OSU Institute of Technology welcomes Dominic Christison as the new director of Academic Excellence and Distance Learning. 

Christison brings nearly 20 years of distance education and ten years of online teaching experience to the campus. Before joining OSUIT, he served as an academic dean for a career school in Virginia Beach, Virginia and a community college in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Christison has been an educator in three different countries, teaching English to internationals in England, Portugal and the United States. 

In his role at OSUIT, he is responsible for The Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning located in the Learning Resource Center on the OSUIT campus.  

OSUIT’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning is dedicated to the attainment of academic excellence, partnering with academic schools and other institutional departments and promoting continuous professional development. 

“The Center strives to be the following: a place for training and professional development for teaching excellence for the classroom and online; but also, a hub, a place where faculty can learn from each other, exchange ideas and collaborate on projects,” stated Christison. “It is faculty-centered – although we also serve as a meeting center for staff and faculty alike.”

He said the challenge that this position brought to him was what interested him in the role. 

“I have worked in similar roles in the past and been a leader in helping institutions both grow and manage their online programs,” he said. “What attracted me to this position is the very new and exciting range of programs offered at OSUIT compared to other places I have worked and the challenge of incorporating distance learning into some of these very hands-on areas of study.”

Since opening in 2013, The Center has had a significant impact on the campus community.

• 6,523 faculty, staff, students and campus guests have utilized The Center
• 618 professional development hours have been offered for faculty and staff
• 76 faculty have successfully completed the Strategies for Successful Teaching and Learning course
• 131 Quality Matters professional development sessions completed successfully by OSUIT faculty and staff

To ensure that all faculty, full-time and adjunct alike have all the tools and resources they need to be successful in their jobs, Christison will not only continue the success of The Center but also expand upon it.   

“I see myself as a life-long learner and have a lot to learn about OSUIT and how things work here to be effective,” he said. “I will be working collaboratively with deans, faculty and other academic leaders to expand distance learning. Equally important to me is the quality of orientation and support for online learners.”

Outside of The Center, Christison, new to the state, said he looks forward to exploring Oklahoma with his wife and teenage son. 

Christison encourages faculty and staff to utilize the various offerings available at The Center. 

“Faculty can grow in their professional development and careers via our training and individual consultations, he said. “We also encourage faculty to come and share with other faculty best practices and teaching ideas in our central location! We have a tech-to-go program and a small library of helpful books to loan out. For staff, The Center is a great place for a variety of kinds of meetings.”

For more information about The Center, visit osuit.edu/center