Founded in 1971 as the innovative campus of the State University of New York, Empire State University empowers learners from diverse backgrounds to achieve their educational goals. We have decades of experience providing educational access through online teaching and learning, individualized instruction, mentoring, and prior learning assessment. We are SUNY’s leading online institution and New York state’s only public online institution.

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  • Navigating and Hybridizing Interpretive Claim-Making Across Discursive Communities

    Jones, Karis; Storm, Scott; Beck, Sarah W. (Taylor & Francis, 2024-02)
    In order to better understand how the full range of students’ semiotic resources may be marshalled for learning, we analyze the role of interpretive claim-making across fandom and disciplinary communities. Using a framework of syncretic literacies with a focus on navigation, we analyze data from a series of writing conferences in a U.S.-based, fandoms-themed English course serving diverse high school students. Our analysis attends to shifts in convergent and divergent intersubjectivity to trace students’ navigation of interpretive practices as they talked with their peers and their instructor. Discursive claims emerged as an important tool functioning differently across these interactions. Specifically, the claim-making practices of one focal student demonstrate an emerging understanding of the distinctly different functions that claims serve as tools for navigating between, and hybridizing, discursive communities. Our findings highlight the importance of using discourse to analyze the presence of multiple or conflicting discursive practices, and designing learning environments in ways that support students’ use of hybrid discursive tools.
  • All About Mentoring

    Mandell, Alan, Editor; Fullard, David; Lander, Lorraine; Akstens, Connelly; Arnold, Tai; European Association for the Education of Adults; Tischler, Steve; Smith, Bernard; Lestremau Allen, Lauren; Syed, Noor; et al. (Empire State University, 2024-01)
    A biannual publication of Empire State University, All About Mentoring provides opportunities for colleagues from across the university to share scholarly activities, reflect on ideas and practices about teaching, learning and mentoring, and, prompted by essays, visual art, poetry, and reviews from inside and outside the university, to think about a range of issues, questions, and experiences relevant to our common work.
  • Tourist brides and migrant grooms: Cuban–Danish couples and family reunification policies

    Fernandez, Nadine T. (Taylor & Francis, 2019)
    As a development strategy mass tourism often precipitates social changes, expected and unexpected. Emigration through marriage may seem to be an unlikely by-product of the expanding tourist industry in Cuba, but the increasing number of Cubans emigrating through marriage to a foreign partner has paralleled the influx of tourists since the mid-1990’s. This article explores how gender dynamics in the Cuban tourist milieu intersect with gendered underpinnings of family reunification policies in Denmark by focusing on the marriage migration pattern of Cuban grooms with Nordic brides. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Denmark among Cuban marriage migrants and their spouses, the study shows a cross-border migration pattern shaped by multiple factors including global economic asymmetries, the eroticization of Cuban culture in the tourism industry, and the gender egalitarian welfare state of Denmark.
  • Moral boundaries and national borders: Cuban marriage migration to Denmark

    Fernandez, Nadine T. (Taylor & Francis, 2012)
    The discussion of marriage migration in Denmark primarily has focused on citizens of immigrant descent (“New Danes”) who marry partners from their ancestral homeland (often Turkey or Pakistan). This type of marriage migration was the target of the strict Danish family reunification policy instituted in 2002. This paper examines the genealogy of the morality underpinning the family reunification policies and asks whether the rules actually promote this moral agenda or have unintended consequences. Empirically, I shift the focus from immigrant Danes to native Danes who marry Cubans. Finally, while little attention is paid to the non-western country involved, transnational marriages always involve two nations. This paper investigates how state policies on both ends of this migration trajectory shape moral-territorial borders that transnational couples navigate.
  • Intimate Contradictions: Comparing the Impact of Danish Family Unification Laws on Pakistani and Cuban Marriage Migrants

    Fernandez, Nadine T.; Gudrun Jensen, Tina (Taylor & Francis, 2013)
    The Danish family unification policies are based on an underlying moral agenda rooted in the idea of emotional, intimate, love-based marriages as the basis of the modern nation state. This paper questions the efficacy of this moral agenda by examining the unintended consequences and false dichotomies that emerge with the implementation of the legislation, particularly focusing on kin relations and individual autonomy. Empirically, the article compares how the legislation affects both the intended targets (intra-ethnic marriages among Danes of immigrant descent) and the unintended targets (ethnic Danes who marry non-European spouses, namely, Cubans). This comparative perspective highlights the cracks in the moral agenda of the state’s efforts to shape family formation and, ultimately, the contradictions of attempting to promote ‘modernity’ over ‘tradition’.
  • Your Abortion is in the Mailbox: A Study of Abortion Seekers’ Understanding of their Choices in 2023

    Manns, Sara (2023-12-17)
    On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Clinic, overturning its 1973 decision in Roe and allowing states to regulate abortion. Twelve states immediately criminalized abortion care, precipitating chaos around the country. In Texas, abortion clinics had closed in September 2021, causing patients to travel to Oklahoma and beyond. Oklahoma's clinics closed in May 2022. After Dobbs, residents of Oklahoma and Texas joined residents of three other states seeking limited clinic appointments in access states like Kansas, Illinois and Colorado. More than 50% of these appointments were for medication abortions. Due to changes in federal regulations about telehealth care, abortion pills could also be ordered online, letting prospective patients obtain the same pills available in clinics at home, without travel. The goal of this study is to understand why abortion-seekers from Texas and Oklahoma chose to travel long distances for their pills, instead of ordering online. Clinic patients were surveyed to answer the research question: What do women who choose to travel to a clinic for medication abortion, from their homes in states where it is extra-legal or illegal, believe about telemedicine and clinic provision? The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of SUNY Empire State University. Data was collected April-June 2023 at a medication abortion clinic in Kansas. Adult residents of Texas or Oklahoma who traveled to the clinic for a medication abortion were offered a survey during their visit. The survey collected demographics and asked which alternatives the patient considered to end the pregnancy, which factors influenced their decision to travel to the clinic, and whether they thought that mailing abortion pills for home use is legal in their state. If they considered a method using mail-order pills (abortion pills online or telehealth), they were asked why they decided against it. Findings indicate that speed to appointment date was the top priority for the patients sampled; at the time of data collection, mail-order pills could take up to three weeks to arrive. Legality of the clinic appointment was also a concern for a majority. Privacy was a secondary concern. Seeing a doctor, the defining feature of a clinic visit, did not seem important. While many respondents were concerned about the legality of ordering pills for home use, most were confused about whether it was legal in their state. Based on these findings, policy implications of the shift to self-managed abortion and the impact of abortion access on public health outcomes are explored. Policy recommendations are offered to support access to abortion, despite criminalization of abortion practice in 13 states. Further study is needed to understand what information and messaging informs potential users of at-home abortion about their options.
  • The ABCs of CPL: How to simplify the very complex concept of credit for prior learning

    MacMillan, Thalia; Steinman, Carrie; Boyce, Frances (2023-11)
    How can the workbook help you? Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) has been demonstrated as an effective tool in increasing student engagement in the learning process and student degree completion. This self-guided workbook was developed to address the most frequently asked questions about CPL. The workbook allows students to reflect upon essential factors before enrolling in a degree program at a college or university. It can also assist students in assessing their knowledge and determining their ability to complete learning and obtain college-level credits within a particular area. It answers common questions about CPL and considers the advantages and obstacles students may face in this process. This workbook was also designed to help administrators, faculty members, and professional staff understand the value and importance of CPL. The workbook will help them explore existing areas for creating opportunities for students to access CPL and reflect on essential considerations when integrating this policy at their institution. The purpose of this workbook is to create a more equitable and transparent path toward CPL for any students interested in pursuing at any institution.
  • Art History in the Virtual Reality Environment

    Harrison, Ruthanne (2023-04-25)
    The objective of this project is to create a virtual reality environment for teaching art history in an interactive, collaborative way. The environment will make it possible for students to meet, interact with works of art and architecture, and work together on project-based art history assignments. The method for developing this project involved sourcing online teaching materials, and researching effective methods of assessment. Exploration of virtual reality platforms was necessary to find one accessible for most users, that could be developed for use as an art history classroom and galleries. A learning management system was chosen to organize information and materials, post feedback and grades, and be a repository for work done in the virtual environment. Research into online resources found that art museums offer a multitude of images, essays, and videos that are available for download or linking to, as well as online resources for downloading 3D architectural and sculpture models. FrameVR proves to be both the most accessible and user friendly VR environment for this project. The conclusion in the development of the project is that by providing an easily accessible VR environment, populating it with engaging and interactive art history resources, and offering collaborative, constructivist learning experiences with portfolio and project based assessment, a rich environment for the teaching and learning of art history is provided. This project also provides a template for future specialized topical courses in art history.
  • Exploring Pathways to Purpose in Scouts

    Rush, Alexandra; Brown Urban, Jennifer; Davis, William J.; Linver, Miriam R. (Sage, 2022-05-05)
    Youth purpose was investigated using a two-phase embedded design with youth participating in Scouts BSA (N=3,943), ages 9–20 (M=14.0, SD=1.9). Participating Scouts were mostly White (91%) and male (98%). In Phase 1, we conducted a two-step cluster analysis on Scouts’ survey responses to three purpose dimensions (personal meaning, goal-directedness, beyondthe-self orientation). Four clusters emerged: Purposeful, Explorers, Dreamers, Nonpurposeful. In Phase 2, we explored qualities of purpose within each cluster and programmatic features and relationships within the scouting context fostering youth purpose with a Scout subsample (N=30) who completed semi-structured interviews. Results demonstrated that adults supporting scouting, inspiration from older peers, and opportunities to help others and explore new activities supported youth purpose.
  • All About Mentoring: A Publication of the Empire State College

    Alan Mandell; Richard Wells; Elaine Handley; Connelly Akstens; Reamy Jansen; Sandra Winn; Lear Matthews; Rebecca Fraser; Alice Lai; Dan McCrea; et al. (2020)
  • All About Mentoring: A Publication of the Empire State College

    Alan Mandell; Barry Eisenberg; Melinda S. Blitzer; Robert Congemi; Kate Dermody; Deborah Falco; Maria N. Gravani; Patricia Isaac; Carolina Kim; Al Lawrence; et al.
  • All About Mentoring: A Publication of the Empire State College

    Alan Mandell; Tanweer Ali; Eric L. Ball; Anna Bates; Rebecca Eliseo-Arras; Robert Congemi; Alan Mandell; Alan T. Belasen; Anant Deshpande; David Anthony Fullard; et al.
  • All About Mentoring: A Publication of the Empire State College

    Alan Mandell; Shantih E. Clemans; Cindy Bates; Schenectady Found Things; JoAnn Kingsley; Robert Congemi; Kate Dermody; Anastasia Pratt; Tom Kerr; Mary V. Zanfni; et al.
  • All About Mentoring: A Publication of the Empire State College

    Alan Mandell; Rebecca Bonanno; Valeri Chukhlomin; Carole Ford; Deborah Smith; Himanee Gupta-Carlson; Susan McConnaughy; Diane Perilli; Menoukha Robin Case; Colleagues from the School of Nursing and Allied Health; et al.
  • All About Mentoring: A Publication of the Empire State College

    Alan Mandell; Ruth Goldberg; Eric L. Ball; Jill Borgos; April Simmons; Anita Brown; Anastasia Pratt; Robert Carey; Margaret Clark-Plaskie; Robert Congemi; et al.
  • All About Mentoring: A Publication of the Empire State College

    Alan Mandell; Peggy Tally; Elaine Handley; Lee Herman, Miriam Tatzel; Connelly Akstens; Robert Altobello; Menoukha Case; Jay Gilbert, Chris Rounds; Patrice M. DeCoster; Colleagues From Inside and Outside SUNY Empire State College; et al.
  • All About Mentoring: A Publication of the Empire State College

    Alan Mandell; Yvonne C. Murphy; Georgia A. Popoff; Michele Cooper; Carlos Enrique García Rodríguez; Yoelvis Quintana Fernandez; Barbara Kantz; Layla Abdullah-Poulos; David A. Fullard; Eric L. Ball; et al.
  • All About Mentoring: A Publication of the Empire State College

    Alan Mandell; Nadine T. Fernandez; Anna Louise Bates; David Starr-Glass; Ann Becker; Samantha James; Mildred Van Bergen; Terry Boddie; Robert Altobello; Tom Brady; et al.
  • All About Mentoring: A Publication of the Empire State College

    Alan Mandell; Julia Penn Shaw; Margaret Clark-Plaskie; Tanweer Ali; Eric L. Ball; Ann M. Becker; Lynne Wiley; Robert Congemi; Sue Epstein; Jessica Kindred; et al.
  • All About Mentoring: A Publication of the Empire State College

    Alan Mandell; Shantih E. Clemans; Penny Coleman; Julie Gedro; Richard Cattabiani; David Lemmon; Kevin L. Woo; Rebecca Fraser; Arthur Chickering; Lorette Pellettiere Calix; et al.

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