About OVPAI
The Office of the Vice-Provost for Academic Innovation (VPAI) works with college, department, and faculty leaders to promote and support excellence and innovation in teaching at Cornell. It seeks to extend the standing and commitment of Cornell as a community of teachers, grounded in common pedagogical purposes and practices (building from distinct disciplinary strengths and traditions), a common interest in ongoing learning and improvement (including as guided by educational theory and research), and a shared commitment to evolving our pedagogical practice through ongoing feedback, experiment, and innovation.
The VPAI oversees Cornell’s excellent Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI), and works closely with the leadership, faculty and staff of all Cornell schools and colleges to support more effective and innovative teaching at all scales and levels. Current initiatives in the VPAI office include support for the university’s ongoing Active Learning Initiative; efforts to improve the fairness and effectiveness of student course evaluations; research and piloting of alternative assessment mechanisms (including in large and introductory classes); support for cross-campus learning and improvement in teaching modalities beyond traditional lecture formats (studio, clinical, lab-based, seminar, etc.); efforts to improve the evaluation of teaching for purposes of hiring, promotion and tenure; and initiatives to respond to the distinct challenges and opportunities of generative AI tools in the teaching and learning context.
Each team member at OVPAI brings a wealth of knowledge in their respective fields, contributing to the team’s overall expertise and effectiveness. Together, this dynamic team drives the mission of OVPAI, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation in teaching and learning across the campus.
Steven J. Jackson
Vice Provost for Academic Innovation
The OVPAI team, led by Vice Provost Steven Jackson, is dedicated to advancing academic innovation at Cornell University. Vice Provost Jackson, a Professor in the Department of Information Science and the Department of Science and Technology Studies, also holds additional graduate field appointments in Communication and Public Affairs.
Adara Alston
SETs Central Administrator
Adara Alston, the Student Evaluations of Teaching (SETs) Central Administrator, plays a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing the university’s course evaluation processes. Adara has a Master of Education in Instructional design with years of experience in online course design for Cornell, and 20 years of experience in functional design and product management in software development.
Georgiana Saroka
OVPAI Executive Administrative Support
Executive support is provided by Georgiana Saroka, who ensures seamless operations and research excellence. With 13 years of experience in Higher Education, Georgiana holds an MA from NYU and is currently pursuing a PhD at Cornell. She brings expertise in executive administrative management and research, leveraging multilingual skills to make meaningful contributions to academic initiatives.
Contact OVPAI
Please reach out for more information or with any questions.
Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Innovation
449B Day Hall
607-255-9970