Gouri Banerjee
Associate Professor of Information Technology
Ph.D., M.A., Boston University; B.A., University of Delhi
Office hours: Monday 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Wednesday 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Other times by appointment
Office: Library, Room 105-C
Phone: (617) 735-9724
E-mail: banerjee@emmanuel.edu
The essence of all revolution, said philosopher Hannah Arendt, is the start of a new story in human experience. For us in the field of information technology, the new story began roughly in 1981 with the mass adoption of the personal computer. My work in teaching, research, and interacting with students tries to capture the excitement, complexity and rapid and unexpected changes brought about by the information technology revolution and its powerful consequences on our lives.
Academic Interests
Having received my Bachelor of Arts degree in India I developed a great sensitivity to the inequality of access to food, shelter, education and employment by the vast majority of the world's people. Graduate school at Boston University in the 1970's sharpened my sense that technology, social activism and personal commitment can bring meaningful change to people's lives. My Ph. D. dissertation, "Interregional Information Flows and Mass Media Networks," explored the power of mass media technologies to heighten an awareness of social and economic inequities and take small but important steps towards reducing them. Information and technology are powerful agents of change not just for college students but for all citizens. Today, I teach about the power of computer technology to access, organize, analyze, and use information productively in fast-paced technological environments. My research continues to explore ways and means of bringing the power of IT to students, underserved minorities, immigrants and marginalized people.
Current Research
My current research focuses on using blended and online learning pedagogies to enhance student academic engagement and improve learning outcomes. In my research I ask how educators can teach more effectively with class activities that include technology. I often use my classes as laboratories for experimentation. I am deeply interested in ethical issues that touch upon the use of computers and digital materials by this generation of students. Blended pedagogies that combine learning management systems with social networking and Web 2.0 tools are more effective than most other ways of teaching and learning. Within this overall theme, I am also engaged in research that explores how diverse undergraduate students learn, and which teaching methods are most effective for subsets of students.
Courses Taught
- ITECH1101 - Computers for the Liberal Arts
- ITECH2101 - Problem Solving with Computers
- ITECH2109 - The Internet: Use, Abuse, and the Law
- ITECH2107 - Computer Databases: Design and Applications
- FYS 1101 - Globalization: The Great Debates
- GSIA 4498 - Senior Seminar in Global Studies and International Affairs.
Professional Highlights
I have taught in a variety of institutions of higher education in Massachusetts. These include Boston University, Salem State College, at Bunker Hill Community College and now Emmanuel College. I believe that a good teacher is one who constantly reinvents herself to be effective in any kind of classroom or online environment.
Currently, I am an Associate Editor of the Exchange, the newsletter of the New England Faculty Development Consortium. I am also a faculty member at the Teaching and Learning Collaborative of the Colleges of the Fenway. I serve as an ad hoc reviewer for Currents, an online peer reviewed journal of teaching and learning. I am a member of several organizations: Educause, a non-profit organization of higher education leaders who advance education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology, the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE), and the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) committed to quality online education.
I have been a Faculty Fellow for two summers at the Summer Institute of the Colleges of the Fenway's Teaching and Learning Collaborative. In the summer of 2011 my area of concentration was "EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES, DIVERSE LEARNERS, and CONNECTED TECHNOLOGY," held at Simmons College, June 15- 17, 2011.
I was one of four faculty members from the Colleges of the Fenway who taught a five-week online course for faculty who are engaged in deepening their knowledge of how to be effective online teachers. I taught the unit entitled, "Reaching Diverse Learners with Appropriate Online Pedagogies."
Awards
- 2011 - Community Catalyst Award by Lokvani, the People's Voice, a website for South Asian Immigrants
- 2006 - Campus Life Award 2010, Emmanuel College.
- 2005 - Woman of the Year, India New England News, Award for Distinguished Service to Immigrant Women in the South Asian Community
Grants
- Community Health Networks Area 15 Grant. To create a website to support South Asian Immigrant Women with online and face to face resources.
- Colleges of the Fenway, Davis Foundation Grant: for exploring online teaching and learning with WebCT learning management system with colleagues from the COF.
- Community Health Networks Area 15 Grant. Study access to health care by Asian Immigrant Women. A Study by Saheli, Support and Friendship for South Asian Women.
- Target Corporate Foundation Grant. Enhance computer skills among low income residents in Massachusetts. A Program offered by Saheli, Support and Friendship for South Asian Women.
- The Lahey Clinic Community Based Initiatives. A grant to study Intergenerational conflict in Asian families and organize workshops, community surveys and publish results in multilingual formats.
Significant Publications/Presentations/Panels
- Banerjee, Gouri and Picciano, Anthony G. (Eds.). Transitioning to Blended Learning. Co-editor and contributor. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, Special Issue, Vol. 15, Issue 1. February 2011.
- Banerjee, Gouri. "Teaching Students Personal and Social Responsibility: An "Engaged Pedagogy" with Instructional Technologies." Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE), ID 27691. March 2010.
- Banerjee, Gouri. Blended Learning Environments: Student Satisfaction and Institutional Responses at a Small College. Virtual Paper Presentation and Proceedings Association for the Advancement of Computer Education, (AACE), Penang Malaysia, April, 2010.
- Banerjee, Gouri & Suresh, Durga. A Hybrid Teaching Model: Integrating Ethical Values in Millennials. Paper Presentation American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), Minneapolis, Emmanuel College and Wentworth Institute of Technology. October, 2009.
- Suresh, Durga and Gouri Banerjee. Using Hybrid Teaching Practices for Student Success in Small College Classroom. Poster Presentation EDUCAUSE, Denver, Wentworth Institute of Technology and Emmanuel College. November, 2009.
