Open SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2019: Fredonia – Krista Bellis

When Ms. Bellis began graduate school, it was as a Ph.D. student in the Biochemistry and Biophysics Department. She learned through that experience that she was more interested in pursuing a degree in Education. Since then, Ms. Bellis has taught in many different settings with a variety of learners. She joined the SUNY Fredonia faculty in 2011, where her role initially focused on developing curriculum for the General Chemistry Laboratory courses, but she continues to develop new courses each year.

“Creating new effective curriculum is inspiring to me. I enjoy teaching science in general, and more specifically, the environmental impacts of chemical compounds and the role of science in creating a more sustainable economy. I focus on making chemistry concepts relevant and comprehensible to students new to the discipline.”

“I have been working on creating quality online General Chemistry courses to assist students not on the traditional course timeline. These courses are required for all students who are getting a degree in a science discipline. Often considered “gateway courses”, not enrolling in the General Chemistry courses during the first year, and/or not passing the courses can be problematic to finishing a degree in a timely manner. Although it is challenging, the online format can be effective in helping students get back on track during the summer when many of our students are spread out geographically.”

As a member of the Council for Online Learning, Ms. Bellis is involved in campus initiatives to improve the quality of online courses and programs as campus offerings continue to grow. Currently, she is also beginning to develop an online course for non-majors that focuses on environmental impacts of chemicals.

She explains, “This course will utilize a format very different from what I have used in the past. I look forward to learning new online pedagogy to design the course and implement different online teaching strategies to deliver the course successfully.”