Open SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2019: Monroe – Sherry Tshibangu

Professor Tshibangu teaches several businesses courses at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York: Introduction to Business, Entrepreneurial Studies I, Entrepreneurial Studies II, and Supervising for the 21st Century. She has web-enhanced her courses for over twelve years and has taught online classes for five years. She is passionate about teaching in both learning environments.  She has presented her best practices “Strategies of Connecting with Online Students” at MCC and the 2018 CIT SUNY Conference.  

Ms. Tshibangu is a recipient of the 2017 SUNY Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Stevens Initiative for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the 2016 Mexico-USA Multistate COIL Program (MCP).  She is currently in her fourth year of COILing with her Mexican partner, Dr. Christine McCoy, at the Universidad del Caribe in Cancun, Mexico.

Ms. Tshibangu has twenty-five years of experience owning and operating several businesses.   Last year, she served as Chair of Launch Your Business! and Entrepreneurship Day at Monroe Community College.  These initiatives are designed to support and inspire MCC students, alumni and local aspiring entrepreneurs to turn a great idea into a successful business.  

“I am honored to be nominated by Monroe Community College to serve as an Open SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador for 2019. I have taught web-enhanced courses for over twelve years and online classes for five years.  Learning to teach online has been challenging and very rewarding. I have gained valuable skills and knowledge about using technology to enhance the learning experience. I constantly ask myself, “am I connecting with my students? What else can I do to create a more engaging online learning experience?” My focus is to make the virtual classroom for my students as dynamic as the actual classroom.”

“The virtual classroom has limitless possibilities and a global reach.  Through SUNY’s Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) initiatives, my students have had the opportunity to work with and learn from students in the Middle East and Mexico.  Through social media applications such as WhatsApp and Facebook closed group pages, I have been able to communicate with and organize my students and international students efficiently and effectively.  Technology has made this possible! All indications are that the online-learning platform will continue to grow.”

“I am grateful to Bethany Gizzi, an experienced online educator, who made my transition to online teaching much easier by sharing her best practices with me.  I am also thankful for the dynamic MCC Virtual Campus Team and Dr. Lawrence Dugan who has supported, encouraged and trained me to use technological tools such as Screencastify, Voice Thread, and  Blackboard Teams. They have helped me to create a more interactive online learning environment for my students. I look forward to sharing my online learning experience with the SUNY Community and expanding my online pedagogy by learning from others.”