Virginia Coleman-Prisco

Dr. Virginia Ann Coleman-Prisco an Assistant Professor in the Seminars Program of the Humanities Department in the School of Liberal Arts. She is a graduate of Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies Doctor of Education program with a concentration in Curriculum, Teaching, Leadership, and Learning. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Education (Counseling & Personnel Services program) from Fordham University and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Art History from the State University of New York at New Paltz.

She is also an Adjunct Instructor of Psychology at Lincoln College of New England and was Research Fellow with the Open Education Group (http://openedgroup.org/) for 2016-2017. Her research interests focus on faculty adoption of Open Educational Resources. She presented her research findings at the 13th Annual Open Education Conference in Richmond, VA in November 2016 and at the OER17: The Politics of Open Conference in London, UK in April 2017. Her research study called “Factors Influencing Faculty Innovation and Adoption of Open Educational Resources in United States Higher Education” was published by the International Journal of Education and Human Developments in July 2017.

She has been intimately involved in three major initiatives that focus on improving student learning: e-Portfolios, Digital Storytelling and Open Educational Resources (OER). More specifically, she has been involved in technological initiatives in undergraduate general education core programs, specifically for at-risk students from diverse backgrounds.

Dr. Coleman-Prisco instructs traditional and online sections of General Education courses- Junior Seminar and Critical Inquiry. These courses emphasize inquiry and competency-based evaluation of the General Education core curriculum. Students analyze assigned readings, prepare and respond to arguments related to the topic, and complete Digital Storytelling projects that require research and assessment of relevant print and online sources. Freshman courses integrate Gates Foundation Grant: Kaleidoscope Project critical reading modules to improve student critical reading skills. Both courses integrate academic e-portfolios to showcase the competency-based curriculum and evidence of student learning.

She also assists the School of Liberal Arts General Education Department and Seminars Program on improving instruction and student learning by creating tutorial videos for faculty and students, supporting Middle States assessment efforts, facilitating learning community meetings, and providing additional support when needed (especially with online learning).