Name: Sandra C. Ceraulo, Ph.D.
Title: Visiting Assistant Professor, SUNY Buffalo; and President and CEO, Online Teaching Consulting
Company: SUNY Buffalo and Online Teaching Consulting
Contact Information:
sceraulo@aol.com
Webpage:
http://wings.buffalo.edu/~sceraulo and
http://www.OnlineTeachingConsulting.com
How I arrived at my present job (academic and other influences): I always liked analytical work. After a chemistry major in college at Cornell, I got a Ph.D. in Computational Chemistry at The University of Chicago. Computational chemistry was just beginning to be its own specialty then. I did all my graduate research using computers. My first job after graduate school was teaching at a small college. I became interested in using the web in my teaching and started learning all about it. In 1999, I tried taking some online courses on Internet programming, so I wouldn't have to commute across town to lectures. Much to my surprise, I found I loved online learning and thought others who tried it would like it a lot too. I moved my teaching to SUNY Buffalo, completed a certification program in Online Teaching at UCLA Extension, and started my consulting business to help train instructors in online teaching methods.
How I organize my day: I start by reading for a couple hours. The new information and ideas motivate me. Then I list everything I have to do and all the people I need to contact that day and work away at those tasks.
Amount of time spent working daily (at home and office): 8-9 hours plus half-days on weekends.
What I do to get myself thinking creatively: I read a lot, talk to other creative people, and take in the creative work of others. A good film or art exhibit or any creative work done with excellence can inspire me as much as computing.
My problem-solving strategy: I keep problems I'm stuck on in the back - and front- of my mind for a long time. Usually, a solution will come to me.
What I do to relieve stress: Talk to friends and colleagues. Recall what's most important to me. I also write some articles that give advice to students, and that's more of a hobby. I think hobbies are great stress-relievers.
My hero, mentor, or person I most admire and why: My most important mentors are my parents. They lived through WWII in Europe and then came back to the States and raised four children. They made it seem so easy, it was a long time before I realized that living through a world war and raising four children could never be easy. My parents were able to do it because they always knew what they believed in and what their priorities were.
What I do to mentor those who work for me: I love creative work with computers and the young people I teach see my genuine enjoyment in it. That sparks their interest in it. I am honest when mentoring young people. Computing careers aren't a thrill a minute, but they give great satisfaction to an inquiring mind.
How a negative event changed my life in a positive way: My parents always told me about life during WWII in Europe and how lucky I was that I could set my goals and not have to worry about a world war getting in the way. This really stuck with me. My whole life long I've felt that I was lucky to live in a time of relative peace and should take advantage of all the opportunities I have. Any problem I might have seems trivial when compared to living in the midst of a war.
One event or decision in my life I wish I could go back and change: I have no regrets. I've always made my own decisions based largely on my own gut feeling about what should be done. I never succumbed to peer pressure or let others pressure me. If I had, then I know I would have regrets.
What values are the most important to me and what I value in others: Ingenuity. Innovation. Integrity. Insight. Hard work. Persistence. Family, love, and respect.
What inspires, motivates, or gets me excited about my job on a daily basis: I think about how inaccessible information was when I was young, and then the web seems like the greatest thing on earth even though it is free and everywhere. I think about the largely untapped potential for online education and for web-enhanced education. I see how much students love learning about the web and are hungry for professors who can teach them about it.
Biography:
Visiting Assistant Professor, SUNY Buffalo
President and CEO, Online Teaching Consulting,
www.OnlineTeachingConsulting.com
Education:
Certification in Online Teaching, UCLA Extension, 2001
B.A. cum laude, Cornell University
Ph.D., The University of Chicago
Technology/Research Interests:
Awards:
Certificate of Appreciation for Significant Contributions to the
Mission of the AAUW Education Foundation
Certificate of Appreciation for Creating a
Web Site for AAUW - Buffalo, NY Branch
This survey was filled out in March 2002.
Last Modified:
Location: www.acm.org/crossraods/dayinlife/bios/sandra_ceraulo.html