The Center for Learning and Teaching (CLT) at Binghamton University offers professors and students the opportunity to innovate their classrooms with technologies and unique teaching techniques, and is now expanding in a different direction under new leadership.

The CLT, located in Glenn G. Bartle Library, provides a wide variety of services for both students and professors. Among the most utilized resources in the space are the instructional design service, which is a program designed to teach professors how to best present and convey course material to students, and tutoring services for students that are primarily focused on educational technologies.

James Pitarresi was recently promoted executive director and vice provost of the CLT, and is now in charge of designing academic spaces and aiding with new educational technology.

“If a professor wanted to meet with our instructional design team to think about a way to maybe add gamification to their class to make it more exciting, they’d come to us,” Pitarresi said. “On the student side, we have tutorial services such as a big team of tutors that support student success. So, I like to think that the CLT is supporting both sides of the learning environment: student and instructor.”

Pitarresi began his career as an assistant professor in the mechanical engineering department at BU and worked his way up the ranks over the last 29 years. He became the chair of the mechanical engineering department, a job he held for 11 years prior to joining the CLT.

Cherie van Putten, an instructional designer at the CLT, said that she thinks Pitarresi is a great fit for his new role as vice provost not only because of his prior experience, but also because of his genuine interest in seeing students succeed.

“Because [Pitarresi] was a professor — a distinguished one who won awards — he knows the classroom dynamic and can facilitate active learning experiences in which students can learn and retain more information,” Putten said. “The biggest thing about him though, is that he really has the students’ interests at heart. He really does want to improve the learning environment for students and he gives every bit of himself to his job.”

The CLT has always offered services like instructional design and tutoring center options for students who need extra help. Pitarresi said that during his time there, new tasks and organizations were added to the fold and Pitarresi took charge of these new initiatives as well.

Simon Tong, a lecturer of the chemistry department, said he has utilized CLT services and found them to be a productive campus resource.

“The CLT has been helpful in answering my questions and introducing me to new ways to better communicate material across to students,” said Tong. “The new classrooms foster learning through a more a relaxed environment and upgraded technology and I definitely hope to utilize more CLT services.”

Anu Verma, a sophomore majoring in anthropology, said she found the CLT classes to be an efficient work environment.

“I took [organic chemistry] in one of the new CLT classes and found that the rooms really foster a better learning environment,” Verma said. “The advanced technology allowed my professor to more easily convey information, and little things — like the fact that we can write on the walls and the chairs are all mobile — make it a better work environment.”