SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2026: Potsdam – David Bugg

Dr. David Bugg currently serves as the Associate Division Chair for the Division of Social Sciences and Math at SUNY-Potsdam. His online coursework focuses on criminal justice and statistics. He has been teaching online since graduate school with over 20 years of experience in synchronous and asynchronous formats. He recently published the textbook Comparative Criminology (2025) which was informed by his online teaching to incorporate online resources for his own classes as well as other criminologists teaching and exploring criminal justice around the world.

“Ever since graduate school, online teaching has been a place to push myself into new areas. The first time I flipped a classroom I was online, and that experience carried into my in-person classrooms. Online teaching has pushed me to find ways to engage students with interesting content, meaningful discussions, and assignments that contribute to critical thinking and improved written communication. I find myself devoting more time to the online teaching experience in order to anticipate student issues and address them to reduce barriers to learning and engagement. It gives me the space for more mindful teaching experiences so I can provide better responses to student questions and comments without the time constraints I experience in a traditional class. While it might not be the same as being there with my students in-person, the community and connections it fosters has allowed me to make new connections with students living and working across the globe.”