Awarded Grant: $9,704 Principal Investigator: Francesca Cichello, Empire State College Our 2013 Synergy & Systemness Project was more successful than we had anticipated. Although the construction of the online course presented challenges, especially as related to interdisciplinarity of the course development team, we were ultimately able to develop a highly interactive course. As planned, students were able to work online, synchronously and asynchronously, across campuses and across the world. Small, collaborative workgroups used wiki technology to develop final projects that drew upon learning that took place in Turkey during our field study. In addition to developing subject expertise and more sophisticated insights about global business and economics, for the first time, most students were able to forge personal and professional friendships that give every indication of being long-lasting. Similarly, participating administrators and faculty, developed strong professional connections that have led to the planning of another field study this coming March. Co-PI’s and Key Partners Dr. Richard Bonnabeau, Visiting Professor, SUNY Empire State College Dr. Ender Suvaçi Vice Rector, Research and International Affairs, Anadolu University, Turkey Dr. Bilge Kagan Ozdemir, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Anadolu University, Turkey Dr. Phyllis Herdendorf, Professor of Business – MBA program, SUNY Empire State College Dr. German Zarate-Hoyos, Chair and Associate Professor of Economics, SUNY Cortland Dr. Özgür Yildirim, Coordinator for International Academic Programs, Faculty of Education, Anadolu University, Turkey Mary Schlarb, M.P.S., Director of International Programs, SUNY Cortland Betsy Braun, Curriculum Design Specialist, SUNY Empire State College Jon Rubin, Director, SUNY COIL Center Reports and Resources: Project website Final project report Project outcomes report SUNY Global Newsletter – May 2013: SUNY-Global-Newsletter-May-2013.JPG Empire State College article – Field Study: Article-for-the-Exchange.docx Creative Commons License:

This action research study is designed to develop an informed community of people who are interested in advancing 3D Virtual World instructional tools. This study will involve 1) the design of a two hour Creativity Workshop to be held in a 3D virtual world called Qube. Faculty members from a variety of disciplines from across SUNY Campuses will be invited to participate in the workshop; 2) this workshop would be delivered three times over the course of the fall semester; 3) conduct a qualitative study to identify participant learning experiences and best practice patterns among the disciplines; and 4) to create best practice training resources to inform the SUNY community.

Faculty from four SUNY campuses – Cortland, Fredonia, Buffalo State, and Onondaga Community College, decided to capitalize on inter-campus skills in innovative technology integration. Their goal is to pilot a collaborative model for using relevant digital learning tools within teacher education coursework. This work will be done through mutual mentoring (in instructional design, technical knowledge, and navigating the complexity of multi-layered P-16 institutions), as we use, demonstrate, and then compile exemplary teaching strategies. We anticipate completing several rounds of modeling and refining teaching practices, by embedding what we envision as project-identified Backpack Tools in collaborators’ courses. These instructional experiences will be compiled as project digital Strategy Backpacks during Year 1, disseminating through campus and SUNY-wide channels.

Awarded Grant: $20,000 Principal Investigator: Brian Lowe, Oneonta This project will offer instructors across a wide variety of disciplines at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) the tools and methods necessary to discern patterns and trends within “Big Data” — on the order of petabytes (or 1015 bytes) to zettabytes (or 1021 bytes) — as it emerges through social media. The capacity to organize and critically dissect claims and information found within social media becomes increasingly important pedagogically for both social scientists and scholars within other fields, as the learning environment for undergraduates is increasingly dominated by social media. The capacity to coherently organize and analyze claims and information circulated through social media becomes increasingly important as the topography of social problems and controversies is influenced by social media. Co-PI’s and Key Partners: Dr. Gregory M. Fulkerson, Assistant Professor of Sociology, SUNY College at Oneonta Mr. James Greenberg, Director, Teaching, Learning and Technology Center, SUNY College at Oneonta Dr. Brett Heindl, Assistant Professor of Political Science, SUNY College at Oneonta Dr. Achim Koedderman, Associate Professor of Philosophy, SUNY College at Oneonta Dr. William R. Wilkerson, Associate Professor of Political Science, SUNY College at Oneonta Reports and Resources: Nov. 2014 Presentation at SUNY Wizard Sample Student Paper from Sociology Course Project Website Project outcomes report Publications: Brian Lowe, SUNY Oneonta – Analyzing “Big Data” – August 5, 2013 Creative Commons License: