Open SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2017 – Monroe: Rick Costanza

Rick Costanza teaches in the Department of Education and Human Services at Monroe Community College, preparing future K-12 teachers for the reality of the classroom. He has most recently developed online courses in Technology in Education and Guided Observation in Education and is active on a variety of educational technology projects, including a current project to introduce augmented reality applications to MCC coursework. He previously served as department chair for nine years. He works closely with faculty across the college on the implementation of Service Learning within the college classroom and is currently facilitating the second year faculty professional development series for new MCC faculty. Additionally he has served as the director of ROC the Future, the Rochester community’s collective impact effort, and was co-founder of the Horizons at MCC program, an academic intervention and enrichment program for Rochester City School District students that works to prevent the summer slide. Prior to MCC, Professor Costanza was an instructional designer and coordinator of campus instructional design for the SUNY Learning Network.

Online learning is central to the community college’s mission of access. The ability for students from anywhere, at any time, to improve themselves through education has the potential to be one of our greatest tools of social change. This kind of access opens the possibility for education for those that may have otherwise never been able to access it. Moreover, online learning has the potential to affect face-to-face learning in real and dramatic ways. For teachers, it can provide us the opportunity to reconsider why we teach the way we do and how to make the best use of both time and the tools for instruction. For students, it can provide value-add in its ability to extend the learning in the classroom, to empower those who feel their voice is restrained in a physical discussion and to engage more deeply and at a pace appropriate for all learners.