Academic Technology Fellows are CSUN faculty who are working closely with Academic Technology and the Faculty Technology Center to support university initiatives and special projects that involve technology and pedagogy.
2022 - 2023 Academic Technology Fellows
Gretchen Macchiarella is an assistant professor in the Journalism Department teaching multimedia storytelling and emerging journalistic practices.
"Teaching digital media skills classes means that I am constantly working with new technologies. I never get to be really comfortable, and I always have to stumble through new platforms, often with the audience of a classroom. I hope that means that I can be a support for others who might find the tools intimidating or just new.
There are so many tools that have made teaching easier for me, whether it is tricks in the Canvas gradebook or polls during a Zoom class. Some came from FTC workshops, and some from experimentation. I have built out my Canvas pages and improved assignments one small step at a time - a video description here, a resource page there, an interactive activity for class. Adding technology can help us see our material with fresh eyes and inject fun - not just for the students but for the faculty. It can solve problems we often thought we were stuck with. I love to try to find exactly the right tool for the job, and I am hopeful I can connect many other people with the teaching tools that fit them.
I am excited to be an Academic Technology Fellow to help add digital tools that make CSUN classrooms fresh and deeply connecting."
Dr. Joyce Marie Brusasco
Dr. Joyce Marie Brusasco is an instructor in Family and Consumer Sciences, Child and Adolescent Development, and also teaches University 100.
"I have always been an early adopter of technology personally and professionally. Over the last 10 years at CSUN I have enrolled in many Faculty Technology workshops. I attended the summer eLearning Institute, I was early to transition from WebCT to Moodle then to Canvas, and I was a faculty user as part of the pilot for Canvas Insights. I use Canvas Insights as an early alert tool to reach out to students individually.
As I learned the tools CSUN provides for faculty I slowly adopted them into my classes. Early on I was using Zoom to record lectures and meet with students virtually. Now I use Panopto to record lectures and Zoom to teach online in realtime. I also use Portfolium for student assignments to help build the student's online presence, and Pronto to chat with students offline. I did not adopt all these technologies all at once. I have taken years to adopt them with small classes and then larger classes as part of my instruction. My advice is to try out one or two technologies a semester, adopt which tool feels comfortable, and attend FTC training.
I am thrilled to be an Academic Technology Fellow by providing training to help other faculty feel comfortable using technology in the classroom as part of the virtual learning environment. I believe we can create a sense of belonging for our students using technology."
Cecile Bendavid, 
