Office of the Provost

IITG 2012 Recipients

Tier Three Awards (Projects up to $60,000 - 33% Matching Funds Required)
Project Abstracts and Co-PI's and Key Partners:

SUNY Distance Mentored Undergraduate Research: Leveraging System Expertise to Enhance Learning
Lori Bernard, Geneseo

Distance mentoring of undergraduate research has the potential to open up multiple areas of disciplinary expertise that are not available to undergraduate researchers on all college campuses. The first track involves distance mentored undergraduate research and will involve computer-mediated mentoring, which we believe can provide for a close and effective research relationship between student researchers and faculty mentors. The second track of the project explores the implications of distance mentoring for faculty work and the faculty rewards system, including tenure and promotion. 

Co-PI's and Key Partners:

Dr. Jack Croxton, Director of OSCAR (Office of Student Creative Activity and Research), SUNY Fredonia
Dr. Shashi Kanbur, Department of Physics, SUNY Oswego

Developing a SUNY-wide Transliteracy Learning Collaborative to Promote Information and Technology Collaboration
Trudi Jacobson, University at Albany

The Transliteracy Learning Collaborative will be developed as a SUNY-wide think tank and incubator for promoting transliteracy and emerging frameworks for information literacy. TLC will transcend boundaries based upon the traditional definition of information literacy and the concept of librarians as the sole interested party. This grant will assist SUNY's efforts to develop students as lifelong creators of information in all forms. It will address how to infuse transliteracy throughout students' academic careers, opening dialogues among different educational groups, and exploring issues such as learning analytics, badges, and the semantic web. Other areas of exploration include the transition from high school to college, developing a learning community focused on exploring transliteracy, and initial development of an easily customizable open educational resource, a subject-based template that capitalizes on SUNYConnect electronic resources.

Co-PI's and Key Partners:
Thomas Mackey, Dean, Center for Distance Learning, Empire State College
Mark McBride, Coordinator of Library Instruction, Buffalo State
Michael Daly, Public Services Librarian, Fulton Montgomery Community College
Michele Forte, Assistant Professor, Community and Human Services, Center for Distance Learning, Empire State College
Jenna Hecker, Instructional Developer, University at Albany
Ellen Murphy, Director of Online Curriculum, Empire State College

Enviropedia:  A Serious Game about Beverage Container Choices
Lori Scarlatos, Stony Brook University

The trouble with introductory science and engineering courses is that students often don't see how what they are learning is relevant to their lives. The proposed project addresses this by leveraging the team's past efforts to develop an innovative web-based game situated within an online science learning community. This system, Enviropedia, will emphasize the connections between science and society by focusing on a simple decision that people make every day: what beverage containers to use. For this effort, Enviropedia will be developed and pilot tested in two freshman seminar courses at Stony Brook, demonstrating applicability to other campuses.

Co-PI's and Key Partners:
Alexander M. Orlov, Dept. of Material Science and Engineering, Stony Brook University
Arnout van de Rijt, Dept. of Sociology, Stony Brook University
David J. Tonjes, Dept. of Technology and Society, Stony Brook University

SUNY  Co-laboratory on Immersive Virtual Environments for STEM Learning
Peter Shea, University at Albany

There is a well documented need for, and national resources to support, innovative instruction to prepare the youth of our country for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. There is also a growing recognition that games and other immersive environments hold great promise for engaging students, eliciting sustained interaction, and supporting deep learning. This project seeks to explore the opportunities for leveraging the Power of SUNY to create an innovative academic program through which students and faculty across a range of disciplines and SUNY colleges collaborate to create engaging and pedagogically sound video games that enhance k-12 student interest and learning of STEM content.

Co-PI's and Key Partners:
Jianwei Zhang, University at Albany
Alan Oliveira, University at Albany
Dan Goodwin, University at Albany
Mathias Vuille, University at Albany
Jennifer Goodall, University at Albany
Dr. Roberta Johnson, University at Albany
Bina Ramamurthy, University Buffalo
Edward Bever, Old Westbury
Jim McElwaine, Purchase
Larry Dugan, Finger Lakes CC
Suzanne Hayes, Empire State College
Alexandra Pickett, SUNY Learning Network
Kim Scalzo, SUNY Center for Professional Development

Initiating  Conversations About the End of Life: The Advanced Illness Decision Simulation Environment
Deborah Waldrop, University at Buffalo

Healthcare decision-making about the end of life has evolved resulting from technological advances that both save and prolong life.  Public and private discourse about the benefits and burdens of life-sustaining treatments have underscored the importance of identifying preferences, but there is a discrepancy between patients' wishes and their actual experiences at the end of life. We will develop the Advanced Illness Decision Support Environment (AIDSE) and utilize simulation technology to create an environment to engage students in active, real-time learning about how to initiate and facilitate decision-making conversations with patients about their goals for care and desired outcomes.

Co-PI's and Key Partners:
Mary Ann Meeker, DNS, Associate Professor, UB School of Nursing (Co-PI)
David Milling, MD, Senior Associate Dean, UB School of Medicine (Co-PI)
Steve Sturman, Instructional Designer, UB School of Social Work (key partner)
Karen Zinnerstrom, PhD, Coordinator, UB School of Medicine Clinical Competency Center (key partner)
Tony Guzman, UB School of Social Work, Director of Online Education (key partner)

Observations  of Students in Clinical Settings via iPads
Pam  Youngs-Maher, Upstate Medical University

Upstate Medical University utilizes a curriculum model built on didactic and theoretical constructs, and the application of those lessons in clinical settings. Direct observation and feedback is believed to be an effective method for clinical skills assessments. Implementation of observations and timely feedback are challenging due to clinical demands and preceptor availability. This project will utilize "distance faculty" (DF) to observe patient encounters via iPad and provide real-time feedback to participating students. Distance Faculty Observation (DFO) will use mobile technology (Apple iPads) for this real-time observation and feedback system. Written feedback will also be documented and available via a web-based database. The pilot will involve faculty and students in three colleges at Upstate: Medicine, Health Professions and Nursing.

Co-PI's and Key Partners:
Dr. Ann Botash, MD, FAAP, Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Vice Chair for Educational Affairs, and Course Director for the Pediatric Clerkship at Upstate Medical University
Dr. Gene Bailey, MD, Associate Professor of Family Medicine, and Course Director for the Family Medicine Clerkship
Dr. Patricia Powers, DNP, MPA, RN, FNP-C, PMHNP, Assistant Professor of Nursing, and Course Director for the Family Nurse Practitioner Program (FNP Track)
Dr. Carol Recker-Hughes, PT, PhD, Associate Professor, Director of Clinical Education, and Vice-Chair of the Physical Therapy Education Program
Mr. Joseph Smith, M.S., Director of Educational Communications

Tier Two Awards (Projects up to $20,000 - 25% Matching Funds Required)
Project Abstracts and Co-PI's and Key Partners:

Learner  eXperience Designers (LXD) Exploring the Feasibility of Badging
Beth  Burns, Buffalo State College

Badging is an emerging trend in education that poses a new method of representing skills and achievements that may be difficult to document.  The exploration of badging has the potential to open up new ways of visually representing an individual's skills and knowledge. The Learner eXperience Designers (LXD), a collaborative group at Buffalo State, will spearhead the exploration of integrating badging on campus and in higher education. Specifically, the LXD are committed to evaluating the logistics and effectiveness of badging in three specific areas: within a course, within a student training program, and withinprofessional development.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Mark McBride, Buffalo State (Co-PI)
Ken Fujiuchi, Buffalo State (Co-PI)
Meghan Pereira, Buffalo State (Co-PI)
Jason Welborn , Buffalo State (Co-PI)

Improving  Student Performance in SUNY Orange Placement Assessment and Developmental Courses Through the Use of Video Presentations
Mary Ford, Orange County CC

In order to expand and supplement a current outreach program designed to improve student outcomes on the college's placement exam, SUNY Orange will produce a series of video presentations about how the college uses Accuplacer placement assessment. These video modules will focus on 1) the purpose, format and ramifications of the exam; 2) subjects covered in the math and reading components of the exam and the rubric used to evaluate the essay component; and 3) available online resources to help students prepare for the exam. To ensure widespread dissemination, the presentations will be housed on SUNY Orange's admissions webpage and will also be available to be linked to or embedded in area high school guidance departments' websites with other information regarding college admissions.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Stacey Moegenburg, Associate Vice President, Business, Math, Science and Technology Division,
SUNY Orange

Enhancing  Student Success in Potsdam's Hybrid History Courses
James  German, Potsdam

This project is designed to develop, implement, and assess technologies that enhance student success by increasing interactivity, accessibility, and options in SUNY Potsdam's large enrollment history hybrid courses. We will enhance student access to teaching staff and course content by integrating SMS communications, social media, and lecture capture technologies. Additionally, we will develop a menu driven version of one of the courses that will provide students with a variety of options about what they learn and how they demonstrate their learning. We hypothesize that these changes will improve student satisfaction, student success, and student learning.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Ms. Natalia Veinott, History Course Coordinator, SUNY Potsdam (Co-PI)

Electronic  Portfolios to Enhance Experiential Learning and Assessment in Internship Courses
Gary Halada, Stony Brook

At Stony Brook University we will create an electronic portfolio approach to ensure a meaningful, academically rigorous outcome from internships, including a template based upon standards and goals of experiential learning and a website which connects students with internships and builds dissemination with the Long Island Alternative Energy Consortium of seven academic institutions dedicated to strengthening energy education. The project includes workshops for internship supervisors, representatives from regional industrial associations, faculty coordinators, and experts in experiential learning, eportfolios and assessment, to enhance the template and website, explore best practices for experiential learning, generate internships, and assess progress and benefits to both student learning and workforce development.

The  E-Textbook Opportunity: The Time is Now for SUNY
Dean  Hendrix, University at Buffalo

The IITG project, "The E-Textbook Opportunity: The Time is Now for SUNY," will use IITG funds for the licensing of electronic versions of textbooks, or e-textbooks, that are used in common courses across three SUNY schools: SUNY Brockport, SUNY Buffalo and SUNY Delhi. Leveraging the extensive licensing and resource delivery expertise of the participating libraries, this pilot project seizes the opportunity that the recent emergence of e-textbooks represents to serve SUNY students more efficiently both academically and financially. The pilot will investigate the opportunities and challenges of implementing e-textbooks across diverse SUNY campuses.

Big  Data on a Small(er) Campus: Use of Large-Scale Text Analysis by a Comprehensive Primarily Undergraduate Institution
Brian  Lowe, Oneonta

This project will offer instructors across a wide variety of disciplines at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) the tools and methods necessary to discern patterns and trends within "Big Data" -- on the order of petabytes (or 1015 bytes) to zettabytes (or 1021 bytes) -- as it emerges through social media. The capacity to organize and critically dissect claims and information found within social media becomes increasingly important pedagogically for both social scientists and scholars within other fields, as the learning environment for undergraduates is increasingly dominated by social media. The capacity to coherently organize and analyze claims and information circulated through social media becomes increasingly important as the topography of social problems and controversies is influenced by social media.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Dr. Gregory M. Fulkerson, Assistant Professor of Sociology, SUNY College at Oneonta
Mr. James Greenberg, Director, Teaching, Learning and Technology Center, SUNY College at Oneonta
Dr. Brett Heindl, Assistant Professor of Political Science, SUNY College at Oneonta
Dr. Achim Koedderman, Associate Professor of Philosophy, SUNY College at Oneonta
Dr. William R. Wilkerson, Associate Professor of Political Science, SUNY College at Oneonta

SUNYport:  Portfolio site for SUNY students
Mark  Ludwig, University at Buffalo

We will implement an instance of VIVO open-source, semantic web based software to provide an e-portfolio service for SUNY students. Since VIVO tracks scholarly works, publications, research, awards, projects and detailed specialties of interest, it serves as a springboard for open access scholarly communication. We will provide video based educational modules explaining the virtues of the open access movement along with practical instructions for making contributions to repositories and linking
works to a personal VIVO profile. A final report will be submitted and publicly posted in the UB Institutional Repository. It will summarize the results of student pilots, student survey results and metrics from web statistics. Recommendations will be offered regarding the efficacy of VIVO for supporting emerging SUNY scholars

Co-PI's and Key Partners
A. Ben Wagner, SUNY Buffalo
Dean Hendrix, SUNY Buffalo
Andrew Perry, SUNY Oneonta

Osw3go.net:  Alternate Reality Simulations as Learning Tools
Ulises Mejias, Oswego

This project will develop a template that can be used for supporting interdisciplinary 'alternate reality' simulations that are collectively played by students using the Web. These simulations ask participants to analyze a fictional problem based on real-life situations, articulate a variety of possible responses to it, and examine the question of what form action should take in the real world after the simulation. The exercise combines online interaction with face-to-face activities that support the learning process. The template and the simulation guide will be released under an open access license.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, SUNY Oswego (John Kane, Director)

Development  & Validation of SUNY Prep: Learner Preparedness Survey
Melissa Miszkiewicz, Buffalo State College

Throughout our educational system there is a growing need to understand, support and increase student success. Research has gone into defining characteristics that lead to student success. The authors assert that continued assessment of students and use of assessment data to create interventions and redesign curriculum lead to a state of continued improvement for the institution, its faculty and students while maintaining a strong relationship to the current tools used in any of the disciplines. Our goals for Phase One of this project are to develop, and validate an instrument designed to predict student success based on individual learner characteristics and the learner's level of engagement with information and communication technology (ICT). The outcome of Phase One is a validated instrument and scoring rubric to assess learner readiness (SUNY Prep, Learner Preparedness Survey).

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Christine Kroll, Ph.D., Assistant Dean, Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo
Kelly Marczynski, Ph.D., Associate Director, Center for Health & Social Research, Buffalo State
William Wieczorek, Ph.D., Director, Center for Health & Social Research, Buffalo State
Tom Mackey, Dean, Center for Distance Learning, Empire State College
Craig Lamb, Director, Academic Support, Center for Distance Learning, Empire State College
J. Goodlet McDaniel, Associate Provost, Distance Education, George Mason University

SUNY  Open Textbooks
Cyril Oberlander, Geneseo

This project will fund an innovative and collaborative pilot to develop SUNY open textbooks and develop the venture partnerships to sustain open textbook publishing among SUNY institutions.  The grant provides incentive funding to invite faculty to create open textbooks during a pilot phase that builds a community of practice for creating cost-effective course readings, engages libraries in publishing pilots, promotes academic reusable content models, explores student roles in publishing, develops publishing skills and infrastructure, and that utilizes a hybrid distribution model. Participating libraries are from SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Brockport, University of Buffalo, SUNY Upstate Medical, and SUNY ESF, with support from SUNY Press.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Dean Hendrix, University at Buffalo
Charles Lyons, University at Buffalo

Virtual  Study Abroad: Student Engagement & International Interaction Using Meeting & Mobile Tools
Lorette  Pellettiere Calix, Empire State College

Only a very small percentage of students are able to take advantage of study abroad programs and many groups are underrepresented. The goal of this pilot project is to eventually provide the opportunity for all SUNY students to participate in a virtual term abroad. Researchers will analyze and try to resolve technical issues related to international collaboration and will compare a variety of tools for learner engagement and promoting cross cultural and/or international interaction. The "lessons learned" from the easily replicable pilot could help improve the quality of international collaborations and broaden student opportunities for an international experience.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Patrice Prusko Torcivia, Empire State College
Oscar Leon, Quality Leadership University (QLU) – Panama (key partner)

Creation,  Implementation, and Assessment of Anatomy and Physiology Online Laboratory Modules
Adam  Rich, Brockport

This pilot project will develop pre-laboratory learning modules for A&P students, assess the effects of using these modules on student learning, and identify characteristics of the modules that may facilitate adoption of learning modules by faculty. The overall goal is to use technology to reduce face-to-face lab duration while maintaining learning outcomes, and to identify the most important features that will facilitate faculty adoption of this technology.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Chris Price, SUNY Brockport
Kanchana Mendes, SUNY Brockport
Kathleen Reagan, SUNY Brockport
Jeremy Browne, Brigham Young University
Christopher Loretz   University at Buffalo
Marirose Ethington, Genesee Community College
Gary W Glaser, Genesee Community College

Crowdsourcing  Commentary
Paul Schacht, Geneseo

Using Henry David Thoreau's Walden, Crowdsourcing Commentary seeks to build a platform for collaborative textual annotation, enabling individuals across multiple courses, campuses, levels of expertise, and intellectual approaches to engage in rich, vibrant, multi-layered conversation around a single text. Participants will be able to find and contribute to discussions sorted by identifiers such as community (e.g., a particular class on a particular campus), discipline (e.g., philosophy, history, literature, geology, biology), topic (individualism, transcendentalism), and contributor-type (scholar, student, general reader). This massive yet organized engagement will simultaneously leverage and illustrate the social nature of interpretation.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Joe Easterly, Electronic Resources and Digital Scholarship Librarian, Milne Library, SUNY Geneseo

4C-CITI:  Four-College Consortium for Innovative Technology Integration
Shufang  Shi, Cortland

Faculty from four SUNY campuses – Cortland, Fredonia, Buffalo State, and Onondaga Community College, decided to capitalize on inter-campus skills in innovative technology integration. Their goal is to pilot a collaborative model for using relevant digital learning tools within teacher education coursework. This work will be done through mutual mentoring (in instructional design, technical knowledge, and navigating the complexity of multi-layered P-16 institutions), as we use, demonstrate, and then compile exemplary teaching strategies. We anticipate completing several rounds of modeling and refining teaching practices, by embedding what we envision as project-identified Backpack Tools in collaborators' courses. These instructional experiences will be compiled as project digital Strategy Backpacks during Year 1, disseminating through campus and SUNY-wide channels.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Kathleen Gradel, Language, Learning and Leadership Department, SUNY Fredonia
Sharon Raimondi, The Exceptional Education Department at University of Buffalo/Buffalo State College
Chris Widdall, Childhood/Early Childhood Education Department, SUNY Cortland
Karl Klein, Computer Studies Department, Onondaga Community College

Development  of an Interactive Case Study Capability
Christopher  Urban, SUNYIT

The SUNY IITGrant will be used to develop and implement an online interactive prototype case study. The case study will consist of modules that simulate real-world situations and place the student in a decision-making role that requires the use of scientific data and knowledge. The prototype will facilitate learning theories and concepts related to energy and engineering. The student will make realistic real-time decisions concerning design and operation of a regional electrical grid. The expectation is to build on this prototype in the future to create additional case study modules that cover a range of topics and student levels.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Glenn E. Van Knowe, Ph.D., MESO, Inc.
Kenneth T. Waight, Ph. D., Sun Dog Science, LLC

SUNY  Healthcare Island: Exploring a Virtual SUNY Community of Healthcare Learners
Hope Windle, Ulster County CC

Since 2009, SUNY Ulster's Nursing Program teaches in Second Life. Through the Internet-based collaborative platform, students simulate responses to case scenarios in a virtual hospital, learning critical thinking skills. Moving forward with IITG, we will be working with SUNY nursing programs, sharing our Medical facility, developing virtual scenarios on the SLN Healthcare Island. At the close of Phase 1 pilot, we will empower campuses to design and implement additional case studies and also create an assessment to address progress, successes and challenges. A yearly summit for faculty, staff and students will spotlight the growing opportunities of the SLN Healthcare Island.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Renée Gecsedi, MS, RN, Director of Education, Practice and Research, New York State Nurses Association (key partner)
Alexandra Pickett, SUNY Learning Network (key partner)

Tier One Awards (Projects up to $10,000)
Project Abstracts and Co-PI's and Key Partners

Design  Digital Concierge for SUNY Learning Common: Pedagogical Rich Reusable Learning Object
R  Hope Adams, Empire State College

This workshop will demonstrate how to design, develop, and implement pedagogically rich reusable learning objects (RLO), which can be shared and re-used through the SUNY Learning Common. The advantages of RLO include the ability to provide significant interaction between the learner and the instructional program, with instructor input also playing a critical role in an automated environment.
The workshop will consider instruction delivery models, a consideration of instructional case studies, and using technical tools to design, develop, and create a RLO in any content/curricular area.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Rosalyn Rufer, School for Graduate Studies, MBA , SUNY Empire State College

SUNY  Geneseo Neuroscience Cyber Technology Laboratory (CTL) Course
Terence Bazzett, Geneseo

The Society for Neuroscience recently funded the development of an open access online portal for housing neuroscience activities. The portal, named ERIN (Educational Resources in Neuroscience), allows free access to all activities (http://erin.sfn.org). Objectives of the present proposal are: 1) Investigate the utility of ERIN as an ancillary to primary classroom instruction in a variety of related courses (e.g. Biopsychology, Behavioral Pharmacology, Behavior Genetics). 2) Assess the effectiveness of ERIN in conveying concepts that underlie learning objectives of related courses. 3) Determine the feasibility of creating a distance learning or hybrid course using ERIN as the primary source for assignments.

Eternal  France: An Interactive Historical Simulation for College History Classes
Edward  Bever, Old Westbury

This project will prototype a solitaire computer game for use in Western Civilization and European history courses in which students will guide the development of France from the time of Clovis to the present day. The game system will model the historical processes involved -- from economic growth through cultural change -- with students making decisions reflective of the government's expanding purpose and power over time. Playing the game will foster students' historical understanding implicitly, while more traditional instructional exercises integrated into the program will reinforce its lessons explicitly. Instructors will be able to utilize the simulation in a variety of ways, from a "stand-alone" homework assignment to a recurring focus of class discussions, and the prototype can be enhanced with graphics, animations, and sophisticated input controls in future years.

Presentations  Unplugged: Mobile Devices in the Classroom
Tom Blake, Binghamton University

We will investigate the feasibility of using a consumer-oriented product (an "Apple TV") with a data projector to give our faculty full freedom of movement within the classroom, as they wirelessly present material from commonly used hand-held devices (e.g. iPads, iPhones.) Assuming we can successfully integrate the Apple TV with our campus network, we will investigate using other computing devices as well (e.g. laptops, Android devices.)

Science  and Engineering Everywhere, at Anytime, and for Everyone
Monica Bugallo, Stony Brook

This project aims at creating an instructional innovative pilot program for engaging undergraduate students in authentic science and engineering by developing and using modern cybertools in an easy and attractive way. Motivated by the mission of building, operating and analyzing data of an experiment designed to investigate the relationship between cosmic rays activity and climate changes, we offer research projects and seminars for undergraduate students who will help building a webportal and the necessary hardware and software instrumentation for offering science and engineering everywhere, at any time and to everyone.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Dr. Helio Takai, Brookhaven National Laboratory

Developing  an Informed Community of People Who Are Interested in Advancing 3D Virtual World Instruction
John Cabra, Buffalo State College

This action research study is designed to develop an informed community of people who are interested in advancing 3D Virtual World instructional tools. This study will involve 1) the design of a two hour Creativity Workshop to be held in a 3D virtual world called Qube. Faculty members from a variety of disciplines from across SUNY Campuses will be invited to participate in the workshop; 2) this workshop would be delivered three times over the course of the fall semester; 3) conduct a qualitative study to identify participant learning experiences and best practice patterns among the disciplines; and 4) to create best practice training resources to inform the SUNY community.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Dr. Cyndi Burnett, KnowInnovation

Synergy  & Systemness: Making the Most of Innovative Technology & Collaboration
Francesca Cichello, Empire State College

This project involves the development of a pilot course limited to 30 students combining collaborative international online learning with a ten-day business study tour in Turkey. While in Turkey, students will visit businesses, manufacturing operations and government offices related to the study of the emerging Turkish economy in an international context. Before and after the trip, students will engage in learning activities via an online learning platform, specifically designed to draw upon and expand learning gained during the trip. This course is a cooperative effort by two SUNY campuses—Empire State College and SUNY Cortland--with their Turkish partner, Anadolu University.   This pilot course is a prototype for other such courses aimed at further efforts to internationalize our respective campuses and, notably, serving as a model for other SUNY campuses seeking innovative ways of working with international partners through the use of technology.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Dr. Richard Bonnabeau, Visiting Professor, SUNY Empire State College
Dr. Ender Suvaçi Vice Rector, Research and International Affairs, Anadolu University, Turkey
Dr. Bilge Kagan Ozdemir, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Anadolu University, Turkey
Dr. Phyllis Herdendorf, Professor of Business – MBA program, SUNY Empire State College
Dr. German Zarate-Hoyos, Chair and Associate Professor of Economics, SUNY Cortland
Dr. Özgür Yildirim, Coordinator for International Academic Programs, Faculty of Education, Anadolu University, Turkey
Mary Schlarb, M.P.S., Director of International Programs, SUNY Cortland
Betsy Braun, Curriculum Design Specialist, SUNY Empire State College
Jon Rubin, Director, SUNY COIL Center

Engaging  Students in Information Literacy and Digital Literacy through Emerging Technologies
Jessica Clemons, Syracuse ESF

The project will be an interactive and creative group activity for students in our information literacy classes. Currently there is a paper-based question sheet with prompts like, "Where is the Quiet Study Room located?" In lieu of this requirement, we will group students and have them explore the physical library. Using the iPod touches, students will take photos of the spaces and resources in the library. There are many services in the library, including the writing center and the academic success center. After the pilot testing phase, students will use digital storytelling tools to tell a story about their experience in the library. Students will present these short digital stories to their classmates. Selected videos will be uploaded to a SUNY Digital Repositories collection to be shared for as long as the video is relevant.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Stephen P. Weiter, Director, College Libraries, SUNY ESF

Dreaming  in Languages: Politics, Pedagogy and Technology for Language Instruction
Juan De Urda Anguita, Fredonia

"Dreaming in Languages: Politics, Pedagogy and Technology for Language Instruction in the 21st Century" is a one-day symposium meant for language instructors at all levels in WNY. It will comprise three sessions, one on the political climate around language teaching, another on current theories on language acquisition and pedagogy and an entire afternoon session devoted to technological innovations and applications for language instruction. It will take place at Fredonia in November 2012 or March 2013. After the symposium, a website will be created to post the symposium's materials and for teachers to share curriculum innovations.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Dr. Chiara De Santi, Visiting Lecturer, SUNY Fredonia
Dr. Carmen Rivera, Professor of Spanish and Chair of the Department of Modern Languages, SUNY Fredonia

Development  and Assessment of Mobile Device Instruction in STEM Education at K-21 Level
Katharina Dittmar, University at Buffalo

This proposal builds on an ongoing NSF Cyber-Infrastructure project, which seeks to develop a cloud-deployed, scalable, virtual tool for the instruction of theory and practice of population genetics in K-21 settings. We pursue two aims by expanding this tool to mobile devices: Aim 1) Technology Development, and Aim 2) Strategic Assessment. One outcome from this project will be a stand-alone app (Google Android and Apple IOS platforms) that will further expand flexibility of course completion for undergraduate students at UB, SUNY, and other institutions across the country. The other outcome will be the systematic assessment of the pedagogic/educational effectiveness of mobile device instruction in STEM education through controlled qualitative and quantitative research on a large scale.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Bina Ramamurthy, Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo
Jessica Poulin, Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo

Non-Profit  Community Partner Service Project
Amy Dohm, Clinton CC

Students in two English Composition, ENG 101, courses will create a community partnership with local non-profit organizations and design a Prezi presentation and promotional brochure for the organization. Students will develop the documents using a professional subscription to Prezi and Microsoft Word. Prezi is a cloud-based, non-linear program accessible beyond the classroom. The submission of comments on the process and rough drafts of the projects will begin on a Web site. Throughout the semester the student groups will be communicating with the partners and sharing drafts of the brochure. Students will also send their community partners a student-designed rubric asking them to evaluate the working relationship and final products. Effectively doing/demonstrating all stages of the process means that course materials, technologies, concepts, activities are utilized in effective ways, improving student engagement and learning across the disciplines.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Nathan Franklin, English Dept., Clinton Community College

IL  Fox – The Virtual Toolbook for Information Literacy Initial Research
Carol Anne Germain, University at Albany

Description: This IITG funded project consists of conducting preliminary research into the development of an online information literacy (IL) toolbook to promote information and digital fluency. At this time there is no comprehensive information resource to support students' information literacy needs. This tool is designed to fill a void for students as well as faculty at the statewide, national, and international levels. It will incorporate key information literacy concepts at multiple levels. First, it will provide a dictionary defining pertinent words and terms from the information literacy curriculum, such as proximity searching and cyberterrorism. Second, each dictionary definition will link to a supporting encyclopedia entry detailing each term, with an overview, history, and relevant examples. Additionally, the entries will contain sections designed to spark deeper thinking for student exploration by hyperlinking to relevant sources (for example, the page for Fair Use could link to the online video A Fair(y) Use Tale). Lastly, for pedagogical purposes, the resource will provide access to definition-specific lesson plans (best practice examples) to foster sharing and collaboration across SUNY campuses and beyond.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Tor Loney, University at Albany
John Pardavila, University at Albany

Evaluating  Geologic Mapping Tools for the Undergraduate Curriculum
Martha Growdon, Oneonta

This project will determine the most student-accessible, cost-effective yet reliable digital field mapping system by conducting the first digital field-mapping evaluation, comparing available tablet computers and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in side-by-side field tests, with the broad goal of training students to produce new 1:24000-scale geologic maps of New York State (NYS). This is particularly relevant due to potential horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing ("hydrofracking") for natural gas in the Marcellus and Utica Shales. We will recommend the best system to other SUNY colleges, so they may undertake regional mapping with students, and will offer training in the use of digital mapping tools.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Dr. Les Hasbargen, SUNY Oneonta

An  Undergraduate Research Experience: Using technology to Monitor Japanese Beetles Related to Changing Climate Conditions, Across New York State
Linda Jones, Empire State College

Our project uses a citizen science project model to engage students in science and sustainability. Students gather scientific data from their local environment and contribute to the development of a virtual map of Japanese beetles across the state. Through observations of their local environment, students examine the interconnectedness of species and climate and consider ways environmental change may alter species distributions. With assistance from the IITG, we will share and support the Beetle Project learning module and the open source code to the Citizen Science Project Template. We will provide and environment for the exchange of ideas and will generate interest in the development of other citizen science projects across SUNY by hosting a SUNY Citizen Science Conference.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Nikki Shrimpton, Dean of the Central New York Center, SUNY Empire State College (Co-PI)
Sadie Ross, Director of Environmental Sustainability, SUNY Empire State College (Co-PI)
Jeremy Stone, Instructional Technologist, SUNY Empire State College (key partner)

Integrated  Early Career & Transfer Engagement-OWL for Online Adult Learners
Robert Knipe, Genesee CC

The Online WNY Learning Alliance assists working adult students needing the flexibility of fully online degree options. OWL's 6 member colleges provide holistic advisement to students from the outset of their college careers, which can include early exploration of post-degree options. This project will develop web-based orientation / training materials, and internal procedures, so that career and transfer exploration and assistance for online degree-seeking students occurs from day one of their college studies. This maximizes course alignment with goals, shortens time-to-completion, helps keep students in NY for career and/or baccalaureate degree opportunities, and contributes to regional workforce and economic development.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
OWL partner college Career & Transfer advisors and OWL partner college Concierges and online learning administrators:
Deborah Stayer Kelly, Corning Community College
Jayne Peaslee, Corning Community College
Colleen Gentry, Erie Community College
Martie Dixon, Erie Community College
Maureen Owens, Finger Lakes Community College
Larry Dugan, Finger Lakes Community College
Judie Littlejohn, GeneseeCommunity College
Bob Knipe, GeneseeCommunity College
Cori Dunagin, Jamestown Community College
Peggy VanKirk, Monroe Community College
Terry Keys, Monroe Community College

Gestural  Melody: New Learning Tools for Musical Composition
Keith Landa, Purchase

The goal of our project is to develop software tools that would allow melody writing students to break out of the constraints imposed by traditional notation form, in order to more easily sketch out ideas for the melodies that they wish to create and be able to play them out in a variety of formats.  The main software would combine touch-based drawing tools implemented for tablet computers with music output and instrument control functionality available through Pure Data, along with a suite of tools for editing, commenting, transforming and exporting the melody projects.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Peer Bode, Professor of Video Arts, Alfred University
Dr. Jim McElwaine, Professor of Music, Purchase College
Paul Thayer, Instructional Support Associate, Purchase College

Hybridization: Transforming to a Hybrid Foreign Language Instructional Model
Rose McEwen, Geneseo

This project entails creating template curricula to guide other SUNY foreign languages departments who are considering transforming beginning-level courses from traditional, face-to-face teaching/learning formats to a hybrid, Quia-powered online model. Using Geneseo's Spanish language courses as the pilot for other languages, the project facilitates, without espousing particular textbooks, the process of adopting ACTFL-based proficiency measurements to the design of learning outcomes, curricula, and paradigms for assessing the effectiveness of hybrid beginning- and intermediate-level courses (in comparison with traditional instruction models) in the development of the four foreign language skills: speaking, writing, listening and reading.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Ms. Felisa Brea, Lecturer of Spanish, Department of Languages and Literatures, SUNY Geneseo
Mr. Bill Heller, Lecturer of Spanish and Department's Assessment Coordinator, Department of Languages and Literatures, SUNY Geneseo

Multimedia Recording Suite
Lisa Melohusky, Fredonia

As Fredonia continues to expand its offerings of blended and online courses, and with the adoption of the flipped classroom model, the need to create and share quality online audio and video recording has grown. In addition, SUNY's initiative to create an Open SUNY will require more faculty to participate in multimedia creation. This grant will build a single Multimedia Recording Suite with the modern technology needed to create quality recordings. These recordings will be shared privately with students through our LMS and publically in SUNY Fredonia's instance of iTunes U. The recordings in iTunes U will include tutorials and lectures created by the Professional Development Center on a wide range of topics related to teaching, learning and technical skills.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
T. John McCune, MultiMedia Team Leader, ITS Multimedia Team, SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Fredonia Professional Development Center, Dawn Eckenrode, Director (key partner)

Design  and Testing of Laboratory Instruction Management System (LIMS)
Alexander Nazarenko Buffalo  State College

We propose to introduce a Laboratory Instruction Management System by implementation of electronic notebooks and computerizing data acquisition. Students will plan and document all aspects of an experiment; laboratory instructions will be incorporated into a notebook template and adjusted at the time of preparation for a new experiment. ELN is accessible to the instructor at any step; the report creation will be automatic. Instructor will be able to make the corrections directly in the ELN. Successful completion of this project should serve as a pattern for implementation of LIMS in the educational laboratory environment.

Giving/Getting  Access to Scholarly and Instructional Material
Mary Jo Orzech, Brockport

A one-day conference, Friday, October 26, 2012, at The College at Brockport will help faculty and researchers understand and safeguard intellectual property rights in producing and consuming information. The May 2012 federal court decision in the closely-watched Georgia State case makes the conversation especially timely. The program will include discussion of the copyright and licensing environments in general, and alternatives to current models including the open access movement.
The conference will address questions such as "How do new publishing alternatives affect my scholarship, instructional design, and teaching?" and "What should I tell students producing new projects about protecting their Intellectual property?" Participants will come away with an awareness of key issues, trends and best practices in the use of scholarly and instructional materials where the real innovation begins. Conference materials will be posted in The SUNY Learning Commons for additional discussion.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Andrew Perry, SUNY Oneonta

Student  Mediated Video Lecture Capture
Ronald Sarner, SUNYIT

Video lecture capture provides a complete audio and visual record of course sessions. It enables students to review course material, prepare for exams, and access classes they may have missed in whole or part. Using inexpensive consumer grade equipment without the necessity of a camera operator, and ClassX, an open-source system developed at Stanford, the viewer has complete pan and zoom control over the image that is displayed. The viewer can select any portion of the image, such as the screen or the board, for enlargement, and can dynamically change the selected portion.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Rosemary J. Mullick, Professor, SUNYIT
Jorge Novillo, Professor, SUNYIT
Christopher Urban, Lecturer, SUNYIT
Nick Merante, Instructional Support Assistant, SUNYIT

DCrit:  Digital Critiquing Platform
Steven Schneider, SUNYIT

The "Digital Critique Platform" (DCrit) innovates traditional critique processes and facilitates program-level review and assessment. DCrit accepts submitted projects for critique; assigns participating
faculty, professionals and peers to conduct rubric-based critiques of specific student projects; and distributes critiques to participating students. The platform will support a program-wide portfolio of
student projects to serve assessment purposes. DCrit supports synchronous and asynchronous, and online and in-person critiques, expanding critique possibilities beyond the traditional synchronous,
face-to-face model. DCrit will capture and archive both student work and critical assessments in a single database, facilitating the review and assessment of both individual-level and aggregate-level progress
towards specific educational objectives.

Tools  of Engagement Project (TOEP): On-demand Discovery Learning Professional Development
Roberta (Robin) Sullivan, University  at Buffalo

The goal of this project is to pilot the Tools of Engagement Project's (TOEP) on-demand professional development model among faculty across SUNY campuses, investigating its effectiveness in expanding their pedagogy as they integrate free online Web 2.0 tools into their courses and research. Evolving instructional technologies are changing the ways we collaborate and communicate. Faculty must learn to adapt to this rapidly changing landscape. TOEP's self-directed professional development gives faculty a platform to experiment with cutting-edge technologies, integrating them into their curricula to engage students and improve learning. Self-directed activities encourage faculty to be lifelong learners, as they become familiar with blogging, wikis, podcasting, online collaborative, and the latest web-based instructional technology tools. After acquiring deeper knowledge about how to use these tools, faculty will become more adept at embedding 21st century skills into their teaching and meeting the expectations of their students. They will also be able to use these tools to diversify assessment of student learning, going beyond traditional strategies.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Beth Burns, Buffalo State
Kathleen Gradel, SUNY Fredonia
Shufang Shi, SUNY Cortland
Cherie van Putten, Binghamton University
Cindi Tysick, University at Buffalo

Supporting  the needs of 21st Century Learners: Faculty Development with Tools of Engagement
Nathan  Whitley-Grassi, Empire State College

Faculty Instructional Technologists at SUNY Empire State College are now in the process of creating a Faculty Development Program to be rolled out to ESC's seven regional centers in the Spring of 2013. The program will consist of four module-based blended training units which will be designed to introduce ESC faculty and staff to several types of Web 2.0 technology tools (social media, document sharing, etc...) that have been shown to increase student learning and engagement in blended studies. Participants will engage in pre-assessment and post-assessment dialogue to allow researchers to determine the value of engagement.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
Patricia Hoefler, Empire State College (Co-PI)
Mark Lewis, Empire State College (Co-PI)
Jase Teoh, Empire State College (Co-PI)
Michael Fortune, Empire State College (Co-PI)
Evren Eryilmaz, Empire State College (Co-PI)
Sheryl Coleman, Empire State College (Co-PI)

Using  Visual Communication Tools to Enhance Teaching and Learning
Harrison  Yang, Oswego

The goal of this project is to design, implement, evaluate, and disseminate an innovative and replicable training model of integrating visual communication tools for teacher candidates at SUNY Oswego. The objectives include: 1. Selected visual communication tools will be explored with participants of this project; 2. Selected teaching cases which parallel objective one will be organized as a training approach for participants to better prepare technology integration across curriculum; 3. Task teams will be developed for working on collaborative projects; 4. The project will be tracked and evaluated for continuous improvement, adaptation, expansion as well as replication.

Automating  Production of PowerPoint-Based Algorithm Visualization Teaching Materials
Sen  Zhang, Oneonta

The primary goal of the project is to facilitate algorithm teaching by Computer Science (CS) instructors at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) by increasing the availability and accessibility of easily adoptable, standardized PowerPoint (PPT) algorithm visualization (AV) presentation materials. This project will refine the generators that have been prototyped and implement new CS algorithms, focusing upon those taught at PUIs. An automated database-and-dispatcher-driven cyber platform, which releases end users from the hassle of running generators, will also be refined. The proposed approach is expected to promote standardization, centralization and reuse of algorithm teaching materials, as well as preparedness of algorithm teaching.

Co-PI's and Key Partners
James Ryder, SUNY Oneonta (Co-PI)