Farmingdale State College Professor From Long Beach Wins SUNY Grant

Farmingdale State College professor Maya Bentz, a resident of Long Beach, has won a $10K Innovative Instruction Technology Grant from the State University of New York to fund a project that SUNY has identified as “a campus innovation and initiative in instructional technology that has the strongest potential to be replicated across SUNY’s 64 campuses, benefiting more students, faculty, and staff.”

Dr. Bentz, a senior instructional designer who has taught online courses around the world, won for The Online Student Hub, an interactive virtual learning community that will serve as a clearinghouse of information for students enrolled in online courses. It will be a place for students to find information on how to become successful learners; understand how to use different technologies required for completion of online courses; find help; and connect with peers via social media.

“This competitive grant program continues to position SUNY as a leader in innovative instructional practices while enabling us to take programs that work at one campus and expand them across SUNY to benefit more of our students and faculty,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher.

Thirty-five grants were distributed from among 78 submissions.