Biography

I have 15 years of experience in the field of educational technology, a PhD in teaching and learning as well as the passion for teaching online and preparing future online learning professionals. I thrive on creating engaging learning experiences that motivate and enable learners to reach their full potential. 

Over the course of my career, I have built online programs at several colleges, and consulted with schools and universities about administration of online education. I taught courses in instructional methods, educational multimedia, instructional and course design, eLearning, online education administration and leadership, and more. While working on my graduate degrees at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, I supported our P-16 education student candidates in the College of Education. I also regularly facilitate professional development workshops for the Online Learning Consortium (OLC). I serve as a mentor for the OLC’s Online Teaching Certificate Program and for the EDUCAUSE’s One-to-One Mentoring Program.

In my day job, I serve as the Director of Online Education at Lehman College, City University of New York, acting as the college's senior administrator charged with the oversight of all facets of online instruction, from web-enhanced learning experiences to hybrid course development and fully online programming. I oversee all faculty development, instructional design, online curriculum development, online enrollment, as well as online student support services to ensure retention and degree completion.

I have recently contributed two chapters to the edited book, The Learner-Centered Instructional Designer: Purpose, Process, and Practicalities of Creating Online Courses in Higher Education(Quinn, J., ed.) with Stylus Publishing, published in November 2020. My other book, co-authored with Susan Ko, is titled Best Practices in Designing Courses with Educational Resources (OER) with Routledge, came out in December 2019 and my most recent book, also co-authored with Susan Ko, Best Practices for Mentoring in Online Programs: Supporting Faculty and Students in Higher Education was published in September 2022, as part of the Routledge's Best Practices in Online Teaching and Learning Series.

I regularly consult on the topics of strategic growth and scaling of online programs, building capacity and infrastructure for online education, quality assurance and assessment, regulations and compliance for distance learning, instructional and course design, online faculty development and preparation for teaching online, online mentoring, open educational resources, and digital learning.

On a personal note, I am originally from Ukraine. In Fall 2004, I became a recipient of the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD) fellowship with the International Research & Exchanges Board of the Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs with the Department of State of the US. It led to me starting the path to the PhD in Teaching and Learning (Educational Technology) at the University of Missouri - St. Louis (2011).