A panel of Buffalo State College faculty presented “Unique Ways to Reach Your Students in a Digital World” at the SUNY Conference on Instructional Technologies, held at Genesee Community College on May 29.

The panel comprised Laurie Buonanno, chair and professor, Political Science; Geri Hura, assistant professor, Educational Foundations; Carlos Jones,assistant professor, Theater; Kathleen O’Brien,lecturer, Hospitality and Tourism, and director, Campus House; and Ramona Santa Maria, lecturer, Computer Information Systems. Melaine Kenyon, associate director of instructional technologies, Instructional Resources, facilitated the panel.

Buonanno has taught hybrid and online courses on both ANGEL and the former SUNY Learning Network platform and uses discussions in unique ways to reach students. Hura uses digital video in her online graduate classes. Specifically, she asks students to record themselves and send her the videos. Staff within Buffalo State’s Instructional Resources Department (IR) digitize these videos and place them on a protected streaming server. Hura can then link to the videos, and only students enrolled in the course can view and comment on them. Jones uses quizzes in unique ways to reach and engage his students. O’Brien has multiple uses for digital video in her undergraduate classes. Video production staff in IR, in conjunction with Campus House staff and students, developed teaching videos used in hospitality and other training courses. Santa Maria has large undergraduate classes (100 students) that are a challenge to manage. She makes unique use of the team feature of ANGEL to accomplish this task. She has also developed special customizations within ANGEL.

Aimable Twagilimana, professor, English, and coordinator, African and African American Studies Interdisciplinary Unit, was elected chair of the Association of African Studies Programs (AASP) for the April 2008–April 2009 period. The core of the organization consists of deans, directors, chairs, committee heads, or individuals who have the responsibility of organizing or leading African studies programs at their colleges and universities. The AASP holds its annual meeting in the spring at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C.

Allen Podet, professor, Philosophy and Humanities, has been invited to join the selection board for Fulbright awards. The board, which will meet in May in Washington, D.C., evaluates and selects Fulbright scholars and also universities and similar institutions applying for Fulbright support.

Melissa J. Miszkiewicz, director of academic computing, Computing and Technology Services, andBarbara J. Dray, assistant professor, Exceptional Education, in collaboration with Kelly Marczynski,assistant director and senior research scientist, andWilliam Wieczorek, director, Center for Health and Social Research, have developed a survey to assess student perceptions of their readiness to learn through online formats. During the initial development and under the guidance of Marczynski, Miszkiewicz and Dray worked together to conduct a cognitive item analysis of the survey whereby students provided feedback on the cognitive intent of each question. Dray and Miszkiewicz presented these initial findings at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) in 2006, and AERA (American Educational Research Association) and Educause in 2007. Their work has been receiving both national and international recognition. They have been invited to present their work at the eighth annual Merlot International Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 7–10. Currently, they are conducting a large-scale validation study with students at Buffalo State College and hope to present preliminary findings at the August conference. Additionally, they are collaborating with el Grupo de Investigación de Tecnología Educativa, Departamento de Didáctica y Organización Escolar, at the Universidad de Murcia, in Spain, where the survey is being translated for use with its student population.

Melissa J. Miszkiewicz, director of academic computing, Computing and Technology Services, andBarbara J. Dray, assistant professor, Exceptional Education, in collaboration with Kelly Marczynski,assistant director and senior research scientist, andWilliam Wieczorek, director, Center for Health and Social Research, have developed a survey to assess student perceptions of their readiness to learn through online formats. During the initial development and under the guidance of Marczynski, Miszkiewicz and Dray worked together to conduct a cognitive item analysis of the survey whereby students provided feedback on the cognitive intent of each question. Dray and Miszkiewicz presented these initial findings at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) in 2006, and AERA (American Educational Research Association) and Educause in 2007. Their work has been receiving both national and international recognition. They have been invited to present their work at the eighth annual Merlot International Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 7–10. Currently, they are conducting a large-scale validation study with students at Buffalo State College and hope to present preliminary findings at the August conference. Additionally, they are collaborating with el Grupo de Investigación de Tecnología Educativa, Departamento de Didáctica y Organización Escolar, at the Universidad de Murcia, in Spain, where the survey is being translated for use with its student population.

Melissa J. Miszkiewicz, director of academic computing, Computing and Technology Services, andBarbara J. Dray, assistant professor, Exceptional Education, in collaboration with Kelly Marczynski,assistant director and senior research scientist, andWilliam Wieczorek, director, Center for Health and Social Research, have developed a survey to assess student perceptions of their readiness to learn through online formats. During the initial development and under the guidance of Marczynski, Miszkiewicz and Dray worked together to conduct a cognitive item analysis of the survey whereby students provided feedback on the cognitive intent of each question. Dray and Miszkiewicz presented these initial findings at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) in 2006, and AERA (American Educational Research Association) and Educause in 2007. Their work has been receiving both national and international recognition. They have been invited to present their work at the eighth annual Merlot International Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 7–10. Currently, they are conducting a large-scale validation study with students at Buffalo State College and hope to present preliminary findings at the August conference. Additionally, they are collaborating with el Grupo de Investigación de Tecnología Educativa, Departamento de Didáctica y Organización Escolar, at the Universidad de Murcia, in Spain, where the survey is being translated for use with its student population.

Melissa J. Miszkiewicz, director of academic computing, Computing and Technology Services, andBarbara J. Dray, assistant professor, Exceptional Education, in collaboration with Kelly Marczynski,assistant director and senior research scientist, andWilliam Wieczorek, director, Center for Health and Social Research, have developed a survey to assess student perceptions of their readiness to learn through online formats. During the initial development and under the guidance of Marczynski, Miszkiewicz and Dray worked together to conduct a cognitive item analysis of the survey whereby students provided feedback on the cognitive intent of each question. Dray and Miszkiewicz presented these initial findings at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) in 2006, and AERA (American Educational Research Association) and Educause in 2007. Their work has been receiving both national and international recognition. They have been invited to present their work at the eighth annual Merlot International Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 7–10. Currently, they are conducting a large-scale validation study with students at Buffalo State College and hope to present preliminary findings at the August conference. Additionally, they are collaborating with el Grupo de Investigación de Tecnología Educativa, Departamento de Didáctica y Organización Escolar, at the Universidad de Murcia, in Spain, where the survey is being translated for use with its student population.

Dan MacIsaac, associate professor, Physics, andKathleen Falconer, lecturer, Elementary Education and Reading, were the invited keynote speakers for the 2008 conference of the Ontario Association of Physics Teachers, held at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, May 22 and 23. Their talk was titled “How Video Analysis of Teaching Practices Leads to Better Student Understanding.” They also presented a workshop on Implementing the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP).

Dan MacIsaac, associate professor, Physics, andKathleen Falconer, lecturer, Elementary Education and Reading, were the invited keynote speakers for the 2008 conference of the Ontario Association of Physics Teachers, held at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, May 22 and 23. Their talk was titled “How Video Analysis of Teaching Practices Leads to Better Student Understanding.” They also presented a workshop on Implementing the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP).

A paper by Jeffrey Hirschberg, assistant professor, Communication, and coordinator, television and film arts program, titled “The Villain as Outsider: Alex Forrest to Gordon Gekko” earned third place at the Broadcast Education Association’s (BEA) national peer-reviewed competition and will be published in the BEA’s journalFeedback. Hirschberg’s paper on Film Heroes took the top prize at last year’s conference. Both papers are part of Hirschberg’s upcoming book, due out in 2009.