Affairs
Administration
SUNY Binghamton
Deb Taub shares research interests in
psychosocial development and identity
development, under-represented populations
in higher education and graduate
preparation in student affairs.
Nominated by: Sara Oliveira

10. Gerard Puccio, Ph.D
Chair and Professor, Creativity & Change
Leadership
Buffalo State College
“Today’s sophisticated online tools and
platforms allow faculty in our Department
to create the same experiential learning
climate achieved in courses taught via
traditional instructional modalities.”
Nominated by: Brooke Winckelmann

11. John Draeger, Ph.D.
Faculty
Buffalo State College
John Draeger divides his research time
between work in moral philosophy and work in
the scholarship of teaching and learning. His
current projects include a large project
concerning the nature of respect for gendered
persons and work on higher-order thinking,
general education, and metacognition.
Nominated by: Todd Benzin

12. Dianna Cichocki
Clinical Assistant Professor
University at Buffalo
“While quality content is a critical component of
an effective online course, establishing a
welcoming atmosphere that encourages and
motivates students is equally as important and
should not be overlooked. The most successful
online courses are those that engage students
and create a sense of community.”
Nominated by: UB Educational Design
Collaborative (UB EDC)

13. Jessica Kruger, Ph.D.
Health Educator
University at Buffalo
“As an instructor, I aim to help students move
through scholarship by utilizing technology and
innovative teaching methods. Learning should be
enjoyable; if you are not enjoying what you do or
what you are learning, you are less likely to
remember the subject or synthesize the material.”
Nominated by: Sarah Heavey

14. Jean-Michel Campagne, Ph.D
Associate Professor
Dutchess Community College
“I have found that students need and
thrive with an instructor’s presence. That
presence lets them know someone knows
and cares about them and is interested in
them succeeding.”
Nominated by: Chrisie Mitchell

15. Maureen Peters Gittelman
Instructor
Dutchess Community College
“I believe that online learning options have
an additional benefit for students who will
eventually step into careers that require
the discipline, motivation, time
management, and technical proficiency
that is learned in online classrooms.”
Nominated by: Chrisie Mitchell

16. Gozde Ustuner
Professor
Farmingdale State College
“When students take online course, they
tend to believe that they are on their own
with no help. What I realize is, verbal
immediacy in an online classroom is as
importance as face-to-face interaction
engagement in traditional course.”
Nominated by: Maya Bentz

17. Heather Kirkwood, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Farmingdale State College
“As educators, we must be flexible and
able to adapt to our student’s needs.
Students may not be able to attend
traditional, face-to-face courses for a
variety of reasons. We must offer viable
options for all students to be successful.”
Nominated by: Maya Bentz

18. Shelley E. Kohan
Associate Professor
Fashion Institute of Technology
“My philosophy is to serve the students with
relevant, engaging content that allows the
highest comprehension and learning through
active participation on the part of the student,
especially in an online environment. In short, I try
to bring courses to life with real-world views of
the industry.”
Nominated by: Tamara Cupples

19. Amy Lemmon, Ph.D
Professor
Fashion Institute of Technology
“Thanks to interactive tools like Padlet, I can
engage students in multimodal discussions
and assignments and enable them to
participate in and reflect on their own creative
process, while sharing their creativity with
others.”
Nominated by: Tamara Cupples

20. Trevor Johnson-Steigelman, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Finger Lakes Community College
During remote teaching in the pandemic,
Trevor has worked to make his online
teaching more interactive. Using services
like H5P and Poll Everywhere, he provides
students with a range of interactive
formative assessment in the form of
games and activities.
Nominated by: Ryan McCabe

21. Amy Flagler
Associate Professor of Communication
Finger Lakes Community College
“I feel that on-line teaching inspires creativity as
it requires great thought and experimentation in
how one needs to deliver course materials,
make materials accessible and do so in a way
that proactively engages students with the
course materials and stimulates engagement
with their academic peers.”
Nominated by: Ryan McCabe

22. Dani McMay, Ph.D
Associate Professor, Psychology
SUNY Fredonia
Dr. McMay has increased the use of
videos and external apps (e.g., Flipgrid,
Kahoot, VoiceThread) to help engage
students and create a better learning
community in the online space.
Nominated by: Lisa Melohusky

23. Lisa M. Walters, Ph.D
Associate Professor
SUNY Fredonia
“We must approach online learning as
academics, with curiosity and
experimentation, and model these
behaviors to our students. The reward is
worth the effort, for all stakeholders
involved.”
Nominated by: Lisa Melohusky

24. Jacob Bodway, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Monroe Community College
Dr. Bodway teaches many synchronous
and asynchronous online and hybrid
courses, with an emphasis on bringing the
face-to-face experience into the digital
classroom.
Nominated by: Andrea Gilbert

25. Rebecca Horwitz
Associate Professor and Chair of
Psychology
Monroe Community College
Rebecca is always willing to step up and
try something new, whether it is new
technology, offering new opportunities to
her students, or finding new ways to
support her faculty.
Nominated by: Andrea Gilbert

26. Kristen Kane, Ph.D
Associate Professor and Division Co-Chair
SUNY Morrisville
“As I embrace the online setting and learn
how to use the tools that various platforms
offer, my skills improve and so do the skills
of the students.”
Nominated by: Yunkai Xu

27. Jessica Sarauer, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
SUNY Morrisville
“My favorite part about the online classroom
is seeing the students interact, even if it is
over a discussion board. Having the ability to
think through their responses and not be put
on the spot allows more students to share
their ideas and research what they want to
say.”
Nominated by: Yunkai Xu

28. Elisa K. Salvi, J.D.
Associate Professor of Legal Studies
Nassau Community College
“I believe that it is just as vital to motivate our
students, help nurture them as they overcome
challenges, and inspire them to pursue their
own passions as they strive to achieve their
lifelong goals and professions, as it is to
deliver the course content.”
Nominated by: Deborah Spiro

29. Orval Jewett, D.S.W, L.C.S.W.
Professor
Nassau Community College
Over the course of the past year,
Professor Jewett has worked to develop
an understanding of how to facilitate active
learning in the form of group activities for
students who are taking courses online.
Nominated by: Deborah Spiro

30. Rachel Rigolino
Instructor and Coordinator of the
Supplemental Writing Workshop Composition
Program
SUNY New Paltz
Over the past two decades, Rachel has
focused much of her professional energies on
remaining current with educational technology
and online pedagogical best practices,
particularly in the area of online writing
instruction.
Nominated by: Shala Mills

31. Deborah Sorrentino
Professor and Program Coordinator
Niagara County Community College
“I am proud of our efforts to provide
flexible scheduling with online instruction
which has enabled many nontraditional
students to obtain a degree in our
program (Computer Information Systems)
over the years.”
Nominated by: Lisa Dubuc

32. Laura L. Scaletta
Professor and Coordinator or Psychology
Program
Niagara County Community College
“I believe students can instantaneously
assess whether their educators are
passionate or indifferent about teaching. I
refuse to become the latter.”
Nominated by: Lisa Dubuc

33. Douglas J. Regan, Ed.D
Adjunct Professor
Niagara County Community College
“The transition to on-line instruction was not
an easy one for me and I must admit that
originally I was probably a resistor. However, I
have come full circle now and clearly see the
many benefits of providing quality and
engaging on-line instruction as a viable option
for my students.”
Nominated by: Lisa Dubuc

34. Wanda Haby
Lecturer
SUNY Plattsburgh
Haby’s research areas are in Communication,
Ethics, Human Resources, Social
Responsibility, Organizational Development
and Management Leadership Development
Lean.
Nominated by: John Locke

35. Iggy Beerbower
Associate Professor
SUNY Potsdam
“Teaching asynchronously challenged me
to create a course that delivered the
required information in an engaging
manner as well as allowing for interaction
between the students in order to build a
sense of community.”
Nominated by: Michael Phillips

36. Seon Levius, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
SUNY Potsdam
“This approach [five fundamental questions] was
beneficial during the COVID 19 pandemic as I
was able to lift up the spirits of my students
whenever they seemed broken and disillusioned.
It is the idea that every student already has
within them gifts to unleash. But this can only be
achieved through focus and hard work.”
Nominated by: Michael Phillips

37. Brenda MacArthur, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Stony Brook University
“As an educator, my goal has and will
always be to find ways to make
coursework applicable to students’
everyday lives.”
Nominated by: Linda Unger

38. Mary Jo Bona
Professor
Stony Brook University
Shifting to online teaching, Professor Bona
insisted on meeting with her students
synchronously, demonstrating that the joy
of teaching can continue in the virtual
world. For Professor Bona, students are
beautiful when they are learning.
Nominated by: Linda Unger

39. Cynthia Eaton
Professor of English
Suffolk Community College
“All students can improve as writers, but
the only way to do that is for them to write
lots, write often, get informed feedback,
and revise their writing.”
Nominated by: Camille Karlson

40. Jeanneth Sangurima-Quiles
Adjunct Lecturer
Suffolk Community College
“I’m a staunch believer that all educational
members regardless if they are students
or faculty should be offered various
methods of learning and teaching in the
quest that benefits society.”
Nominated by: Camille Karlson

41. Diane Riegal
Professor
SUNY Sullivan
“Online educators have the unique
opportunity to richly engage with students
in an environment they understand and
feel comfortable in – the digital
environment.”
Nominated by: Shirley Sinacore

42. Lisa Caloro
Professor
SUNY Sullivan
In addition to teaching writing, poetry, and
literature, Lisa has also been recognized
as a Sullivan County Poet Laureate. Her
poetry has been nominated for the
prestigious 2020 Pushcart Prize.
Nominated by: Shirley Sinacore

43. Amy E. Weaver, MS, RN, CCRN-K
Clinical Instructor, College of Health
Sciences
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
“I enjoy designing learning activities and
creating a supportive environment which
engages students and encourages real-
world applications to the professional
nursing role.”
Nominated by: Rick Shelton

44. Robert Edgell, Ph.D
Professor and Co-Director of the Joint
Center for Creativity, Design, and Venturing
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
“As an online educator, I aspire to offer
experiences that not only are infused with
the comparable richness of face-to-face
courses, but also creatively leverage all
which the online medium uniquely affords.”
Nominated by: Rick Shelton

45. Mary Forgea, MSN, RN
Assistant Professor, College of Nursing
SUNY Upstate Medical University
“I enjoy exploring and learning new
techniques for delivering content online and
engaging students. Providing students with
the best possible online learning experience is
what I continue to strive for.”
Nominated by: Pam Youngs-Maher

46. 2021 SUNY Online Teaching Ambassadors