Open SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2017 – Genesee: Gary Glaser

Gary Glaser has been teaching a mixture of online and hybrid courses at Genesee Community College (SUNY GCC) for the past 8 years. He developed Anatomy and Physiology 1 & 2 hybrid courses to help students that needed more flexibility in their schedules. Through these courses Gary has developed a large digital library of materials the students can utilize and reference when not in the actual classroom/lab. Gary also developed a fully online Human Biology class which includes an online lab component. This fully online class is utilizing a combination of OER resources and self-developed materials so the students have minimal financial obligations to take the course.

I am currently the chair of the Faculty Online Advisory committee that helps to shape and direct the online learning experience at GCC. This committee has been responsible for numerous improvements to the online learning environment over the last few years. I have also gone through Quality Matters training to help make sure my courses, and other instructors’ courses, are as beneficial to the student as possible.

Online teaching can be very fulfilling but also challenging at the same time. Technology is constantly changing and teaching methods are always evolving. The students you get in class are never the same. This means a constant learning curve is always there. Resources are so important to help the instructor stay on top of what is relevant and what is beneficial for the students. Technology can be great, if used appropriately.