Open SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2019: Suffolk – Christine Crowe

Christine Crowe is an assistant dean of academic support programs, as well as an adjunct professor for the English department, at Suffolk County Community College. She currently has been teaching a hybrid course in freshman composition. At the age of 39, she began her educational career, at Suffolk.  From there, she transferred to Stony Brook University where she earned two master’s degrees, and taught writing, also as an adjunct. With each subsequent degree earned, she continued to move up the ladder, at Suffolk.

Having been an adult student herself, Ms. Crowe has always had a penchant towards helping other adults achieve success. She assures all students that, whether they are twenty or seventy, they are capable of realizing their dream. To this end, she has written a book entitled, Forget Your Age, You Can Do This! Excerpts from her book were published into a booklet, Insider’s Guide for Adult Learners. Her writings incorporate realistic measures and practices along with empathic support for all learners seeking to reach their full potential.

“Teaching is a passion for me, whether it is in the physical classroom, or through my teaching in the online environment. I never thought I could handle, or even enjoy, teaching online. However, once I began teaching my writing course online, I immediately began to feel comfortable interacting with my students and watching them interact with each other. In many ways, this environment provides more engagement than my face-to-face course. Students of all ages and backgrounds are talking to each other, and learning together. They are asking questions of each other, and seem more willing to open up behind the protection of their computer screens. Maybe it is the anonymity, or maybe it is just the comfort of speaking in cyberspace as they are already accustomed to doing. Nonetheless, I am pleasantly surprised at the interest and the depth of conversation and learning that I am witnessing in my class each semester.”

“So many of us, men and women, young and old, are trying to balance work, family, and a host of responsibilities. Online learning, particularly at the community college level, has opened up new possibilities for many who have wanted to attend college, but could not see it as a possibility. Now we are providing them with a means to achieve their goals, on their time, and in the comfort of their personal environment. The busier we become, the greater the need becomes for online course availability at all colleges. Here at Suffolk County Community College our eLearning Faculty Academy is gaining more interest. The support of a team, as we have had through the Academy, is of utmost value to those of us venturing into this new field in academia. I look forward to enhancing my course, and teaching new courses, online, in the future.”