Published in ConnectED Newsletter - Volume 9 - Issue 1 - October 2025
Since 2005, Doris Grasserbauer has been the Director of the Multimedia Center, an invaluable resource for School of Education faculty, staff, students, and alumni. She holds the academic title of Diplom Ingenieurin (DI) in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Technology, Vienna, Austria. Her education is equivalent to an M.S. in the United States.
DI Grasserbauer started out as a college assistant during her time as a City College student. Her first full-time position was for the PT3 (Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology) grant about two decades ago, which allowed her to design and build the Multimedia Center. When the grant ended, she was hired as a substitute lecturer for a few years, teaching Elements of Calculus I for the Department of Mathematics, as well as educational technology classes for the English Education (Teaching English with Technology) and Childhood Education (Independent Study – Integrating Technology in the Classroom) programs. Since then, she has taught other courses such as Use of Data and Technology in the Spanish Classroom as an adjunct instructor.
DI Grasserbauer and her talented team provide support to our constituencies during open lab hours, as well as via phone, online meetings, and email. Services include assistance related to video recording and editing, Office 365, Zoom, Dropbox, Teams, Google apps, PDF creation, software installation, and system update. Several educational technologies (e.g., laptops, iPads, and a variety of video equipment) can be reserved and be used either in the Center or in our classrooms. DI Grasserbauer offers workshops for students, faculty, staff, and alumni on topics related to education, modeling the use of technology in the classroom. For example, she conducted the workshop Communication in a Digital World and In-Person to highlight the importance of efficient communication within our division and with our students.
DI Grasserbauer has acquired grant funding to make some exciting changes to the Multimedia Center and improve the School of Education’s access to the use of educational technology. During the past academic year, the Center expanded its technology equipment with Virtual Reality (VR) headsets and high-speed computers that will allow faculty and students to experiment with VR in the classroom. This semester, the Educational Theatre program will integrate the use of VR headsets in the curriculum to prepare students to use this technology in their classrooms. The grant proposal was written in collaboration with Professor Sobha Kavanakudiyil. DI Grasserbauer has also prepared a research proposal for the infusion of technology in the Workshop Center 2.0, currently in the planning stage. In that proposal, she addresses the need to create technology-rich environments that can be used during class, following a makerspace model. Technologies suggested include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR).
Because of her extensive expertise, DI Grasserbauer serves on several School of Education committees. She is the chair of both the Committee on Communications and the Committee on Technology and Instructional Resources. Moreover, she has been our website manager for the past two decades. She makes sure that our online representation is up to date and secure. Furthermore, she has increased the School of Education’s presence and visibility on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to inform faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the world about events, news, and accomplishments. She also supports programs, faculty, staff, and students in the use of social media platforms.
Many people have a fear of technology and mathematics, but technology has been second nature to DI Grasserbauer since she was very young. She wants to share her passion for the use of technology with all. She states that, “As educators, we are in this unique position that we can share our knowledge with so many people. If only one pre- or in-service teacher adopts my passion for technology, my teaching philosophy, and my empathy for human beings, that teacher will carry this into their classroom and touch hundreds, if not thousands of lives throughout their careers.”
During her 2023-2024 fellowship leave, DI Grasserbauer studied effective communication techniques, a topic she will continue to explore. The focus of her work is to improve the technology knowledge of our faculty, staff, and students and to introduce new, emerging technologies to our college community. “Luckily, technology is a continuously changing field,” Doris shared. “Working as a technologist and with human beings never gets boring; that is why I love my job at CCNY.”
Last Updated: 10/07/2025 12:06