SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2026: Buffalo State – Mary Beth Sullivan

Mary Beth Sullivan is a lecturer in the College Writing Program at Buffalo State University, and she has been teaching for more than 25 years. Her research and teaching examine antiracist and social justice writing pedagogies. Mary Beth lives and works with her partner and dogs in Western New York, where she teaches writing, bakes movie-themed cakes and philosophizes about the snowfall.

“Cynthia Selfe (1999) presciently recognized and predicted the ways that digital technology and writing are linked, the ways our students, technology and writing are increasingly intertwined. Crucially, she warned higher education writing teachers of the peril of not paying attention to students and their needs: namely, that students (and people) will turn away from the academy and writing. Selfe’s warning and direct solution to always meet students where they are at have guided my teaching, especially in online spaces.

I believe that online learning has the potential to a low students to pursue or continue their education when attending in-person is not feasible. I also believe students have a right to expect the same quality learning as if they were face-to-face with their instructor. In an attempt to achieve this, I extend my teaching values and practices to digital spaces. In particular, I emphasize access, inclusion and belonging; customizing lessons for the people learning; building relationships with each learner; and supporting students holistically as people to aid their success. I achieve that by only using Open Education Resources (OERs) ensuring all course texts, assignments and pages are fully accessible; carefully organizing instructional content to make it easy to begin, pause and assignments as time allows; customizing the interface to match the learning objectives; and most importantly, getting to know my students and checking in on them collectively and individually. Similarly, I believe students should get to know me a bit as well, so I include personal details in my bio and let my personality shine through in my communication. Occasionally, they’ll even hear about my baking experiments or the challenges of a tiny dog (happily) navigating deep snow.

While online learning can create opportunities for students, I also recognize that instructors can easily replicate the same problems as in-person classes. For that reason, I believe in continuous improvement and professional development. My class design is never “done,” and each iteration is scrutinized for ways to do better, be more impactful, and help students succeed.

I am incredibly grateful that Buffalo State’s Instructional Design and Distance Learning office is led and staffed by incredible, knowledgeable people who are as dedicated to my students’ success as I am. I appreciate that Meghan, Brooke and Todd are always wiling to talk shop, share their expertise, and problem solve my new ideas and approaches. They provide incredible professional development and support and are an invaluable pedagogical resource on our campus.”