Open SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2018 – Dutchess: Teresa Burke

Teresa Burke is an Instructor in the Allied Health and Biological Science department at Dutchess Community College. She joined the college in 2014. Teresa received her B.S. in Biology from University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and M.S. in Biology at University of Massachusetts at Lowell. She is currently completing the C.O.L.T. program at University of Albany.

I have designed and instructed both online and blended courses in science, such as Introduction to Biology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Human Biology. In my experience, online education allows instructors to develop authentic, student-centered curriculum that encourages student collaboration, higher-order thinking, and self-reflection by exploiting Web 2.0 tools and applications. Blogs, student-created Wiki projects, and interactive discussions are just a few tools that encourage student interaction and participation in the online environment.

By utilizing Blackboard in conjunction with Open Educational Resources in online education, nontraditional students and under-serviced students can be exposed to quality education while reducing the overall cost for degree completion.