Center for Online & Digital Learning Staff

My name is Mary Wiseman.  I am the Director of Instructional Innovation & Faculty Investment and I lead the Center for Online & Digital Learning [CODL] here at Springfield Technical Community College [STCC]. Upon my arrival to STCC, in 2018, was in an instructional designer role.

Prior to STCC, I was at Bay Path University for 5 years. There I worked as an Instructional Designer supporting faculty teaching in 30 programs primarily in the graduate and also the undergraduate colleges. It has been wonderful getting to know the fabulous STCC faculty and staff. 

I have been teaching and learning online since 1994 back when online education was delivered in DOS [Disk Operating System] and a dial-up modem connections. I completed my Bachelors of Social Science and first Master’s Degree, in Media Studies, fully online, from The New School for Social Research. Side note, I was also living in Beijing, China and working at The International School of Beijing teaching the International Baccalaureate of Visual Arts to high school students. After living in China for 15 years, I returned to the United States, settled in Western Massachusetts were I worked as an adjunct professor [both online and on-ground], consulted at MassMutual, earned a Graduate Certification in Instructional Design [also fully online] from the University of Wisconsin/Stout and developed online courses at the Educational Collaborative in Northampton, MA. While at Bay Path, I earned a second Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration with a concentration in Online Teaching and Learning. I also completed my EdD online with Northeastern University. My research in curriculum design investigates best practices for online course design and keeping our Hispanic|Latinx students uppermost in mind.  

Personally I am interested in culturally relevant teaching practices. Another interest is Universal Design for Learning [UDL] an educational framework that dovetails nicely with designing for accessibility. 

I live in Holyoke and when I am not teaching or learning, I enjoy yoga, gardening, experimenting with new recipes, watching movies, and traveling.

Thank you for being here and working hard to bring your subject matter content online for our STCC students. Learning in not a spectator sport. It takes effort and practice. However, you are not alone, I look forward to working with you in the journey and having fun in the process.

Dr. Mary Wiseman, EdD

413.755.5325
mwiseman@stcc.edu
Building 16, Room #279

My name is Marisha Marks. I am an Instructional Designer here at Springfield Technical Community College. Previously, I worked at UMass Amherst for 7 years assisting faculty with online pedagogy and course design. 

I completed a Masters of Arts in Education at McGill University, in Montreal, Canada focusing on best practices for teaching science to children in non-formal settings. I built on that foundation with a Graduate Certificate in Instructional Technology and Design from UMass Boston. Most of my coursework and interactions with other students and faculty in that program were completely online, and primarily asynchronous. I also started working as an Instructional Designer, simultaneously learning as a student and a practitioner. 

I am committed to the success of all learners. To that end, I support faculty in course development with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and adoption of Open Education Resources (OER). UDL strives to create self-directed learners with choice and flexibility on their path to meeting learning goals. I help faculty create accessible digital learning materials and remove barriers that may hinder or delay student access. Please reach out to me with any questions and to learn how tools like Ally in Blackboard can help your students. 

Outside of work I can be found hiking, kayaking, and cross-country skiing with my family or going for long runs with a good audio book. 

I look forward to getting to know the STCC community!

Marisha F. Marks, M. A.

413.755.5323
mfmarks2001@stcc.edu
Building 16, Room #259

My name is Kyle Stephanie Kraus. I am an Instructional Designer here at Springfield Technical Community College. Previously, I was at UMass Amherst for 19 years, 11 years, helping faculty in digital learning development and online education. From 2010 - 2018 I served as the Technology Training Specialist, training thousands of faculty and students. 

I did graduate work at Colorado State University in Student Affairs in Higher Education in the late 90's, and completed my degree in Educational Technology at UMass Amherst in 2008.

My primary role is to provide orientation, training and instructional support for new online faculty here at STCC. 

I have and currently teach online courses related to topics of online education and learning development. I also develop online training of faculty of learning management systems, specifically Blackboard Learn. My interests online are in communication theory - how we interact, language choice, gestures and non-verbal cues - and how these relate to changes in learning / teaching modes. I also have an interest in creating accessible content and universal design, as well as the engagement of learners. 

Most people know that I am a big science-fiction, I am the rare person who loves Star Wars and Star Trek, as well as Doctor Who. What many people don't know is that some of my interests have nothing to do with computers. I love cooking, creating art and gardening. 

Kyle Stephanie Kraus, M. Ed.

413.755.5326
kskraus@stcc.edu
Building 16, Room #283