Project Team

This toolkit was developed through a collaborative partnership between teams at Empire State University, SUNY and SUNY Brockport. The project reflects shared work and expertise.

Empire State University, SUNY Team

Nicola Marae Allain, Ph.D., is Professor of Arts and Media at SUNY Empire State University, where she previously served as Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities. Her research and leadership have focused on digital learning, immersive and virtual environments, and emerging technologies, with specific expertise in higher education technologies and systems, digital media arts, visual pedagogy, and digital communication. Dr. Allain's role on the SUNY Innovative Instruction Research Council (IIRC) led to collaborations with the SUNY Faculty Advisory Council on Teaching with Technology (FACT²) AI Task Group. Allain co-authored the 2nd edition of the SUNY FACT² Guide “Optimizing AI in Higher Education” (2024). She co-chaired the FACT² subgroup on Evaluating AI Tools for Teaching and Learning, leading the development of an AI Tool evaluation instrument, and served as co-author and co-editor of "AI in Action: A SUNY FACT² Guide to Optimizing AI in Higher Education" (2025). She is currently co-chairing the SUNY FACT² Task Group on AI & Digital Accessibility.

Dr. Allain's leadership in faculty development and curriculum design has modeled innovative strategies that scale across disciplines, adopted by SUNY Empire and institutions in New Zealand. She has previously collaborated on metaliteracy initiatives, courses, MOOCs, and publications. With Dr. Mackey, she is Co-Principal Investigator on an Innovative Instructional Technology Grant project on AI & Metaliteracy. Fluent in several languages, Allain is also a translator of French poetry and Classical Chinese literary texts. She was awarded the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in 2006.

Thomas P. Mackey, Ph.D. is Professor in the Department of Arts and Media at Empire State University, State University of New York (SUNY), where he serves as Program Coordinator for the Digital Media Arts (BA/BS) degree. His research centers on metaliteracy, a pedagogical framework he co-originated with Prof. Trudi E. Jacobson to support reflective, ethical, and participatory learning in digital environments. Their co-authored book Metaliteracy in a Connected World: Developing Learners as Producers was recognized with the 2024 Divergent Publication Award for Excellence in Literacy in a Digital Age Research. Mackey is also co-editor of Teaching Digital Storytelling: Inspiring Voices through Online Narratives (2024), with Dr. Sheila Marie Aird, which features contributions from educators in the United States and South Africa.

Dr. Mackey has received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities and the Dr. Susan H. Turben Chair in Mentoring. He also received a 2025 AI Fellowship at Empire State University focused on embedding artificial intelligence and metaliteracy within selected Digital Media Arts courses and developing scalable learning resources. He serves as Co-Principal Investigator with Dr. Allain on the SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grant supporting the development of this open educational resource (OER) toolkit for the effective integration of AI and metaliteracy across the curriculum. He was named the 2024 SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador and holds an honorary appointment in the Research Unit for Self-Directed Learning at North-West University, South Africa.

Eugenio Solis de Ovando, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at SUNY Empire State University, where he also serves as Interim Academic Coordinator for Arts and Media and for the Department of Literature, Communication, and Cultural Studies. He holds a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence, a master’s degree in Learning and Emerging Technologies, and a bachelor’s degree in Digital Media Arts, and is currently pursuing a second doctorate in Instructional Design and Technology. His work focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence, digital media, and education, with an emphasis on applied innovation and real-world impact.

Dr. Solis de Ovando is an expert in artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and professional software, with more than twenty years of experience training professionals across industries such as design, media, marketing, and technology. He specializes in integrating AI into instructional design, creative workflows, and human performance, helping individuals and organizations adapt to evolving technological environments.

In addition to his academic work, he provides consulting services for major organizations across multiple countries, supporting initiatives in digital transformation, AI integration, and creative technology. His international experience allows him to connect academic knowledge with industry practice in a practical and effective way. He also collaborates in the evaluation and testing of advanced software tools before public release, maintaining deep expertise in professional creative and production technologies. Through his combined work in teaching, research, and consulting, he continues to explore how AI and technology can enhance learning, creativity, and professional development.

Alena Rodick currently serves as the Director of Learning Design and Solutions at Empire State University, where she supports strategic planning for Empire Online and oversees work related to instructional design, instructional technology, digital accessibility, course development, and personnel. Her work focuses on developing effective online learning experiences through research-supported course design practices, quality assurance processes, usability testing, accessibility review, and evidence-based approaches to course improvement.

Alena holds graduate degrees in Information Design and Technology and Data Analytics. She has taught online courses for Empire State University and the College of Saint Rose, including advanced instructional design, new media and literacies, and data models and structured data analysis. She has led and contributed to a wide range of instructional design and educational technology projects, including multiple SUNY Innovative Instructional Technology Grant initiatives, MOOC development, learning analytics, data-informed course design, digital accessibility, generative AI, and faculty support. She has presented widely at local, national, and international events on topics related to online education, instructional design, digital accessibility, generative AI, and emerging educational technologies.

State University of New York at Brockport Team

Kathleen Olmstead, Ed.D., Associate Professor, SUNY Brockport

Kathleen is a literacy scholar in the Education and Human Development department at SUNY Brockport. Her research interests include literacy and empathy, inclusive children’s literature, home-school literacy connections, early literacy, and teacher education. She has collaborated extensively with Dr. Logan Rath on related initiatives.

Logan Rath, Ph.D., Librarian, SUNY Brockport

Dr. Logan Rath is a Librarian at SUNY Brockport where he focuses on instruction and student research support. He is a 2023 recipient of the Service to the University award and a 2016 recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Librarianship. His current research interests include the intersection of information literacy and literacy as a social practice, effective library instruction, and effective integration of technology into collegiate learning. In addition to his role as a librarian at Brockport, Logan teaches at the University at Albany in the Information Science and Technology program. He co-authored the chapter "Applying the metaliteracy framework to literacy and teaching for learning in a digital and multimodal age" in T. Mackey & T. Jacobson (Eds.), Metaliteracy in Practice (2016) and has contributed to OER development.