This one was all about the animals.
More than 15 St. Joseph’s College faculty members and administrators shook off their work-from-home blues last week to show off their beloved pets during a light-hearted “Carry On Teaching” tech chat last week on Zoom.
Most of the pet participants were dogs. Longtime SJC administrator Tom Travis, Ph.D.; Ashley Benson, associate director for online programs; Lisa Tafuro, Ph.D., a communications studies professor; and Michelle Papajohn, the College’s vice president for information technology and chief information officer; all proudly held their fur kids on their laps.
Sherley Beausoleil, P.M.P., director of the ITS Project Management Office, was all smiles showing off her pup. As was Theresa Thurau, an instructional technologist for Information Technology Services in SJC Brooklyn.
For the entire meeting, the Zoom square of criminal justice department Chair Barbara Morrell, Ph.D., was focused solely on her father’s dog Rusty. Vice President for Marketing and Communications Jessica McAleer Decatur checked in with one of her cozy cats.
The campuses’ interim executive deans — Eileen Jahn, Ph.D., from SJC Long Island and Raymond D’Angelo, Ph.D., from SJC Brooklyn — took the opportunity to pay homage to pet dogs who have passed away. Dr. Jahn drank from a mug that featured a photo of her dog, while Dr. D’Angelo positioned a framed portrait of his Dalmatian, who died in 2014.
There were even some pet cows, captured by a camera on a farm owned by the family of Amy Poland, Ph.D., associate dean for online learning.
Check out the screen grab of educators and their pets below:
The Office of Information Technology Services is partnering with the director of Online Learning, the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Faculty Technology Committee to host casual and constructive conversations about the many ways “Carry On Teaching” supports the faculty.
During these chats, professors break into small “tech chat” groups on Zoom to discuss ways to conduct hands-on activities in virtual classroom settings. The group discussions give professors the opportunity to have informal conversations with their colleagues and compare notes on what works and what doesn’t.
