Open SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2018 – Columbia-Greene: Maya Greene

Maya Greene is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Columbia-Greene Community College, specializing in Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication. She also teaches Digital Communication, Public Speaking, Media Literacy, Gender Communication, and the occasional English Composition and Sociology courses. She embraces innovation, both in the classroom and via online platforms, and is the co-creator of a faculty training platform intended to serve Columbia-Greene instructors who want to teach online. Maya is also Chair and Co-Coordinator of the Academic Assessment Committee, and a member of the Institutional Assessment Planning Group. She is the author of a recently published foundational Communication textbook entitled Through the Screen: Analog Communication in a Digital Age.

Although I’ve been teaching online and hybrid courses for several years, it was the introduction of an online version of Interpersonal Communication that really got me excited about what I could do in a digital academic setting. The idea of an Interpersonal Communication class on a digital platform seems counter-intuitive, but with innovative methods, engaging activities, and meaningful assessment practices, I can now bring a surprisingly similar experience to those students who choose not to take these classes on campus. It’s been incredibly exciting for me to see how online learning continues to grow—both at my community college and in the academic world at large—and I firmly believe that continuing to develop dynamic and engaging materials for online learning is a great way to produce critical thinkers and lifelong learners.