The Adventures of a Digital Sensei
Yesterday I trekked up to John Jay College and took part in a panel discussion on the Virtual Classroom and assessing online instruction. The discussion was held at the CUNY – University Faculty Senate (UFS) Conference on Online Education.
There were breakout sessions on numerous topics dealing with the future direction of online education. The new Continue reading “UFS Conference on Assessing Online Instruction”
We received the announcement today that the School of Professional Studies (SPS) may become a self standing college within the City University of New York system. Some people, actually many people, are unaware that SPS is actually run under the auspices of the CUNY Graduate Center. The new announcement means that big changes are going to be on the way. The new Chancellor of CUNY is an advocate for online and instruction and technology. I am hoping that this means that as CUNY’s premiere online degree granting institution, these new developments will be extremely positive.
Earlier this week we recorded a marketing video for the Communication and Media program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies (SPS). The purpose of the video was to give potential students an overview of the program and the admission requirements. The information in the video is very similar to the material that we present to attendees to our monthly open house sessions. I was excited to record this video because not everyone can make it to the in-person informational sessions that we hold during the semester.
For those of you that are unaware, the Communication and Media program at the SPS is a four year online degree program that offers an interdisciplinary focus on issues related to the convergence between new and traditional media. The goal of the program is to prepare Continue reading “CUNY SPS – Communication and Media degree”
Today I had the honor of being on stage and congratulating the 2014 graduates of Communication and Media program. As an Academic Director at the CUNY School of Professional Studies (SPS) I have many responsibilities. However none of those responsibilities are as fulfilling as helping the students in my program achieve their goals. Many of my students are working professionals with families and demanding job responsibilities of their own. So it is especially great to witness them overcome the challenge of working while going to school.
Every few months the academic directors at the CUNY School of Professional Studies (SPS) have a formal information session for potential students interested in our online degree programs. The purpose of these events are to introduce these potential students to our programs, our school, and to give them a taste of what will be expected of them if they decide to attend SPS. Well at the session last night while I was presenting I ran into a former New Media Technology student that I taught at LaGuardia many years ago. He is planning on going back to school to get a BA and is applying to the Communication and Media program that I am heading up.
I guess this is what they mean by full circle.
The other night at the CUNY School of Professional Studies annual Student-Faculty reception I had the opportunity to finally meet some of the students in the Communication and Media program. While working with students in an online can be rewarding, there is a special thrill that can come with interacting face to face with the people in your major. The only downside of the evening was that I had to wear a suit. I hate wearing suits.
While I officially started last week at the CUNY – School of Professional Studies (SPS), this week was the kickoff of the 2013 Fall I session at LaGuardia. It was a very full day which included Opening Sessions, as well as programmatic and departmental meetings, technical consulting session, and student advisement. At the end of the afternoon I felt like I needed a juice box, my blankie, and a nap. I am hoping that this wasn’t going to be indicative on how the semester was going to unfold. Because just to clarify, despite some of my poorly worded previous posts, I haven’t left LaGuardia. My responsibilities have just shifted a tad.
As the sole full time instructor for the New Media, I didn’t want to abandon the program that I have helped build over the past 12 years. But Continue reading “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!”
Today was my first day at the new office. There is a ton of work that needs to be done and I am looking forward to getting underway. I have been asked to take charge of the Communication and Media program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies and to help redefine the degree in light of the recent technological and societal shifts brought forth by digital innovation.
I must say that it was kinda weird to be Continue reading “CUNY SPS – New Office Space”