"I like the idea of being able to respond to students and grade their work whether I am at home, at night or weekends, or even on vacation."

— Dominick DeFino, School of Applied Science and Technology Mentor

JetBlue has Partnered with Thomas Edison State University to help crewmembers complete their degrees. The University collaborated with the airline to create alternative credit pathways to several of its degree programs that utilize online courses evaluated by the American Council on Education, select JetBlue training programs and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certifications evaluated by the University, along with credit-by-exam programs and open courses.

Meet a Mentor: Dominick DeFino

Circuits, Currents and Curriculum Development

As a seasoned educator at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) in New Jersey, Professor Dominick DeFino has known about Thomas Edison State University since it moved into the Kelsey Building on West State Street – about the same time MCCC vacated the historic Trenton building to move to its larger West Windsor campus.

"Around 2003, I met Tom Devine as we worked on a program partnership with PSEG," DeFino explained. "A few years later, when he became the assistant dean at TESU's School of Applied Science and Technology, Tom asked me if I would be interested in developing and mentoring classes in the Electrical Technology and Electronics Systems Engineering Technology programs. I have been doing that since fall 2007."

DeFino admitted that he had no idea what mentoring online would be like, so he had no preconceived notions about the role.

"I knew it would be rigorous, so I was not surprised at the details and record keeping required," he said. "The only thing I remember thinking was 'how would it feel to not see the people I was mentoring.' I think I was fortunate that the first few classes were filled with very engaged students. This made the transition to online teaching easy."

Initially, DeFino mentored Direct Current (DC) Circuits with a lab (ELE-211) and Alternating (AC) Circuits with a lab (ELE-212) courses. Currently, he handles those duties while mentoring Solid State Devices and Circuits with a lab (ELT-306) and Linear and Integrated Circuits/Electronic Circuits with a lab (ELT-307) courses. Online students in the latter hone their hands-on skills on an Electronics Explorer (EE) board, an integrated analog/digital circuit design station that contains the components students need to complete, test and analyze physical circuit designs in their assignments. The EE board software interfaces with students' PCs and devices so that student lab projects and reports can be documented, stored and uploaded for the mentor's review.

"I like the idea of being able to respond to students and grade their work whether I am at home, at night or weekends, or even on vacation," he added. "I think this is a benefit to students as well. I have some military among my students and I know they are often away from home base and yet they can get whatever resources they need and get the work submitted."

Involved in the transition to the ABET accredited Electronics Systems Engineering Technology program, DeFino found another avenue for fine-tuning course development including the integration of virtual laboratory exercises.

"This was a chance for me to bounce the courses I had created off people who I respected as educators," DeFino explained. "It was nice to know they understood and appreciated online teaching. Also, taking part in the process gave me an opportunity to meet other TESU mentors as well as administrators."

DeFino holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; he also has a New Jersey Professional Engineers license.

In addition to his mentoring duties, DeFino is involved in ensuring that the University's programs and courses meet the highest standards by serving on TESU Industrial Advisory Commission (IAC) as well as its Curriculum Committee.

"The IAC monitors new courses and programs to be sure they align with what is needed and what is appropriate in the 'real' world," DeFino noted. "The Curriculum Committee evaluates new courses or programs to be sure they meet college-level standards and that they are appropriate to the learning objectives expected."

DeFino, who continues to teach full time at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, N.J., lives in Levittown, Pa.

Insights Home »