Staff
Dr. Irina Dubinina is an Associate Professor of Russian and the Director of the Russian language program at the Department of German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literature. She joined Brandeis in 2007 and has been active in various pedagogical training programs and initiatives at the university and beyond. A winner of the 2012 Louis Dembitz Brandeis Prize for Excellence in Teaching, Irina has shown passion and commitment to pedagogy not only in her teaching at Brandeis, but also in her years of experience in organizing and running workshops and training programs for faculty in the U.S. and abroad. Irina serves on the Board of Directors for American Councils of Teachers of Russian where she leads the Committee on Professional Development and she also serves on the Pedagogy Advisory Board of the National Heritage Language Resource Center.
Dr. Marty Samuels holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Harvard University where he also taught dozens of undergraduate biology and chemistry courses. As the Associate Director for Science at Harvard’s Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, he worked with faculty across disciplines to incorporate active learning and inclusive teaching, (re)design courses and assignments, train TAs, foster communities of practice, and support student success. Marty also has extensive experience in helping faculty apply for educational grants. Prior to joining the Bok Center, he served as the Assistant Director for Undergraduate Studies for Molecular and Cellular Biology and Chemical and Physical Biology, teaching and mentoring hundreds of students. His teaching excellence has been recognized with multiple awards at the university level. Most recently, he was the Head of Content for LabXchange, Harvard’s free, interactive science education platform.
Dr. Dan Perlman is a Professor of Environmental Studies who also teaches at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Dan founded the CTL in 2014; in his roles as Director of the CTL and Associate Provost of Innovation in Education he worked closely with Brandeis faculty to explore innovative ways for students to learn. Since coming to Brandeis, he has received the Louis Dembitz Brandeis Prize for Excellence in Teaching and the Student Union Teaching award twice. He has designed and led numerous pedagogy training programs including a year-long Teaching and Learning Fellows series for Brandeis faculty and multi-day workshops for the NSF Chautauqua program and Brandeis University. He has also led numerous pedagogy workshops at New England colleges and universities.
John McCormick has a Master's in educational communications and technology from the University of Washington. He taught English as a second language in Washington State community colleges and Boston University's CELOP. For the past eighteen years, he has worked with and managed teams supporting distance and blended learning at North Shore Community College, Simmons University, and Lesley University. John has expertise in active learning pedagogies that promote student self-regulation and has experience working with faculty across disciplines on developing peer feedback protocols and using learning analytics to improve teaching and learning.
Zoe Baptista has a Master’s in education from Lesley University and is an e-learning professional with extensive experience developing engaging online courses and instructional videos. She has decades of experience designing, building, and evaluating impactful teaching and training tools for a wide range of audiences. She is especially passionate about working with faculty on course design and material development, and is particularly interested in creating innovative learning experiences that inspire students to take action after engaging with the material.
Renee Hung has a Master’s in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) from the University of Pennsylvania and is working toward a doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction as well as a Master’s in instructional design at Indiana University Bloomington. She has several years of experience working with faculty on (re)designing courses across different disciplines in higher education. She has also taught college-level courses that focused on language skills and academic writing and inquiry. She sees herself as both a teacher and a designer and has enjoyed exploring diverse teaching and learning methods when working with faculty. She is especially interested in collaborative learning, peer interactions, and peer feedback.
Benjamin Woupio has a Master’s Degree in Education focusing on Higher Education from Merrimack College. Prior to joining the CTL team, his primary focus was student conduct where he worked with faculty to resolve a number of issues both inside and outside of the classroom at Merrimack College, Northeastern University and Brandeis University. He sees himself as both a teacher and a learner and is passionate about learning new programs and serving as a resource for all.
Wayne Smith earned a Master’s Degree in Special Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has significant experience as a history teacher in secondary schools, most recently teaching 8th grade history and geography at the Nevada Learning Academy. He has expertise in teaching and collaborating remotely and using technology to promote engagement and differentiation. He sees himself as a lifelong learner who is committed to helping students and colleagues achieve success.