New Full-Time Staff 2024
Cia Kessler
Instructional Designer and Faculty Development Manager | KCeL
Cia Kessler (pronounced like “Chia Pet,” of which, she jokingly confessed, she has several) joined Kingsborough Community College in April as Kingsborough Center for eLearning (KCeL)’s new instructional designer and faculty development manager. She is tasked with supporting faculty in applying the best practices for teaching to their courses. That includes helping faculty make the transition from Blackboard to Brightspace learning management system and working with them to utilize backward design and Universal Design for Learning as they re-envision their courses.
In backward design, the focus shifts from the topics to cover to the intended learning outcomes. Faculty start with their end goals, followed by the assessment strategies they'll use to gauge how students have mastered the concepts, which will help determine what content they'll use. Universal Design for Learning helps make learning more inclusive by removing barriers and offering flexible ways students access material and demonstrate what they’ve learned.
“I support faculty directly through workshops and individual sessions and by writing guides on applying the best practices for instructional design to their courses, whether online, in person, or hybrid. This includes how to optimize their use of technology by finding the best tools to support their design ideas, as well as helping them troubleshoot the technology they're already using,” she explained.
Cia holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Brooklyn College and a master of philosophy in English literature from the CUNY Graduate Center. “Because I had small children to support, I worked full time in the corporate world as a technical writer, quality assurance tester, and instructional designer for a large software company. The intersection of a love for technology, an interest in explaining things, and a love for working with students led to my current role.”
Her previous work experience includes positions at the College of Mount Saint Vincent and several CUNY institutions, including Brooklyn College, Queensborough Community College, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Bronx Community College, and Hostos Community College.
Cia and her wife have been married for 45 years and have two grown children; one is a pediatrician at Bellevue and the other is a cybersecurity engineer. Her wife, Mona, ran a biomaterials lab at Columbia University for 15 years and recently retired from her second career as a NYC math teacher. Outside of work, Cia enjoys reading and writing.
“I’ve done almost any type of writing you can imagine, from writing about technology to editing textbooks to teaching writing. I also did some investigations and wrote reports for almost two years for the independent agency that investigates complaints against the NYPD,” she shared. Cia was the recipient of an award from the Connecticut Press Club for online journalism, and, more recently, one of her short stories won a Penumbra/Seven Hills award. Her ultimate goal is to write the Great American Novel. (“Stay tuned!”)
Despite a long commute, Cia looks forward to coming to work every day. “Working at Kingsborough is a dream come true,” she said. "The people I work with and the location on the beach make my three+ hour commute a delight. Community colleges are at the forefront of transforming lives through higher education, and KCC is the best of the best.”