Lilia Juele has been active in academia since 1987, when she began teaching business and computer courses in a high school in New York City. As the advent of the 21st century loomed in the very near future, Dr. Juele began to consider the bigger role the internet was destined to play in the world at large especially in the academic world. She researched online and distance learning as integral parts of teaching because this new method of instruction would “provide a new avenue for academia to reach people who otherwise are not being served by traditional face-to-face instruction”. These worlds ring especially true in the world’s current situation of teaching in the age of COVID-19.
In 2000, Dr. Juele initiated and developed the Distance Education Program at Monroe College in New York City. Because of her knowledge and experience in Distance Learning, she was invited to be a member of the New York State Department of Education (NYSED) task force that developed and implemented the rules and regulations governing Distance Education in New York.
Dr. Juele joined the Community College of Philadelphia in 2004 as the Director of the Distance Education Program, and in 2007, joined Rockland Community College (State University of New York) to be the Director of Online Education and Academic Technology, a position she currently holds.
She has worked tirelessly integrating the latest educational technology into the curriculum of SUNY-RCC to improve the delivery of quality, effective instruction to the students of the college. In 2019, The State University of New York honored Dr. Juele with its Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service. The Chancellor’s Award is the highest honor bestowed by the New York’s state university system.
In announcing this award, the College spoke of Dr. Juele as having a “passion for distance learning and serving her country [which] led her to start an initiative to connect US-based Filipino-American teachers to the Philippines to conduct seminars and workshops to share their expertise with their Philippine counterparts.
As president of the Association of Fil-Am Teachers of America (AFTA), she conceptualized and implemented in 1994 the Balikturo (Return to Teach) project which has benefited thousands of teachers in the Philippines.” Of her work in online education, Dr. Juele says, “I feel very proud to have contributed to the growth of distance education.
Of her work in online education, Dr. Juele says, “I feel very proud to have contributed to the growth of distance education. A growing number of faculties take pride in having trained in developing and teaching an online course. They realize that with changing habits and lifestyles, distance learning will not only serve students who are not able to attend class face-to-face at a campus but also serve those who choose to use technology in making education accessible to them.”
It is the same commitment to excellence and innovation that Dr. Lilia Juele brings to Formasumma.
