IDD&E-ers Blossom Globally
Professor Aytaç Göğüş is the dean of Faculty of Education at Istanbul Okan University, Turkey, since July 1, 2020. She received her M.S. (2001) and Ph.D. (2006) in IDD&E. Between May 2006 and May 2007, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the IDD&E program. Between October 2005 and May 2007, she worked as a course writer and instructional designer on designing and developing college-level online mathematics courses for McGraw Hill Higher Education Online. At the same time, she worked as a Vice President for Communication at Training and Performance Division of Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) in 2007–2008. Between September 2007 and February 2015, she worked in the Center for Individual and Academic Development at Sabancı University, Istanbul. Between July 21, 2014, and January 20, 2015, she was a visiting research scholar at the Department of Curriculum & Instruction of the Judith Herb College of Education at the University of Toledo (Ohio, U.S.). She is a faculty member and the chair at the Department of Educational Sciences in Istanbul Okan University since March 1, 2015.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she became the dean of Faculty of Education at Istanbul Okan University. She has received the reviewer excellence award from the Educational Technology Research and Development journal (ETR&D) during the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) 2020 Virtual Conference. About the COVID-19 pandemic, she has published an article “Shifting to digital: adoption and diffusion” (2021) in ETR&D. Her two kids Ata Can (second grade) and Izgi Su (ninth grade), she, and her husband, Nihat Gökhan, have had many experiences with synchronous courses since March 2020. She says: “Thank you, God, we are healthy and have four rooms in which everybody can access the Internet to continue their lessons. Even though it has been very stressful running face-to-face small group meetings and a small group hybrid course, most of the courses are synchronous courses via OLEARN, blackboard learning management system.” Aytaç sends her best wishes and warm regards to the IDD&E family.
Phone: +90 539 723 52 45
E-mail: aytac.gogus@okan.edu.tr
Erin Cunia (B.A. ’93; M.S. IDD&E ‘05) has earned the Certified Professional in Talent Development® credential from the Association for Talent Development Certification Institute (ATD CI), formerly ASTD CI. Earning the CPTD certification means Erin Cunia, CPTD, possesses the knowledge and skills to be a top performer in the talent development field.
To earn the CPTD certification, Ms. Cunia acquired industry-related experience and successfully passed a skills application examination. The CPTD certification process is rigorous and challenging. It produces candidates with a breadth and depth of knowledge that brings significant benefits to their employers, colleagues, and clients. Employing CPTD credential holders brings respect to an organization’s talent development function and helps ensure successful learning programs and organizational impact.
Erin currently works as a Lead Program Manager in Talent Development and Management at National Grid. She is also the VP Employee Learning Awareness for the local chapter of the Association of Talent Development, CNY ATD. She was awarded the 2020 Ken Steiger Leadership Scholarship from the CNY ATD to pursue the CPTD credential. National Grid was awarded the 2020 CNY BEST Resilience Gold Award for Digital Learning Transformation.
National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. National Grid is transforming our electricity and natural gas networks with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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