About the Office of Distance Education

Michael Koskinen comes to St. John's University from Montclair State University where he has served as the Director of Online Program Design and Operations. Prior to his role at Montclair State, Michael has held positions within the online/instructional design space since 2007.

Koskinen earned his Ed.D in Education from Northeastern University in 2018, and he earned his MBA from Western Governors University in 2021.

He is an Educator with over 10 years of experience adapting traditional collegiate course material into cutting-edge electronic teaching tools for delivery in traditional, hybrid, and online settings. Demonstrated success managing multi-million-dollar technology budgets, high-profile software deployments, and staff development.

Ian August joined St. John's University as an instructional designer in June 2017 and was promoted to assistant director in June of 2022. He works with faculty designing interactive and student centered online learning experiences. He brings 12 years of higher education experience to his current role, having served as an instructional technologist at SUNY Old Westbury College (2005 – 2013), and an instructional designer and educational technologist at SUNY Maritime College (2013 – 2017). August has extensive experience collaborating with faculty in the design and development of online and hybrid courses, facilitating workshops and integrating technology into online learning environments.

August earned his B.S. in Political Science from SUNY Old Westbury College, his M.S. in Education from the University at Albany, and started a PhD program in curriculum and instruction at St. John's University in the fall of 2022 His research interests include the role of student motivation in achievement, how interaction and engagement impact learning, exploring creative pedagogies, change management, instructional design, critical pedagogy, and the student learning experience.

Amelia Greenfield joined St. John's University as an instructional designer in October 2023 and works with faculty designing interactive and student-centered online learning experiences. She brings seven years of professional experience in education to her current role, having served as the Instructional Coach for Social Studies at the Sequoia Union High School District (2022-2023), where she also taught high school social studies (2016-2023). Greenfield attended Stanford University, where she graduated in 2015 with a B.A. in History and again in 2016 with a M.A. in Education and a California Teaching Credential in Secondary History-Social Science. Her areas of interest include curriculum development and design, instructional practices for equity, and professional development. 

Terry Shirreffs joined the Office of Distance Education in July 2024 and works with faculty to create engaging and effective online courses.  Terry worked for 18 years as a music teacher at Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead, NY, and spent the last five of those years also working as an Ed Tech coach to assist other faculty members through the pandemic and beyond.  She received her B. Mus. Degree from Manhattanville College in Music Education, specializing in concert band and music theory. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Terry was a Class Dean for 4 years (2010-2014) and the Music Department Chairperson for 9 years (2015-2024).  Terry also holds an M. A. from CUNY Queens College in Historical Musicology, and two Educational Leadership certificates from the College of St. Rose. Her areas of interest in Instructional Design include curriculum development, student engagement, and faculty professional development.