Principal Investigator: Lijian Xu, Farmingdale State College Microcontrollers are widely used in homes, offices, cars, factories, etc., and they have been an essential component of electrical and computer engineering education. Microcontrollers and their applications normally involve both software and hardware. It means that in microcontroller related LABs and projects, students often need to test and troubleshoot the software they develop on hardware platforms they build. This is often a challenging task for students because of the nature of software/hardware co-design. In this project, we aim at using software simulation to improve students’ learning experience in microcontroller LABs and projects. Specifically, we have the following objectives: i) to help the students complete their microcontroller related LABs and projects in a more manageable way; ii) to design simulation demos that can be used in lectures to help the students understand the course materials; and iii) to reach out to high school students with microcontroller simulations in order to promote their interests in studying STEM in college. Various assessment methods will be used to evaluate the project outcomes, based on which we will further improve and sustain the activities proposed in this project. Co-PI’s and Key Partners: Marjaneh Issapour, Professor, School of Engineering Technology, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology, Farmingdale State College Carlos Jativa, Instructional Support Associate, School of Engineering Technology, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology, Farmingdale State College Reports and Resources:

Awarded Grant: $20,000 Principal Investigator: David Youhess, University at Buffalo Self-guided online career modules will be created to expand access for individualized career decision- making and job-search guidance. This collaborative University effort will have the potential (upon taken to scale) to be accessible for all students and alumni that are part of the SUNY system. This endeavor will open new avenues for the accessing of career services, will increase the flexibility of the service provided, and will better cater to the diversity of student learning styles as users will be “self-pacing” throughout the modular experience. Evidence-based outcomes that demonstrate the effectiveness of the instructional innovation and user self-efficacy will be incorporated into the project. The first module (which is the focus of this grant application) will constitute career exploration and self-assessment while topics such as career decision making, networking, resume writing, interviewing, and success at your first job would follow in subsequent modules. Co-PI’s and Key Partners: Arlene Kaukus, Director of Career Services, University at Buffalo Lauren Johnson, Counseling Manager of Career Services, University at Buffalo Robert Orrange, Associate Director of Career Services, University at Buffalo Jenna Smith, Marketing and Assessment Coordinator of Career Services, University at Buffalo Kimberly Yousey-Elsener, Director of Assessment and Evaluation for University Life and Services, University at Buffalo Xiufeng Lui, Director of Center for Educational Innovation and Professor, Department of Learning and Instruction, University at Buffalo Lynn Collis, Director of ITS-Student Affairs, University at Buffalo Reports and Resources: Mid-project report

Awarded Grant: $20,000 Principal Investigator: Christine Kroll, University at Buffalo In 2012, 2.6% of institutions across the United States were offering Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) with an increase to 8% in 2014 (Babson, 2014). Open SUNY is within the 8%, entering the MOOC arena in 2013. Open SUNY MOOCs are currently being offered by faculty from Stony Brook University, University at Albany, Empire State College, Broome Community College, and Buffalo State College (OpenSUNY MOOC, 2015). In this short time, Open SUNY MOOCs have attracted and enrolled a total of 92,413 students with plans to continue growing both student enrollments and the variety of course offerings. One of the key goals of the Open Door project is to establish a process for converting unmanageable data sets to useable learning analytics. Current data sets offer some insights for MOOC faculty but lack the ease with which many learning systems allow for usable data aggregation and analysis leading to an impact on practice (Straumsheim, 2014). With nearly 100,000 enrollments and growing, establishing a process for converting this data to a useable format is paramount to our existing and future MOOC faculty developing and customizing courses leading to student access, completion, and success as well as for establishing Open SUNY MOOCs as exemplars-at-large throughout the professional and academic communities. Co-PI’s and Key Partners: Thomas Mackey, Interim Vice Provost for Academic Programs, Empire State College Trudi Jacobson, Head of Information Literacy Department, University at Albany Cyndi Burnett, Assistant Professor of International Center for Studies in Creativity, Buffalo State Val Chukhlomin, Associate Professor & Academic Coordinator Marketing & Management, Empire State College Margaret Schedel, Assistant Professor of Composition and Computer Music, Stony Brook University Yvonne Harrison, Assistant Professor of Public Administration and Policy, University at Albany Reports and Resources: Mid-project report

Awarded Grant: $20,000 Principal Investigator: Cheryle Levitt, SUNY Delhi Nursing education in the United States is experiencing a significant faculty shortage. Causative factors include aging faculty who are approaching retirement, significant faculty vacancies in nursing schools, and limited capacity to admit thousands of qualified students, due to insufficient faculty. With 38 campuses offering nursing, SUNY can actively prepare more nursing educators to teach in online or blended environments. This would cross geographic boundaries and diminish barriers to recruiting qualified faculty. However, many nursing faculty lack sufficient skills in digital pedagogy and are not ready to prepare students for roles in technology-rich healthcare environments. The purpose of this project is to increase technology- based pedagogical skills in graduate nursing education students through development and implementation of an online training program, framed by the TPACK model. This program will improve preparation of digitally fluent nursing educators, support Open SUNY goals, and ultimately be shared across SUNY nursing programs in a MOOC format. Co-PI’s and Key Partners: Kirsty Digger, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, SUNY Delhi Michelle Rogers-Estable, Manager of Online Education, SUNY Delhi Mary Pat Lewis, Dean of the School of Nursing, SUNY Delhi Reports and Resources: Mid-project report