The Office of Online Education

The Office of Online Education serves to create, promote and support effective and accessible online education at Lehman College. We support the use of instructional technologies online, hybrid and face-to-face teaching. We advise and consult on the use of instructional technologies, guided by research, inquiry, and experimentation. We assist faculty in the design and delivery of online education. We train and consult in the implementation of online instructional activities, course design, and the creation of new online courses and programs.

We are located in Carman Hall, Room 249. Stop by to have some quiet work time or drop in for a quick conversation with the Office of Online Education staff. You can also send an email to online.education@lehman.cuny.edu to schedule a face-to-face or an online consultation session.

Strategic Goals

  • Create a holistic approach to the development, delivery and assessment of online education at Lehman College
  • Provide assistance to develop quality, fully or partially online courses and program
  • Establish quality standards, criteria, tracking and assessment for online/hybrid courses and programs
  • Increase the capacity for online teaching and learning
  • Review emerging technologies that enable new directions in online education

Meet Our Team

Dr. Olena Zhadko has 15 years of experience in the field of educational technology and a PhD in teaching and learning. She has worked at three institutions of higher education providing leadership into best practices for curriculum development, program delivery, and assessment through the effective use of learning technology and innovative educational initiatives. She has also taught online for over a decade at a variety of institutions and organizations, including serving as faculty for the Online Learning Consortium Institute. She is the co-author with Susan Ko of Best Practices in Designing Courses with Open Educational Resources (2020) and Best Practices for Mentoring in Online Programs: Supporting Faculty and Students in Higher Education (2022). She serves as the Director of Online Education at Lehman College, City University of New York, acting as the College’s senior administrator charged with the oversight of all facets of digital learning. 

Dermot Foley came to Lehman in 2022 after being at Hunter College for eleven years, where he held positions in the Department of Instructional Computing and Information Technology and the School of Education. At Hunter, Dermot worked with hundreds of faculty members on further integrating technology into their pedagogy via the purposeful deployment of learning/assessment management platforms, conferencing tools, blogs, e-portfolios, and wikis in both synchronous and asynchronous blended and hybrid learning models. Prior to working at CUNY, Dermot taught as an adjunct professor in the school of education at Long Island University and as a guest lecturer at Teachers College, Columbia University and served as a field supervisor at both teaching masters candidates at over fifty NYC DOE elementary schools. He is a former elementary and middle school teacher in special education, writing, and technology. Born in the Bronx, he holds a BA from Colgate University in Philosophy and Religion, a MS from the College of New Rochelle in Special Education, and an Ed.D. (ABD) at Teachers College, Columbia University in Curriculum and Teaching. 

John McDonough has been an Instructional Designer at several institutions. He is well versed in adult learning theories and stay abreast of the latest in online education best practices and implementation. Most recently, he was at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where he collaborated with faculty on designing and developing several model/exemplary courses spanning multiple disciplines. During his time at Lehman, he oversees our key program – the Course Design Institute. In this role John mentors several instructional designers, as well as guide instructors in developing engaging and effective online learning experiences. Book a consultation with John 

Asma (ahs-ma) A. Neblett is a writer, digital humanist, and educational technologist from New York with nearly a decade of research, project management, and data management experiences in public education. Asma provides guidance and concierge services to students and instructors about strategies and best practices for online learning experiences, educational technologies, and mentorship services as an Online Learning Student Peer Mentor at Lehman College. She is also a journal issue co-editor and staging committee member for CUNY’s Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy. Her written discussions focus on community, learning, music, and the humanities (Women’s Studies, philosophy, literature) as seen in publications such as Urban Omnibus, Punk Spirituality, and more.