Skip to main content

Benefits and Engagement Opportunities

SUNY Online Teaching Fellows Program

Becoming a SUNY Online Fellow offers both immediate and long-term value. As a Fellow, you gain access to a supportive, system-wide community of practice while engaging in flexible opportunities to grow professionally, contribute expertise, and help strengthen online teaching and learning across SUNY. The Fellows Program supports practitioners at different stages of experience while recognizing diverse ways of participating, leading, and giving back.

Benefits of Membership

Shared Benefits (All Fellow Roles)

As a SUNY Online Fellow, you:

  • Become part of the SUNY SUNY-wide Online Teaching Community of Practice.
  • Participate in SUNY Online professional development, events, and online forums.
    Connect with faculty, instructional designers, administrators, and online learning leaders across SUNY.
    Receive recognition as a SUNY Online Fellow.
  • Engage in reflective learning that supports your professional growth.
    Choose how and when to engage based on your interests and capacity.
  • Contribute to system-wide improvement while strengthening your sense of purpose and belonging.
fellows icons arranged in a honeycomb shape

Role-Aligned Benefits (Based on Experience & Eligibility)

In addition, certain Fellow roles unlock expanded opportunities based on your experience and expertise.

Experienced Online Practitioners & Expert Online Instructional Designers

  • You may be eligible to participate in the OSCQR Course Reviewer Network.
  • You can contribute to course quality, accessibility, and equity initiatives.
  • You can document service, leadership, and professional contribution.

Online Teaching Exemplars, Coaches, and Mentors

  • You may be eligible to participate in the SUNY Online Teaching Mentor Program.
  • You receive formal recognition for your willingness to mentor and coach your peers.
  • You develop leadership capacity in online research-informed best practices, pedagogy, facilitation, and faculty support.

Online Innovators / Researchers

  • You can contribute to research, grants, pilots, and policy conversations.
  • You gain platforms for sharing scholarship, innovation, and evidence-informed practices.
  • You help influence system-level direction in online education.

Many Fellows engage in multiple roles over time as their experience, interests, and availability evolve.

Why Become a SUNY Online Teaching Fellow?

As a SUNY Online Fellow, you:

  • Join a vibrant, cross-SUNY community of practice committed to high-quality research-informed online education.
  • Gain recognition for your expertise, experience, and leadership.
  • Help shape the future of online teaching and learning across the SUNY system.
  • Engage flexibly in roles that align with your interests and professional goals.
  • Contribute to equity by extending expertise and support across campuses.

Fellows Program

System-Level Recognition & Visibility

Your Fellow membership formally recognizes your role in the system-wide community of online teaching and learning practitioners. Fellow status increases your visibility across SUNY Online communications, events, and initiatives and aligns with digital badges, awards, and leadership roles. Recognition may include participation in SUNY Online programs, certifications, awards, and ambassador initiatives.

Networked Community of Practice

As a Fellow, you are part of a cross-SUNY network of faculty, instructional designers, administrators, and online practitioners. This network facilitates connection across roles, disciplines, and experience levels while reducing professional isolation through sustained peer engagement.

Meaningful Engagement Opportunities

You can contribute in ways that align with your interests and capacity—attending and supporting community events, volunteering for initiatives, sharing expertise informally, mentoring peers, reviewing courses, leading webinars, or contributing to research and pilots.

Recognition & Leadership Development

Fellow roles allow you to self-select into roles that reflect your experience and aspirations. The program recognizes multiple professional identities and creates pathways to deeper leadership, engagement, and recognition within SUNY Online.

Professional Growth & Reflective Practice

You are supported in reflecting on your practice, articulating your online teaching philosophy, and learning from peers across the system. These opportunities strengthen your ability to apply new ideas within your own institutional context.

Contribution to Equity & Capacity-Building

Through your participation, you help extend expertise to campuses with fewer local resources and ensure that diverse voices and lived experiences inform system-level practice.

Purpose, Belonging, & Giving Back

As a Fellow, you contribute to something larger than your individual campus or role, reinforcing your professional identity as part of a system-wide movement for high-quality, human-centered online education.

    Benefits by Fellow Role

    SUNY Online Fellows Benefits of Membership Matrix
    Benefits Aligned to the 6 Fellow Roles

    Legend
     ✓ = Core benefit for this role
     ○ = Secondary / conditional benefit
     — = Not applicable for this role
    Benefit Area Friend of SUNY Interested in Online-Enabled Education Experienced Online Practitioner Expert Online Instructional Designer Exemplar, Coach & Mentor Innovator / Researcher
    Membership in the Community of Practice ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
    Participation in Community Forums, Events & PD ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
    System-Level Recognition ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
    System-Wide Professional Network ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
    On-Ramp to Online Teaching Knowledge & Practices ○ ✓ ○ — — —
    Opportunities for Reflective Learning & Growth ○ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
    Opportunities to Share Practice Informally with Peers ○ ○ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
    Eligibility to Join the SUNY Online OSCQR Course Reviewer Network — — ✓ ✓ ✓ ○
    Eligibility to Participate in the SUNY Online Teaching Mentor Program — — ○ ○ ✓ ○
    Leadership Development (Non-Hierarchical) ○ ○ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
    Opportunities to Lead or Co-Lead Webinars & Events ○ ○ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
    Contribution to System-Wide Capacity & Equity ○ ○ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
    Participation in Working Groups & Special Initiatives — ○ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
    Research, Innovation & Policy Engagement — — ○ ○ ○ ✓
    Professional Documentation (Service, Leadership, PD) ○ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
    Badges & Role-Based Recognition ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
    Purpose, Belonging & Giving Back to the Community ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
    Flexible, Self-Directed Engagement ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

    SUNY Online Teaching Fellows Benefits Descriptions

    Membership in the SUNY Online Teaching Community of Practice

    Formal inclusion in a system-wide open network of online teaching and learning practitioners committed to shared learning, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

    Participation in Community Forums, Events & Professional Development

    Access to SUNY Online events, professional development opportunities, and community forums that support learning, dialogue, and connection across campuses.

    System-Level Recognition as a SUNY Online Teaching Fellow

    Recognition of your experience and contributions as part of the SUNY Online Teaching Fellows program, signaling engagement and leadership within the system.

    Cross-Campus Professional Network

    Opportunities to connect and collaborate with faculty, instructional designers, administrators, and online learning professionals across SUNY and beyond.

    On-Ramp to Online Teaching Knowledge & Practices

    Provides accessible entry points for individuals who are new to online teaching or instructional design, allowing them to learn, observe, and engage at their own pace while building confidence and foundational knowledge within the community of practice.

    Opportunities for Reflective Learning & Growth

    Creates ongoing opportunities to reflect on online teaching and learning practices, learn from peers, and deepen professional understanding through dialogue, shared experiences, and engagement with evolving ideas in the field.

    Opportunities to Share Practice Informally with Peers

    Encourages the informal exchange of ideas, experiences, and strategies through conversations, forums, and peer interactions within the community.

    Eligibility to Participate in OSCQR Course Reviews

    Provides eligible Fellows the opportunity to participate in the OSCQR Course Reviewer Network and contribute to course quality, accessibility, and equity initiatives.

    Eligibility to Participate in the SUNY Online Teaching Mentor Program

    Provides eligible Fellows the opportunity to mentor or coach peers and support the development of effective, inclusive online teaching practices.

    Leadership Development (Non-Hierarchical)

    Supports the development of leadership through facilitation, mentoring, contribution, and influence without requiring formal titles or administrative roles.

    Opportunities to Moderate, Lead, or Co-Lead Webinars & Events

    Provides opportunities to share expertise by moderating, leading or co-leading webinars, panels, workshops, or SUNY Online events.

    Contribution to System-Wide Capacity & Equity

    Enables Fellows to extend expertise across campuses, helping strengthen system-wide capacity and support more equitable access to high-quality online education.

    Participation in Working Groups & Special Initiatives

    Offers opportunities to collaborate on focused projects, pilots, research efforts, or system-wide initiatives aligned with SUNY Online priorities.

    Research, Innovation & Policy Engagement

    Supports participation in research, innovation, and policy-related conversations that shape the future of online teaching and learning.

    Professional Documentation (Awards, Service, Leadership, PD)

    Provides opportunities to document service, leadership, and professional development activities for use in evaluation, promotion, or reporting contexts, (e.g., OSCQR awards and certifications; Online Teaching Ambassador recognition; Online Community Leader honor.)

    Badges & Role-Based Recognition

    Includes digital badges and other recognitions, endorsements and honors that acknowledge participation, expertise, contributions, and excellence within the SUNY Online community.

    Purpose, Belonging & Giving Back to the Community

    Fosters a sense of purpose, connection, and shared responsibility by contributing to a community dedicated to advancing high quality research-informed online teaching and learning.

    Flexible, Self-Directed Engagement

    Allows Fellows to choose when, how, and to what extent they engage in the community based on interests, availability, and professional goals.