Our Mission

A word on what steps we mean to climb.

At the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT), we believe that all individuals are made in the image of God. Thus, we cultivate learning environments online, on-ground and everywhere in-between in order to create meaningful academic engagement between faculty and students, and more intentionally recognize one another as whole persons.

Our Mission

Teaching

A variety of internal and external development opportunities provide faculty with creative methods for student engagement through transformative pedagogies.

Learning

At Eastern University, we offer our students a wide variety of undergraduate, graduate and professional opportunities for learning and development.

Technology

Faculty are trained in various cutting-edge educational technologies, exposing students to the kinds of tools they will need in their scholarship, internships, and careers.

Meet Our Team!

Rebecca Gidjunis

Assistant Provost for Academic Operations

rgidjuni@eastern.edu

Rebecca Gidjunis serves as assistant provost at Eastern University. She has spent most of her life here, first as an undergraduate student, then as an admissions counselor, and then as a professor in the English Department and Director of CTLT. Her poetry and creative nonfiction work has been published widely, and she is managing editor of Saturnalia Books. She has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes and is the recipient of an Academy of American Poets award. She is a huge fan of innovative technology and...llamas.

Sue Yavor

Manager of Instructional Design & Learning Technologies

syavor@eastern.edu

Sue Yavor is a graduate of Eastern University. She has worked as a Computer Programmer, Business Analyst and as a Computer Programming Instructor for 15 years before coming to Eastern as the Assistant Brightspace Administrator. Her favorite part of her job is assisting faculty with their course technology needs. She enjoys leading training seminars and working one on one with faculty to help them learn new ways to incorporate technology into their courses. When she is not at work, she is involved with the activities of her three kids. She is a Boy Scout leader, Venture Crew Advisor and Robotics Coach. When the family can find some free time she enjoys camping and traveling with her husband and kids. During the summer of 2014 they completed a goal of visiting each of the 48 contiguous states.

Alexa Temparali

Assistant Director of Instructional Design

alexa.temparali@eastern.edu

Alexa Temparali is working towards her Doctorate of Education in Adult Learning and Development. She holds a Master of Science in Learning Technologies from Drexel University. Prior to joining the team at CTLT, she worked as a special education teacher. At the beginning of the pandemic, Alexa worked as a remote course facilitator, supporting Drexel’s faculty in moving their in-person instruction online. At work, Alexa is passionate about using technology to make content accessible for all learners. Alexa has a love for all things nerdy, including Dungeons and Dragons and superhero movies. She has a wonderful cat at home named Roasty, and will happily talk about her to anyone who will listen.

Danielle Curry

Learning Experience Designer

danielle.curry@eastern.edu

Danielle believes in the power of the red pen to take things from good to great. She graduated from Eastern University in 2024 with a B.A. in Communication Studies and now works in the Center for Teaching and Learning Technology as a Learning Experience Designer. In her time as a student she was Editor-in-Chief of Inklings Literary Magazine and a leader and advocate for Refuge. Now, as a member of staff, she is committed to creating a positive learning environment enriched with all the educational tools a student could need. In her free time, Danielle enjoys writing poetry, playing Dungeons & Dragons, revelling in all things pink, and failing dramatically at playing metroidvanias.

Erin Mendoza-Laude

Learning Experience Designer

erin.zak@eastern.edu

An Eastern University alumn, Erin Mendoza-Laude graduated in 2021 with a B.A. in English Writing and Literature, and is the recipient of the Caroline Cherry Literature Award and the Thyra Ferre Bjorn Creative Writing Award. After working in the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology as a student worker, Erin continued her work in the role of Learning Experience Designer full-time. She strives to create engaging online courses for students and is currently pursuing an M.S. in Instructional Technology at Lehigh University. When she is not working, Erin enjoys picking up new creative hobbies such as sewing, photography, and art.

Eugene Slason

Assistant Director for Faculty Assessment

eugene.slason@eastern.edu

Eugene Slason earned his doctoral degree in education researching the impact of game-based learning on motivation and engagement. Prior to working at Eastern, he served as mathematics faculty and the quantitative reasoning coordinator at Regis College. At Eastern he is helping faculty take their courses, programs, and assignments to the next level based on insightful statistics and quality feedback. Being a strong proponent of game-based learning means that, when he is not working, he is playing; with a wide selection of tabletop games, he can be found racing through jungle temples, exploring haunted houses, or foiling plans for global domination all while sitting at a table with his friends.