Institutional Excellence Award – SUNY Adirondack – Doris Ostrander
Institutional Excellence Award, SUNY Adirondack – Recipient Doris Ostrander, Coordinator, Teaching and Learning Collaborative
SUNY Adirondack has creatively overcome significant challenges to enhance the quality of its online education. Like many community colleges in SUNY, Adirondack has faced historical challenges, lack of training, and issues such as insufficient time, skills, and resources for systematic review and improvement of online courses.
The SUNY Adirondack TLC OSCQR Faculty Fellowship program was developed as an institutional approach to OSCQR implementation using an immersive cohort experience, to
- Improve student outcomes and engagement
- Encourage faculty collaboration
- Engage faculty in best practices for online course design and teaching
- Spark faculty interest in OSCQR and adapt it to the campus
- Establish the teaching and learning center as an online faculty development hub
- Develop faculty champions as certified OSCQR peer online course reviewers
The fellowship includes:
- A 2-hour introductory OSCQR workshop in partnership with SUNY Online
- A one-week in-person fellowship with self-assessment, peer review, brainstorming, and mini-workshops
- Development and implementation of action plans for online course improvements
- Compilation of evidence for OSCQR certification and formal reflection
- Delivery of refreshed courses
The first implementation resulted in six OSCQR-certified faculty fellows who improved their own and colleagues’ courses. This model is systematic, scalable, and effective, with preliminary indications of improved student retention.
Doris Ostrander, Coordinator, Teaching and Learning Collaborative says:
OSCQR has empowered our first cohort of faculty fellows to self-assess, review each other’s courses, and achieve certification as OSCQR reviewers. This meaningful collaboration with SUNY Online has not only strengthened our OSCQR fellowship program, but also enhanced our capacity to maintain high standards in online course design and quality.
An Adirondack OSCQR Faculty Fellow, who is OSCQR Certified in Self-Assessment & as an OSCQR Certified Peer Reviewer 2024 said,
OSCQR was a deep dive that increased my awareness of the strengths and weaknesses in my online course from the perspective of teaching and learning. I gained valuable experience and have made several changes and additions aimed at improving the student experience and success.
This program excels in building a community of online practitioners, fostering collaboration, and enhancing course quality. Adirondack has demonstrated exceptional commitment to improving online course design and faculty development. We proudly present the inaugural Institutional Excellence OSCQR award to SUNY Adirondack- recipient – Doris Ostrander, Coordinator, Teaching and Learning Collaborative, and their SUNY Adirondack TLC OSCQR Faculty Fellowship program for creativity in implementing OSCQR institutionally to improve online education and learner success.
February 26, 2025