AI as a Co-Author: The Making of ‘Uplift Your Teaching’ with ChatGPT

By izzy | January 13, 2024

Exciting news for educators! I’m thrilled to share my latest project, Uplift Your Teaching: Empowering Educators – Insights and Inspirations to Transform Your Teaching, a book I co-authored with the help of ChatGPT 4.0. As a director of instructional innovation, I understand that teaching is more than just imparting knowledge; it’s about continuous learning, profound […]

CAST: 9th Annual CAST UDL Symposium: Through the Lens of UDL

By izzy | July 30, 2023

I am beyond excited to be a part of a team of fabulous women who are presenting at the CAST: 9th Annual CAST UDL Symposium: Through the Lens of UDL. On Tuesday, August 1, 2023 we will be virtually presenting our session: ChatGPT: A Tool for Inclusive UDL and Culturally Responsive Instruction.  Joan Giovannini, Marisha […]

NEFDC: Board of Trustees

By izzy | July 1, 2023

I am honored to be serving as a Board of Trustees for the New England Faculty Development Consortium [NEFDC].   This is an energetic group of amazing people. The New England Faculty Development Consortium (NEFDC) was founded in 1998. The group evolved from the work of individuals engaged in faculty development at a number of Massachusetts […]

Equity Leaders & Guides at STCC and Beyond

By izzy | June 30, 2023

Late last year I was awarded a $75,000 Massachusetts Higher Education Innovation Fund grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.  The initial grant  concept was to train 20 faculty.  However, between January and June I was able to train 21 faculty and 9 staff members on the Springfield Technical Community College Campus. I am […]

New Position for Professional Development & Innovation

By izzy | August 10, 2021

Today I begin a new position at Springfield Technical Community College as Director of Instructional Innovation and Faculty Investment. I am very excited about my new role and the opportunities I will have to expand my collaborative leadership in working with faculty and staff.  My focus will begin with strategizing an overall plan for professional […]

2021 Employee of Excellence Award

By izzy | July 31, 2021

Just got this in the mail for my  work on the Antiracism and Inclusion Alliance [AIA] Committee. I am proud to stand in alliance with my minoritized colleagues and do the hard work in support of antiracism.

2021 Massachusetts Colleges Online Conference

By izzy | June 4, 2021

I presented at the Massachusetts Colleges Online Conference on June 2, 2021 based on my article published in Faculty Focus Meet Them Where They Are: Furthering Your Own Cultural Humility and Responsive Teaching the MCO session had participants brainstorming & sharing ideas to inject curriculum and pedagogical approaches into online course design covering the humanizing […]

Book Clubs: Allow You to Meet Your Faculty Where They Are

By izzy | March 19, 2021

Today, Faculty Focus published an article I wrote based on a poster I designed last summer. Book clubs, have been one of the most successful faculty professional development activities I’ve been involved in and I highly recommend them. While only a few months of time have passed, since writing this article, I am seeing new […]

Let’s Not Return to the Old Normal

By izzy | February 24, 2021

This conversation seems to be popping up in every one of my networks. We can not expect to return to what was.  We must strive to transform our future. If your institution expects life to return to normal post-pandemic, disappointment lies ahead. Even with vaccines and a presidential administration strongly committed to traditional higher education, […]

STCC Invests in Digital Literacy Skills During Pandemic

By izzy | February 19, 2021

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Springfield Technical Community College had a long-term plan to ramp up online and digital learning. But then came the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced instructional designers working as part of STCC’s Center for Online and Digital Learning to move faster than they ever imagined. To maintain the safety of students, faculty and staff, STCC moved classes […]