MIKE OKANE: BIOGRAPHY
My interest in teaching and educational administration began when I had an opportunity to manage a small community arts center in Oswego, New York. From that work I moved on to work as an exhibitions designer at the University Art Gallery at Binghamton University, while studying for a Master's degree in Advanced Technology from the Watson School of Engineering. I received my M.S. in 1988, with a specialization in Systems Science. After three years teaching Computer Science courses at Broome Community College, I accepted a contact position with IBM in the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. I was then fortunate to begin working as an Instructional Coordinator with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NC State University just as the World Wide Web emerged! I quickly became fully engaged in the design and delivery of Web-based courses and academic information services, with active support and encouragement from the administration of the College.
My role became more administrative in nature and I served the Dean of the College (now Chancellor Oblinger) as Coordinator of Administrative and Academic Computing. I was then offered a position with the University Of North Carolina (UNC) System office to serve as the first Executive Director of the UNC Teaching and Learning with Technology Collaborative under the guidance of Dr. Diana Oblinger (then UNC Vice President for Information Resources, now President of Educause).
I learned a great deal in these administrative positions but missed the sense of personal value and effectiveness that I had found working within a two-year institution. I applied for and accepted a position at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College in Asheville, North Carolina, where I currently teach courses in Web and object oriented programming.
I am especially interested in the design and delivery of effective online learning environments, and in the organization, customization, and flow of academic information for effective decision-making, evaluation, assessment, and reporting.
EDUCATION
Master of Science, Advanced Technology, Specializing in Systems Science, Binghamton University, GPA 4.0, 1988. Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement.
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Sheffield College of Art and Design, Sheffield, England. 1978