Center for Distributed Learning Archives | �鶹ԭ�� News

A Retirement Tribute to �鶹ԭ��’s Online Learning Pioneer, Longest-Serving Faculty Member

Robert Stephens — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 12:54:56 +0000

Chuck Dziuban came to �鶹ԭ�� (then Florida Technological University) to teach statistics in 1970 at 29 years old, fresh off earning his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin. Over the course of 56 years, he wound up putting the university on the global map for a wide range of innovations.

At the threshold of retirement on June 30, �鶹ԭ��’s first Pegasus Professor (honored in 2000) and original architect of online learning would rather talk about his ultimate inspiration.

“My greatest reward is that so many of my former students stay in touch with me,” says Dziuban, an inaugural Online Learning Consortium (formerly Sloan Consortium) fellow.

“My greatest reward is that so many of my former students stay in touch with me.”

Those students often showed up for Dziuban’s statistics and research design classes. Many of these students were daunted by the subjects only to find that the person teaching them listened intently, making himself, and the material, approachable.

This is Dziuban’s style — with students, colleagues, everyone. To effectively teach, he knows he must begin with the right questions. That curiosity-driven approach has guided �鶹ԭ�� to be a leader in online education, including the �鶹ԭ�� Online program which serves 9,000 students annually, for over 30 years — earning recognition among the nation’s best programs, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Here, �鶹ԭ��’s longest serving faculty member is finally on the other side of the questions, sharing insightful reflection and parting wise words.

Chuck Dziuban in his early days at the university.

Humble Roots

“I never set out to achieve any of this,” he says, “but the smallest incidences can make significant impacts.”

Dziuban grew up near Utica, New York, where most boys graduated from high school and followed their fathers into the mills. Dziuban, avid about hunting and fishing, began to develop a routine that exists to this day: reading two books every week.

“The truth is, I didn’t want to work in a mill,” he says. “Reading led to college and college allowed me to reinvent myself. People had called me Charlie. I hated it. In college, I became Chuck.”

Chuck earned degrees, moved, taught, and discovered a connection with statistics and research. At the University of Wisconsin, a mentor, Chester Harris, changed his life.

“He was terrifyingly smart,” Dziuban says, “but he knew the importance of understanding students before expecting them to understand the subject. I still have a picture of Chester on my desk. It keeps me humble.”

Humility was among the factors that drew Dziuban to a new university in Orlando, where parking lots were dirt and a cardboard box housed the university’s entire computing output.

“I saw FTU then, and �鶹ԭ�� now, as a place where you had room to develop ideas.”

“I saw FTU then, and �鶹ԭ�� now, as a place where you had room to develop ideas,” he says. “It was like a Silicon Valley startup. You weren’t sure how it might go, but at least the vibe was positive.”

He developed one of his first ideas following a three-hour statistics lecture.

“My students should have been in an emergency room after that lecture,” he says. “I realized they’d learn better by running data first and then coming back for an abbreviated lesson — similar to what we call a ‘flipped classroom.’ Students said, ‘Oh, I get it now.’ ”

Former president John C. Hitt (left) charged Chuck Dziuban (right) to innovate and develop what is now �鶹ԭ��’s robust online learning programming.

Pioneering Digital Learning

Dziuban was called upon to use his expertise in and research design to develop a plethora of ideas that would attract international attention to �鶹ԭ��.

One of those early ideas led to a seismic shift that thousands of �鶹ԭ�� and �鶹ԭ�� Online students are still benefitting from today.

While developing what would become the Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness, Dziuban mentioned to the university’s fourth president, John C. Hitt, the concept of remote learning through the use of VHS tapes.

“He told me to innovate,” Dziuban says, “so we used computers instead of tapes. Eventually, we had the most sophisticated online learning model in the country, and the walls of classrooms came down.”

This is why, the annual Chuck D. Dziuban Award for Excellence in Online Teaching, established in 2012, is bestowed to one �鶹ԭ�� instructor who teaches an exemplary online or video course.

“Like I said, I never planned any of this,” he says.

President Alexander N. Cartwright (left) congratulates Chuck Dziuban (right) at a faculty and staff celebration.

Staying True to “Doing the Right Thing”

If you ever stepped near Dziuban’s office, you’d see a poster featuring a child with hotelier and philanthropist Harris Rosen — namesake of �鶹ԭ��’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. Rosen used an adage that’s echoed in Dziuban’s mind since they began to break barriers to education in communities in need 31 years ago: “Do the right thing.”

With this as his guide, Dziuban helped The Rosen Foundation institute a program to ensure free preschool and resources through high school. College and trade school would also be free. Instead of directing the program, they empowered people in Orlando’s Tangelo Park and Parramore communities to lead it.

Chuck Dziuban recognizes a pre-K graduate as part of his involvement with The Rosen Foundation.

They’ve expanded that impact across Florida as well, and the results have been remarkable — including a recent $50,000 donation from the Harris Rosen Foundation to Gainesville for All in honor of Dziuban’s work transformative community initiatives.

“The odds of earning a college education have gone from nine-to-one against to three-to-one in favor,” Dziuban says. “There’s immense talent in every community. We can’t let it go to waste. It’s why we start young and celebrate every success.”

At the end of this school year, he will be on stage for just such a celebration.

“I’ll have the honor of moving tassels from the right to the left on the graduation caps of pre-k students,” Dziuban says.

The man with six decades of achievements in higher education will stand back and enjoy a moment the 4- and 5-year-old kids can tell others about.

“I can’t imagine anything more meaningful than that.”

84 Faculty Scholars Honored at the 5th Biennial Faculty Authors’ Celebration

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 19:58:56 +0000

Beyond teaching and conducting research, many faculty members devote significant time — sometimes years — to authoring books. Their work spans instructional texts that guide students’ learning to creative publications that explore new ideas.

This year, �鶹ԭ�� honored 84 faculty members during the fifth biennial Faculty Authors’ Celebration, held Feb. 17 in the Solarium Room at the John C. Hitt Library on the university’s main campus. The event celebrates faculty whose published books — from novels and poetry to textbooks and manuals — contribute to scholarly excellence and creativity in their respective fields.

Professor of English and Director of Graduate Programs Anastasia Salter delivered the keynote address at this year’s Faculty Authors’ Celebration. (Photo by Antoine Hart)

The event, which is sponsored by the��Office of Research��Ի��, drew many guests, including Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs John Buckwalter and Vice President for Research and Innovation Winston Schoenfeld.

Professor of English and Director of Graduate Programs Anastasia Salter delivered the keynote address. Salter is the author or co-author of 10 books on digital culture and electronic literature, including most recently Undertale: Can a Game Give Hope, which invites readers to rethink their relationship with gaming and game characters.

2026 Faculty Author Honorees

Yara Asi ’07MA ’15PhD, College of Community Innovation and Education
Jonathan Annand,
Greg Autry, College of Business Administration
William Ayers, College of Arts and Humanities
James Bacchus, College of Sciences
Morris Beato, College of Health Professions and Sciences
James Beckman, College of Community Innovation and Education
Martha Brenckle, College of Arts and Humanities
Andrea Borowczak ’92, College of Community Innovation and Education
Wayne Bowen, College of Arts and Humanities
Sarah Bush, College of Community Innovation and Education
Jessica Campbell ’12MA ’20PhD, College of Arts and Humanities
Shannon Carter, College of Sciences
Robert Cassanello, College of Arts and Humanities
Necati Catbas, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Thomas Cavanagh ’06PhD, Center for Distributed Learning
Karl Chai, College of Medicine
Baiyun Chen ’07PhD, Center for Distributed Learning
Amy Cicchino, College of Arts and Humanities
Brian Collins,
Ilenia Colón Mendoza, College of Arts and Humanities
Joshua Colwell, College of Sciences
Aimee Denoyelles ’00, Center for Distributed Learning
Taseen Desin, College of Medicine
Ahmad Elshennawy, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Katia Ferdowsi, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Julie Feuerstein, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Scot French, College of Arts and Humanities
Martha Garcia ’97 ’00MA, College of Arts and Humanities
Amrita Ghosh, College of Arts and Humanities
Carolyn Glasshoff ’11MA ’21PhD, College of Arts and Humanities
Donita Grissom ’14PhD, College of Community Innovation and Education
Gulsah Hancerliogullari Koksalmis, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Kenneth Hanson, College of Arts and Humanities
Duncan Hardy, College of Arts and Humanities
David Head, College of Arts and Humanities
Bari Hoffman ’96 ’98MA, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Emily Johnson ’15PhD, College of Arts and Humanities
Naim Kapucu, College of Community Innovation and Education
Lauren Kehoe,
Haidar Khezri, College of Arts and Humanities
Nolan Kline, College of Medicine
Alla Kourova, College of Arts and Humanities
Lanlan Kuang, College of Arts and Humanities
David Lerner Schwartz, College of Arts and Humanities
Hsiu-fen Lin, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Robert Littlefield, College of Sciences
Ty Matejowsky, College of Sciences
Stephen Masyada, College of Sciences
Jonathan Matusitz, College of Sciences
Kevin Meehan, College of Arts and Humanities
Lisa Nalbone, College of Arts and Humanities
Hakan Özoğlu, College of Arts and Humanities
Jason Phillips, �鶹ԭ�� Libraries
Laurie Pinkert, College of Arts and Humanities
Ghaith Rabadi ’96MSIE ’99PhD, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Luis Rabelo, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Sherry Rankins-Robertson, College of Arts and Humanities
Jorge Ridderstaat, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Lee Ross, College of Community Innovation and Education
Mary Rubin ’12 ’19MA, �鶹ԭ�� Libraries
Houman Sadri, College of Sciences
Anastasia Salter, College of Arts and Humanities
Scott Carter, College of Sciences
Melina Sherman, College of Sciences
Marwan Simaan, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Christopher Spinale ’04MEd ’24PhD, College of Sciences
Mel Stanfill, College of Arts and Humanities
Sandra Sousa, College of Arts and Humanities
Bulent Soykan, Institute for Simulation and Training
Sidney Turner, College of Arts and Humanities
Jennie Wagner, College of Nursing
Linda Walters, College of Sciences
Chung Ching (Morgan) Wang, College of Sciences
Keri Watson, College of Arts and Humanities
Taylar Wenzel ’11EdD, College of Community Innovation and Education
Amanda Wilkerson ’16EdD, College of Community Innovation and Education
Florence Williams, Center for Distributed Learning
Andrew Williams Jr., College of Community Innovation and Education
Ross Wolf ’88 ’91MPA ’98EdD, College of Community Innovation and Education
Sharon Woodill, College of Community Innovation and Education
Kuppalapalle Vajravelu, College of Sciences
Jill Viglione, College of Community Innovation and Education
Staci Zavattaro, College of Community Innovation and Education

�鶹ԭ�� Awards Promotion and Tenure to 115 Faculty

Joe Adams — Thu, 01 May 2025 18:43:10 +0000

�鶹ԭ�� faculty members across the university marked a major achievement in earning promotions and tenure for the 2024-25 cycle.

The 115 approved faculty — 76 for promotion and 39 for tenure — underwent a comprehensive performance evaluation by peers, college and university leaders that took nearly one academic year.

The president and provost make final decisions on promotions following reviews and recommendations from individual colleges and units. The �鶹ԭ�� Board of Trustees must approve tenure decisions, which are a key factor in fulfilling �鶹ԭ��’s strategic plan of becoming a preeminent state university, a national top 25 public institution and the world’s leading public metropolitan research university. In addition to helping �鶹ԭ�� recruit and retain exceptional faculty, tenure helps protect academic freedom and encourages faculty to produce high-quality scholarship on challenging and impactful issues facing society.

“Earning promotion and tenure is a major career milestone for faculty. It reflects years of hard work, excellence, and outstanding contributions in teaching, research, and service,” says Michael D. Johnson, �鶹ԭ��’s provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. ��“I’m proud of these faculty members and confident they will play a major role in advancing �鶹ԭ��’s future success.”

The promotions and tenure take effect Aug. 8. Congratulations to the following faculty.

Promotion to Professor

Uluc Aysun, College of Business Administration
Jonathan Beever, College of Arts and Humanities
Nathan Bowling, College of Sciences
Lisa Chambers, College of Sciences
Per Danielsson, College of Arts and Humanities
Matthew Dombrowski, College of Arts and Humanities
Adrienne Dove, College of Sciences
Ivan Garibay, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Kimberley Gryglewicz, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Carlos Gual, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Varadraj Gurupur, College of Community Innovation and Education
Jihyun Kim, College of Sciences
Alla Kourova, College of Arts and Humanities
Yan Lu, College of Business Administration
Chiara Mazzucchelli, College of Arts and Humanities
Madhab Neupane, College of Sciences
Amy Reckdenwald, College of Sciences
Anna Savage, College of Sciences
Ann Shillingford, College of Community Innovation and Education
Zhisheng Shuai, College of Sciences
Matthew Stock, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Wei Sun, College of Engineering and Computer Science
John Walker, College of Sciences
Keri Watson, College of Arts and Humanities
Yu Yuan, College of Sciences
Teng Zhang, College of Sciences

Promotion to Professor of Medicine

Omar Martinez, College of Medicine
Raheleh Ahangari, College of Medicine

Promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure

Susanny Beltran, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Keith Brazendale, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Jonathan Caranto, College of Sciences
Carlos Cardoso Borges, College of Sciences
Suja Chaulagain, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Hwan, Choi, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Sung Choi Yoo, College of Community Innovation and Education
Jean Davis, College of Nursing
Qiushi Fu, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Sandra Galura, College of Nursing
John Gish, College of Business Administration
Ethan Hill, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Xi Huang, College of Community Innovation and Education
Emily Johnson, College of Arts and Humanities
Christian Keller, College of Sciences
Haidar Khezri, College of Arts and Humanities
Georg Koszulinski, College of Sciences
Qifeng Li, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Humberto Lopez Castillo, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Shuang Lu, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Lauren Mangum, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Lonnie Marsh, College of Community Innovation and Education
Brian Peach, College of Nursing
Luigi Perotti, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Denisia Popolan-Vaida, College of Sciences
Yogesh Singh Rawat, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Erin Saitta, College of Sciences
Robert Siler, College of Arts and Humanities
Sarah Singer, College of Arts and Humanities
Chloe Spencer, College of Arts and Humanities
Kelly Stevens, College of Community Innovation and Education
Shiyang Su, College of Sciences
Michelle Taub, College of Community Innovation and Education
Michael Tseng, College of Business Administration
Larry Walker, College of Community Innovation and Education
Amanda Wilkerson, College of Community Innovation and Education
Asli Yalim, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Promotion to Associate Professor of Medicine with Tenure

Bradley Willenberg, College of Medicine

Tenure Awarded

Robert Hines, College of Medicine

Promotion to Associate Professor of Medicine

Ronald Coffee, College of Medicine
Joyce Paulson, College of Medicine

Promotion to Associate Professor

Valerie Martinez, College of Nursing

Promotion to Senior Lecturer

Ghada Baz, College of Business Administration
Christian Beck, College of Arts and Humanities
Maria Capursi, College of Sciences
Larry Cooper, College of Arts and Humanities
Dennis Filler, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Donita Grissom, College of Community Innovation and Education
Christopher Leo, College of Business Administration
Kourtney Nieves, College of Community Innovation and Education
William Steiger, College of Business Administration
Anna Valdes, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Jessica Waesche, College of Sciences

Promotion to Associate Lecturer

Tanvir Ahmed, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Pamela Baker, College of Arts and Humanities
Michael Cabrera, College of Arts and Humanities
Maritza Concha, College of Community Innovation and Education
Stacey DiLiberto, College of Arts and Humanities
Julie Donnelly, College of Sciences
Katia Ferdowsi, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Martha Garcia-Stout, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Matthew Gerber, College of Engineering and Computer Science
William Gordon, College of Community Innovation and Education
Deborah Horzen, College of Arts and Humanities
Keri Kozlowski, College of Business Administration
Nicole Lapeyrouse, College of Sciences
Nancy Marshall, College of Community Innovation and Education
Sheila Moore, College of Community Innovation and Education
Raymonde Neal, College of Sciences
Elizabeth Poziemski, College of Business Administration
Melissa Radecki, College of Nursing
Peter Resch, College of Business Administration
Heather Vazquez, College of Arts and Humanities
Thomas Vitale, College of Community Innovation and Education

Promotion to Senior Instructor

Sarah Angell, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Nancy Harrington, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Debra Knox, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Promotion to Associate Instructor

Shelley Hall, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Michael Loree, College of Sciences
David Wixted, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Associate Instructor of Medicine

Jessica Wilson, College of Medicine

Promotion to Senior Instructional Designer

Roslyn Miller, Division of Digital Learning
James Paradiso, Division of Digital Learning
Florence Williams, Division of Digital Learning
Shelly Wyatt, Division of Digital Learning

Promotion to Associate Instructional Designer

Debra Luken, Division of Digital Learning
Susan Spraker, Division of Digital Learning

Promotion to Medical Associate Librarian

Pamela Herring, College of Medicine

Promotion to Associate Librarian

Lily Dubach, �鶹ԭ�� Libraries

Faculty Multimedia Center Reopens with Upgraded Technology

Eric Michael — Mon, 16 May 2022 16:41:01 +0000

The Faculty Multimedia Center (FMC) has reopened after an extensive renovation that upgraded technology and facilities to better support the �鶹ԭ�� faculty. Located in Room 202 in Classroom Building I, the FMC provides a wide variety of tools, services and training to help faculty and staff members create content for online and mixed-mode courses, as well as other digital applications.

“The new technology we can offer faculty members will continue to help them innovate in the classroom,” says Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence Jana Jasinski. “This is such a great opportunity for us to help our students excel and learn in new ways”

Major enhancements include new lightboard recording studios, an augmented and virtual reality studio, an audio and video editing booth with Wacom annotation monitors, and a podcast recording studio. In addition, the center now offers 3D printing, along with Oculus and Valve virtual reality systems and 360-degree cameras that can be borrowed to create and deliver course content. Collaboration spaces are improved, as well, to be more comfortable and capable for video conferencing and interactive workshops.

“The technology and facility upgrades in the Faculty Multimedia Center represent a significant step forward in �鶹ԭ�� Digital Learning’s support of faculty innovation and teaching practices,” says Vice Provost for Digital Learning Tom Cavanagh. “We’re certain that our faculty partners will use these state-of-the-art tools to create even more effective content to fuel the success of our students.”

The FMC’s lightboards are one of the most popular tools, and the center now offers three private recording studios. The devices translate the classroom experience of writing on a whiteboard to video with a transparent board that empowers users to explain material in a unique way.

For Christine Hanlon, senior lecturer at the Nicholson School of Communication and Media, learning to make lightboard videos improved how she teaches.

“The FMC has a winning combination of cutting-edge technical tools and experienced staff who can help faculty members to learn how to develop engaging course content,” she says. “They are constantly updating their tools and technologies, so I always learn something new when I stop by the FMC.”

The FMC is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday for all �鶹ԭ�� faculty, staff and graduate teaching assistants. Individual training, group workshops and headshot photography services are offered regularly and are available through the center’s . For more information, visit the or call 407-823-0519.

2022 �鶹ԭ�� Founders’ Day Honorees

Allison Hurtado ’12 — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 19:03:03 +0000

The Founders’ Day Honors Convocation celebrates those who contribute to �鶹ԭ��’s growing quality and impact. �鶹ԭ�� has never followed what other universities have done, and the future of the university will continue to be unique, shaped by the strengths of its faculty and students.

During the ceremony, faculty are honored for their teaching, research, service, mentorship and student advising. Students were honored at a separate celebration.

The 2022 honorees are:

Pegasus Professor��

Enrique Del Barco, College of Sciences
Timothy Sellnow, College of Sciences

Reach for the Stars

Salvador Amagro-Moreno, College of Medicine
Yue “Gurt” Ge, College of Community Innovation and Education
Zhishan Guo, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Yeongwoong “Eric” Jung, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Chrissy Kolaya, College of Arts and Humanities

Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

College Awardees:

Mark Bush, College of Community Innovation and Education
Farrah Cato, College of Arts and Humanities
Chung Chan, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Latarsha Chisholm, College of Community Innovation and Education
Brandy Dieterle, College of Arts and Humanities
Tina L. Dow, College of Medicine
Shahram Ghiasinejad, College of Sciences
Christine Hanlon, College of Sciences
Elizabeth Horn, College of Arts and Humanities
Humberto Lopez Castillo, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Yan Lu, College of Business Administration
Brian Peach, College of Nursing
Tison Pugh, College of Arts and Humanities
Jorge Ridderstaat, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
MJ Soileau Jr., College of Optics and Photonics
Michael G. Strawser, College of Sciences
Sean Szumlanski, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Jessica Waesche, College of Sciences
Xiaohu Xia, College of Sciences

University Winner:

Christine Hanlon, College of Sciences

Excellence in Graduate Teaching

College Awardees:

Sarah Bush, College of Community Innovation and Education
Steven Ebert, College of Medicine
David Fukuda, College of Health Professions and Sciences
David Mohaisen, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Beatriz Reyes-Foster, College of Sciences
Jorge Ridderstaat, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Anastasia Salter, College of Arts and Humanities
Ann Marie Whyte, College of Business Administration
Shin-Tson Wu, College of Optics and Photonics

University Winner:

Sarah Bush, College of Community Innovation and Education

Excellence in Research

College Awardees:

Ayman Abouraddy, College Optics and Photonics
Salvador Almagro-Moreno, College of Medicine
Sejal Barden, College of Community Innovation and Education
Jonathan Beever, College of Arts and Humanities
Xiaofeng Feng, College of Sciences
Jeanette Garcia, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Boon Ng, College of Nursing
Subith Vasu, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Lori Walters, College of Graduate Studies
Tingting Zhang, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

University Winner:

Ayman Abouraddy, College Optics and Photonics

University Award for Excellence in Faculty Advising

Elizabeth Hoffman, College of Community Innovation and Education

University Award for Excellence in Professional Service��

Ahmad Elshennawy, College of Engineering and Computer Science

University Award for Excellence in Librarianship ��

Sara Duff, �鶹ԭ�� Libraries

University Award for Excellence in Instructional Design��

John Raible, Center for Distributed Learning

University Awards for Excellence in Mentoring Doctoral Students��

Nazanin Rahnavard, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Mel Stanfill, College of Arts and Humanities

University Awards for Excellence in Mentoring Postdoctoral Scholars��

Yue ‘Gurt’ Ge, College of Community Innovation and Education
Subith Vasu, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Service Awards

20 Years of Service

Ladislau Boloni, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Belinda Boyd, College of Arts and Humanities
Daniel Britt, College of Sciences
Jason Burrell, College of Arts and Humanities
Humberto Campins, College of Sciences
Farrah Cato, College of Arts and Humanities
Hyoung Cho, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Demetrios Christodoulides, College of Options and Photonics
Kevin Coffey, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Kendall Cortelyou-Ward, College of Community Innovation and Education
Robertico Croes, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Jo Cummings, Florida Solar Energy Center, Office of Research
Victor�� Davila, College of Arts and Humanities
Joseph DiNapoli, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Archana Dubey, College of Sciences
Jeff Duke, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Oliver�� Edwards, College of Community Innovation and Education
Thomas Fisher, College of Health Professions and Sciences
Robert Folger, College of Busines Administration
Jason Ford, College of Sciences
Hassan Foroosh, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Barry Griffiths, College of Sciences
Richard Grula, College of Sciences
Mark Heinrich, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Erica Hoyt, College of Nursing
Olusegun Ilegbusi, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Eric Johnson, College of Graduate Studies
Michelle Kelley, College of Community Innovation and Education
Annette Khaled, College of Medicine
Barbara Kinsey, College of Sciences
Ranganathan Kumar, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Virginia Ludwig, College of Arts and Humanities
Donna Malvey, College of Community Innovation and Education
Ty Matejowsky, College of Sciences
Maria Montalvo, College of Arts and Humanities
Zuhair Nashed, College of Sciences
Philip Peters, College of Sciences
Barry Sandler, College of Sciences
Constance Schober, College of Sciences
Blake J. Scott, College of Arts and Humanities
John Shafer, College of Arts and Humanities
Michael Sigman, College of Sciences
Elzbieta Sikorska, College of Sciences
Maria Spina, College of Arts and Humanities
Sybil St.Claire, College of Arts and Humanities
Ula Stoeckl, College of Sciences
Michael Strawser, College of Arts and Humanities
Robert Thornton, College of Arts and Humanities
Damla Turgut, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Natalie Underberg-Goode, College of Sciences
Lori Walters, College of Graduate Studies
Scott Warfield, College of Arts and Humanities

30 Years of Service

Haitham Al-Deek, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Carol Bast, College of Community Innovation and Education
Niels Da Vitoria Lobo, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Ronald DeMara, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Thomas O’Neal, College of Engineering and Computer Science

50 Years of Service

Roger Handberg, College of Sciences
Donald Jones, College of Arts and Humanities

Faculty Emeritus and Emerita

Penny Beile, Librarian Emerita
Pamela Carroll, Dean and Professor Emerita
Lee Chow, Professor Emeritus of Physics
Jay Corzine, Professor Emeritus of Sociology
Diane Davey, Professor Emerita of Medical Education
Joseph Donoghue, Associate Professor Emeritus of Physics
Dorilyn Hitchcock, Associate Professor Emerita of Biomedical Sciences
Lin Huff-Corzine, Professor Emerita of Sociology
Foard Jones, Associate Professor Emeritus of Management
Ana Leon, Professor Emerita of Social Work
Weili Luo, Professor Emerita of Physics
Suzanne Martin, Professor Emerita of Teacher Education
John “Rick” Schell, Professor Emeritus of English and Writing and Rhetoric
M.J. Soileau, Professor Emeritus of Optics and Photonics
Martha Lue Stewart, Professor Emerita of Teacher Education
Challapalli Suryanarayana, Professor Emeritus of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

See the digital program

�鶹ԭ�� Professor Brings Online Classes to Life with Custom TV Shows

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 13:50:25 +0000

When Ken Hanson began working for a TV station in the Middle East in the ‘80s, he had no idea that his experience creating content across a war border would come in handy for teaching his online classes more than 30 years later.

Hanson, who has been teaching Judaic studies at �鶹ԭ�� since the early ‘90s, became interested in the Middle East while studying history as an undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

“I was wanting to research the roots of Western thought and culture, way back to the cradle of civilization,” Hanson says. “As a senior, I hopped on a plane and landed in Jerusalem to study ancient civilizations. I focused on the ancient land of Israel because it also happens to be the cradle of the three western belief systems — Judaism, Christianity, Islam are all out of the Middle East.”

After learning Hebrew and completing a master’s degree in television and intercultural communication and a doctorate in Judaic studies, Hanson worked at an American TV station based in southern Lebanon in the midst of the Lebanese Civil War before coming to �鶹ԭ��.

“I commuted over a hostile border every day to broadcast family-oriented television into a war zone,” he says. “We showed a lot of American westerns and championship wrestling, but when anything major happened we had to go into news-gathering mode.”

Hanson credits his on-camera work and travels to the Middle East with inspiring immersive lessons for his online courses. But he wasn’t always keen on the idea of teaching virtually.

Judaic studies is a niche program that students would often struggle to fit into their class schedule due to conflicts with their required courses, Hanson says. So began the demand for online courses in the program, and the need for him to complete training through , a support unit that advances online teaching and learning.

“I didn’t want to go this direction at all because I take my energy from an audience, that being the students.” — Ken Hanson, �鶹ԭ�� professor

“I didn’t want to go this direction at all because I take my energy from an audience, that being the students,” he says. “I developed a lot of interactive presentations, anything and everything to make a class pop, but I did it because we wanted our courses to be more accessible to the students.”

Near the end of Hanson’s training in 2015, the CDL video team presented its��production studio and he immediately recognized he could put his TV past to use to develop content that could still make his courses “pop.”

“My first semester/course teaching online was the History of the Holocaust,” he says. “My instructional designer suggested I go over and talk to the CDL video team because I was almost in tears about how I could interface with my students.”

Hanson worked with CDL’s video team to create a concept that repackaged his 90-minute lectures into��10 to 20-minute segments while placing him at historic and archaeological sites. Eventually, he began making the productions more theatric — borrowing from his previous theatrical training — to dress up as different characters and use varying dialects for videos across five of his courses.

“Just because I’m a professor doesn’t mean I can’t play act and do theatrics anymore,” he says. “Rather than just reciting a passage from the prophet Isaiah, I’ll dress up as him and recite it in Hebrew and use subtitles so students can hear the ancient language vocalized. In that sense it’s better than a live lecture because we can do things we can’t do in the classroom.”

When �鶹ԭ�� transitioned to fully remote learning last March due to the coronavirus, Hanson was already a step ahead of faculty who hadn’t had the opportunity or training to develop immersive content that would be needed to keep students engaged for the next year.

“In that sense it’s better than a live lecture because we can do things we can’t do in the classroom.” — Ken Hanson, �鶹ԭ�� professor

“What the pandemic has done is shown how important this technology is,” he says. “We already knew this was the future, so for me teaching during the pandemic was no problem at all. But the pandemic has really highlighted the importance of what CDL is doing.”

With more than 125 TV segments under his belt, and no plans to stop any time soon, creating this type of content for his courses has also proved beneficial for CDL.

“We’ve worked together for so long that both our skill sets have evolved,” says Aaron Hose, media production manager and lead video producer for CDL’s video team. “Ken��has become a better writer, actor and on-screen presenter. Our video producers have improved as editors and compositors. We can now deliver his content more streamlined than before. We’ve found this great ‘sweet spot’ now.”

Hanson’s efforts to go the extra mile in his online courses have paid off as he earned the Chuck D. Dziuban Award for Excellence in Online Teaching in 2017.

“Ken has long been a proponent of pushing the envelope with student engagement through video,” says Roslyn Miller, an instructional designer at CDL. “He recently began using a new technology that’s often used in performing-arts education to enhance student interaction with his dramatized video presentations so they’ll engage even more with the content, each other, and him while enjoying learning.”

Not only are students having fun with the lessons, they’re retaining them better too, which Hanson says, sometimes was a struggle for them during in-person courses.

“There are serious learning advantages to this,” he says. “When you lecture, the amount that is retained by students is maybe 20% and [many] students these days are not taking notes, so you hope they remember something. Here I think I’ve solved this because every week I give them a TV show to watch and they take a quiz on it at the end. So, they’re watching and even re-watching because they have that ability.”

“It’s all about teaching and enhancing learning to the best of your ability, and resources here at �鶹ԭ��, like CDL, bring that into amazing focus.” — Ken Hanson, �鶹ԭ�� professor

He also worked with �鶹ԭ��’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy in 2018 to develop a video game for his Biblical Archaeology course. Through the game students explore an underground cavern and examine pottery fragments, which Hanson says is a big part of the course that was tough to teach online before this development. And when students encountered issues playing the game because of its large file size, he worked with CDL’s Learning Systems and Technology team to make it accessible for all students on as many types of devices as possible, says Miller.

“The technology is there, embrace it,” Hanson says. “It’s all about teaching and enhancing learning to the best of your ability, and resources here at �鶹ԭ��, like CDL, bring that into amazing focus.”

Faculty who have been certified through or the ��course offered by CDL and would like to find out how they can enhance their course materials through video can create a consultation request at��

2021 Women’s History Month Honorees

Allison Hurtado ’12 and Nicholas Gardner — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 15:39:58 +0000

Every March, honors 31 women for their impact on students and �鶹ԭ��’s campus community. This year, as we continue to charge on during a pandemic, our women faculty have not wavered in their commitments as mentors, role models, friends, researchers and teachers.

generously sponsored this year’s award. Each woman received a Barnes & Noble gift card.

The 2021 honorees are listed below, and more detailed bios will be updated daily on the Provost’s website during the month of March to feature each woman and her accomplishments.

Congratulations to this year’s honorees:

Raheleh Ahangari

Associate Professor

Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine

Mindi Anderson

Professor and Director of Healthcare Simulation Graduate Program

Nursing Practice,��College of Nursing

Reshawna Chapple

Associate Professor

School of��Social��Work, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Alicja Copik

Research Associate Professor and Core Scientist
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine

Kaitlyn Crawford

Assistant Professor
Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Elena Flitsiyan

Senior Lecturer and Undergraduate Program Director
Physics, College of Sciences

Amanda Groff ’03 ’07MA
Associate Lecturer

Anthropology, College of Sciences

Alicia Hawthorne
Assistant Professor

Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine

Elizabeth Hoffman ’83 ’94MEd ’06PhD

Associate Lecturer and Academic Program Coordinator

School of Teacher Education, College of Community Innovation and Education

Elizabeth Horn ’10MFA

Assistant Professor

School of Performing Arts, College of Arts and Humanities

J. Richelle Joe

Assistant Professor

Counselor Education, College of Community Innovation and Education

Catherine Kaukinen

Professor and Chair

Criminal Justice, College of Community Innovation and Education

Annette Khaled

Professor and Cancer Division Head

Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine

Sherron Killingsworth Roberts

Professor and Robert N. Heintzelman Literature Scholar

School of Teacher Education, College of Community Innovation and Education

Brigitte Kovacevich

Associate Professor

Anthropology, College of Sciences

Kristy Lewis

Assistant Professor

Biology, College of Sciences

Amelia Lyons

Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Programs

History, College of Arts and Humanities

Marisa Macy

Lecturer

School of Teacher Education, College of Community Innovation and Education

Sheila Moore

Visiting Lecturer

Educational Leadership, College of Community Innovation and Education

Karen Mottarella

Senior Lecturer

Psychology, College of Sciences

Donna Neff

Professor

Nursing Systems, College of Nursing

Bendegul Okumus ’16MS

Assistant Professor

Foodservice and Lodging Management, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Elsie Olan

Associate Professor

School of Teacher Education, College of Community Innovation and Education

Noemi Pinilla-Alonso

Associate Scientist

Florida Space Institute and Arecibo Observatory, College of Sciences

Kerry Purmensky

Associate Professor

Modern Languages and Literatures, College of Arts and Humanities

Lisa Roney

Associate Professor

English, College of Arts and Humanities

Audra Skukauskaitė

Associate Professor

Learning Sciences and Educational Research, College of Community Innovation and Education

Trudian Trail-Constant

Associate Instructional Designer

Center for Distributed Learning

Shane Trenta ’99 ’02MA ’17EdD

Associate Lecturer

School of Teacher Education, College of Community Innovation and Education

Marcy Verduin

Associate Dean of Students and Professor of Psychiatry

College of Medicine

Pamela Wisniewski

Associate Professor

Computer Science, College of Engineering and Computer Science

�鶹ԭ�� Celebrates 25 Years of Online Learning with Top-15 U.S. Ranking

Rachel Williams ’15 ’20MA — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 14:21:28 +0000

This is the fourth consecutive year that �鶹ԭ��’s online bachelor’s programs have ranked among the top 20 in the nation. Last year, �鶹ԭ�� tied at No. 16.

“Our high rankings are a testament to the terrific work of our talented faculty and instructional designers who produce engaging, high-quality courses that support our students’ success while also providing them with a flexible learning environment.”
— President Alexander N. Cartwright

Also from U.S. News & World Report, �鶹ԭ�� ranked No. 12 (tie) for Best Online Graduate Criminal Justice Programs, No. 20 for Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans, and No. 27 (tie) for Best Online Master’s in Nursing Programs. This is based on the publication’s 2021 Best Online Programs rankings, which assess schools on student engagement, online learning technologies and support, faculty credentials and training, and the program’s reputation among other universities.

“Our high rankings are a testament to the terrific work of our talented faculty and instructional designers who produce engaging, high-quality courses that support our students’ success while also providing them with a flexible learning environment. Flexible access to high-quality courses continues to increase in importance,” says President Alexander N. Cartwright.

The first online courses launched at �鶹ԭ�� in 1996, marking this year the 25^th anniversary of online learning for the university. These courses have only grown in popularity since, with about 87 percent of students now taking at least one online or blended learning course each academic year.

One of the factors that contributes to �鶹ԭ��’s repeated success in online learning is the level of attention and detail put into creating the courses. Since 1996, �鶹ԭ�� has invested in instructional designers who work with faculty members one-on-one to help design and develop their online courses. The working relationship paid off at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when faculty moved an additional 6,600 courses online in about a week.

This is part of a strategy, led by , to foster a culture that empowers faculty with training, technology and the support of experts in online teaching, application development, video and multimedia content that are critical to creating a quality online experience for students.

“I think online courses are such an opportunity for real, robust learning if you do it correctly,” says Amy Gregory, associate professor of hospitality management.

That’s why ever since she took one of the many courses offered by the Center for Distributed Learning that help faculty teach and develop online classes, she hasn’t been shy in connecting with Sue Bauer, an instructional designer. The two have worked together for nearly 10 years to enhance Gregory’s classes.

“We’ve utilized virtually every tool that’s been available to us,” says Gregory, who teaches various lodging courses at Rosen College.

Some of those tools are software that’s been developed by the Center for Distributed Learning team at �鶹ԭ�� over the last 25 years. They include interactive graphs, flashcards, video-embedding capabilities and more, and serve as an engaging way to have students interact with the course content.

Nursing Professor Desiree Diaz (left) and instructional designer Kathleen Bastedo (right) worked together with a team at the Center for Distributed Learning to create a custom software that helps students develop their own nursing simulation room.

In some cases, instructional designers and the team at the Center for Distributed Learning build tools customized to a faculty member’s need. That was the case for Desiree Díaz, an associate professor of nursing who teaches courses leading to the online healthcare simulation certificate, which was the first graduate program of its kind in Florida and among only a few programs nationwide. One of her courses, which teaches healthcare professionals to use simulation as a training tool in the field, assigned students to design a simulation training room. In its original form, Díaz would have her online students use paper and pencil to draw where they felt each component of the training room should go and scan the drawing to submit it online. Now, with the help of instructional designer Kathleen Bastedo and web applications developer Corey Peterson, among others, students use a custom software directly in Webcourses that allows them to design the room and submit it with no scanning necessary.

”Sometimes I have a crazy idea,” says Díaz, “but I’m never immediately shut down. Kathleen and the instructional designers are always great to work with and help bring my ideas to life.”

�鶹ԭ�� Faculty Collaborate to Provide Students Free Course Materials

James R. Paradiso — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 15:03:42 +0000

Textbooks and other required course materials can add significantly to the cost of a college degree, and �鶹ԭ�� faculty are doing what they can to help.

During the Fall 2020 semester, at least 31 faculty members provided their required course materials at no cost to students through . These efforts resulted in an estimated combined savings of $751,339.50��for 6,425 students enrolled in courses across four colleges and nine departments.

With a total enrollment of 71,444, roughly 9 percent of the �鶹ԭ�� student-body took a course using OER — up by 5 percent from Fall 2019.

One of the largest contributing factors to the growth of OER usage from Fall 2019 to Fall 2020 was the collective work done by 10 faculty members within the in collaboration with the . These two departments were able to combine their expertise to scale ‘open’ learning through the use of Webcourses and �鶹ԭ�� Pressbooks, both available at no additional cost to students and faculty. Their concerted efforts resulted in an estimated combined savings of $232,710.60��for 1,990 students enrolled in nearly every section of College Physics I��Ի��College Physics II minus the exception of one honors-level section.

“While cost may not be something faculty initially see as much of a problem, taking on the student perspective is key to exhibit a basic level of student care in terms of materials costs,” says Associate Professor of Physics Bo Chen.

While textbook expenditures have plateaued over the past few years, as reported by the , students continue to seek ways to offset the costs.��According to the Florida Virtual Campus 2018 Student Textbook and Course Materials survey, which polled 21,400 students across Florida’s public institutions of higher education, 61 percent did not buy course materials, 43 percent took fewer courses, 41 percent did not register for a course and 23 percent dropped a course altogether — all due to cost.

Health sciences major Emily Sierra has experienced financial strain due to the cost of course materials nearly every semester of her college career.

“At one point, I was living off $100 a month but [was] expected to have the money for textbooks five-times that amount,” says Sierra, who took one of Chen’s courses this semester. “Textbook fees for a single science course can be upwards of $300, so I would only buy the textbook and materials for my science classes and just hope for the best with the rest of my courses.”

OER are broadly defined by UNESCO as “teaching, learning and research materials in any medium — digital or otherwise — that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.”

“I believe adopting (open educational resources) has had positive impacts on my teaching as well as students’ learning.” — Assistant Professor Ellen H. Kang

“I believe adopting OER has had positive impacts on my teaching as well as students’ learning,” says Assistant Professor of Physics Ellen H. Kang, who implemented OER materials in her College Physics course. “The free online textbook has enhanced students’ accessibility, [and] the fact that the e-textbook can be customized for each instructor has allowed for greater flexibility in the preparation of my course materials.”

According to Kang and Chen, taking a��collective, departmental approach to selecting “open” educational materials facilitates the building of shareable, well-aligned��courses that faculty can customize and, in turn, share back with their colleagues. As new concepts develop, the current systems can then be enhanced for students’ benefit.

For Sierra, not having to pay for her physics textbooks and course materials was, “a lifesaver.”

“This semester, I was able to afford all of my textbooks and supplies because my physics materials were free,” she says. “Both of my parents lost their jobs at some point this semester because of COVID-19. So having my homework, textbook, quizzes [and] practice problems given to me really was monumental for not just me but also my family.”

And the positive impact extends beyond her budget.

“To have a professor who cared enough to put in the hours of work to make the supplies free, especially in the midst of the scariest and most uncertain times our generation has faced in history, made me feel seen as a student,” she says. “It motivated me to push that much harder when studying because I knew he did very clearly care about our success as students.”

�鶹ԭ�� Offers Digital ‘Care Package’ of Teaching Resources for Public Schools

Jenna Marina Lee — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 14:56:03 +0000

When��Central Florida��K-12 schools��announced they would transition��to��remote��instruction due to the coronavirus pandemic, �鶹ԭ��Center for Distributed��Learning��executive director��Kelvin Thompson ’99MA ’05EdD��suspected teachers were going to need a little extra help.

Thompson started to compile a list of resources — from videos with tips on putting classes online to podcasts on “making remote teaching happen” — and started typing a message of support to his teaching brethren.

He called it a��and initially sent it to Orange, Seminole, Lake, Sumter, Osceola, Volusia and Marion county school systems.

“I just wanted to offer something to say, ‘We’re in this with you.’” — Kelvin Thompson, �鶹ԭ�� Center for Distributed Learning executive director

“I just wanted to offer something to say,��‘We’re in this with you,’”��says Thompson.

�鶹ԭ�� has offered online and blended education for more than two decades. Although the university experienced challenges just like every other educational institution in the country in moving every class online after spring break, �鶹ԭ�� is a leader in the field and had a jump-start on the transition process.

More��than 85 percent of �鶹ԭ�� students take at least one online or blended course every year.

Diane��Kornegay, superintendent of Lake County Schools, says she was grateful to the university for��sharing��its��resources and expertise.

“Receiving the care package is yet another way that �鶹ԭ�� supports its local school districts and we are thankful for the partnership,” she wrote in an email.

After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced April 18 distance learning will continue for the remainder of the school year, Thompson says his biggest piece of advice for both teachers and students is to just do the best they can to follow procedures.

“The biggest key right now is to offer something of value while not overwhelming students.”

“We’re going to get through this together. Just take it a day at a time,” he says. “University of North Carolina Professor Brandon Bayne came up with some principles as he adjusted his syllabus for remote instruction. The gist of it is: ‘Nobody signed up for this. We’re going to prioritize supporting each other as humans. Some of the academics is going to suffer, but we’re going to foster intellectual nourishment, social connection and personal accommodation. We’re going to be flexible and adjust.’ And I think that’s spot on. The biggest key right now is to offer something of value while not overwhelming students.”