SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2024: Monroe – Michael Weingart

Michael Weingart is an associate professor of American Sign Language (ASL) and adjunct coordinator of ASL at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York, where he has taught since September 2002. He also has worked as adjunct faculty of ASL at SUNY Brockport and Genesee Community College. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Kent State University and Master of Science from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology. For over 30 years as an instructor who is Deaf, he has guided students from various backgrounds in the learning of ASL at virtually all educational levels.

Prior to the COVID pandemic in spring semester of 2020, I had expertise in web enhancement of ASL courses. The knowledge that I gained and maintained from offering courses in this learning mode served as a solid foundation in the transition to remote learning. Since then, I have taken advantage of workshops and events at MCC and through the SUNY Center for Professional Development to enhance technological and pedagogical skills in teaching of ASL in fully online modality. Most significant among the training opportunities are familiarization and utilization of the SUNY Online Course Quality Review (OSCQR) rubric, promotion of Regular and Substantive Interaction in online courses, and participation in the Online Teaching Certificate Program. These resources and concepts, in addition to eliciting timely feedback from students, are essential to provide meaningful digital learning environment for ASL learners and to maintain high quality of education in a virtual and asynchronous mode of instruction.