Individual Achievement – Kathleen D’Alfonso

2026 Individual Achievement Award – Kathleen D’Alfonso, PhD Candidate & Adjunct Online Instructor, Department of Sociology and Criminology, SUNY University at Buffalo and Departments of Anthropology/History/Political Science/Sociology, SUNY Monroe Community College.

Kathleen completed the requirements for Certification in OSCQR Self-Assessment in August 2025. She reviewed and improved her Fall 2025 online course, SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology, at the University at Buffalo, using the original OSCQR rubric, process, and materials. Improvements she identified and made as a result of her self-assessment through the OSCQR review and refresh process included:

• Supporting learner success through announcements, reminders, and connections to institutional support services
• Adding a welcome video tour and embedding course schedules and resources in multiple locations to support navigation and orientation
• Creating a News Forum to foster community and low-stakes learner connection
• Enhancing accessibility through revised headings, descriptive links, and transcripts for multimedia content
• Strengthening regular and substantive interaction by clarifying communication timelines and increasing instructor presence in discussions

Building on this foundation, Kathleen has extended OSCQR principles beyond her own courses, redesigning and adapting courses across institutions, including Monroe Community College and the University at Buffalo. Her work emphasizes accessibility, clarity, and community-building, resulting in more engaging, inclusive, and well-structured online learning environments. Kathleen also contributes to a broader community of practice by sharing OSCQR-informed strategies through faculty development workshops, instructional consultations, informal mentoring, and professional networks, including SUNY Online–affiliated Lumen Circles.

Kathleen’s approach centers on sustainability and transferability. She has developed modular course structures, reusable assignment templates, and universal design strategies that support ongoing course development and can be adopted by other instructors.

Her work reflects a sustained, learner-centered commitment to continuous improvement, focusing on building trust, motivation, and belonging through intentional design choices that enhance the online learner experience.

Of her experience, she says:

Through the OSCQR self-assessment process, I gained a deeper understanding of how structured, intentional design enhances both student learning and instructor facilitation… The OSCQR review not only confirmed many of the strategies I already use, but also pushed me to refine these practices in ways that align with my philosophy of creating meaningful, manageable, and community-driven courses.

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We are pleased to present the 2026 OSCQR Individual Achievement Award to Kathleen D’Alfonso for her thoughtful application of OSCQR. As an online instructor certified in OSCQR self-assessment, she has advanced online course quality through her own courses and extended these practices across institutions and teaching and learning communities.
February 26, 2026

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