The Department of Communication is pleased to announce that Professor Stellina Chapman has taken the position of full-time lecturer for the 2022-23 academic year. You may recognize Prof. Chapman from her strategic communications courses and work in cross-cultural communication studies.
Prof. Chapman has two Masters degrees in Health Sciences, and Communications from Alabama University and the University of Ohio as well as a Doctorate degree in Communications also from Ohio University. She did her dissertation research in South Africa, teaching online from Ohio, taking part in one of the first virtual education programs. Needless to say, when the pandemic halted in-person education, Prof. Chapman knew exactly what to do.
There is often a question as to what is the best or most effective mode of instruction and I think it really just comes down to what works best for the student.
Prof. Chapman joined the SUNY New Paltz Communication Department in 2013 and has taught exclusively on line ever since; she has never actually visited campus. Online teaching has allowed Prof. Chapman to instruct from Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, and even abroad in Guangzhou, China. Despite not physically being present at New Paltz, Prof. Chapman feels herself to be a part of the Communications Department community and is grateful for development opportunities that it has offered.
Currently Prof. Chapman is teaching Interpersonal Communication, Introduction to Strategic Communication, Social Media and Public Relations, and Communication Among Cultures. Her courses are taught in both synchronous and asynchronous layouts but she prefers the asynchronous format as it allows students to work on their own time as well as have real-life work experiences outside of the classroom. Prof. Chapman enjoys bringing popular culture into her courses to better engage students and hone in on their personal interests. She tries her best to incorporate current films and television shows into her curriculum and apply it to the theories and concepts discussed in class.
I really enjoy my students at New Paltz because they have a variety of unique experiences and flavorful cultures to apply to their learnings.
One of Prof. Chapman’s new and favorite assignments is called RAM on the Gram – Random Assignments on Media. Random assignments are posted on a class Instagram and students must create their own posts – students create an Instagram account only for this course – as well as respond to the posts of their classmates. The purpose of this application-based assignment is to have a real-time conversation about the course topic in a medium that many of her students have grown up socializing on. Students can even hashtag, link, and share relevant pieces to extend the conversation.
Keep an eye out for courses taught by Prof. Chapman in the Spring 2023 Schedule of Classes.
Below is a brief bio written by Prof. Chapman about her background and teaching principles:
Prof. Chapman has been teaching online over the last 10 years and her passion stems from providing accessible, flexible, and adaptable online learning to all students. In a world where our students have grown up socializing online, education should not be any different. Her background extends to course development, implementation, and evaluation in order to make the online student learning experience the best possible. She tries to meet students where they are by integrating social media into her practical teaching and learning exercises. She lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas and in her free time enjoys exercise, being outdoors, traveling, and spending time with her husband and three small (and very busy) children.