Saniye D. Gokcora

Associate Professor
Academic Literacy and Linguistics

Office: N-482

Office Hours:

Phone: +1 (212) 776 7011

Prof. Gokcora is an Associate Professor at Borough of Manhattan Community College. Upon receiving a Fulbright scholarship, she came to the U.S. and completed an M.A. degree in Teaching English as a Second Language and a Ph.D. degree in Second Languages and Cultures Education at the University of Minnesota. She worked as a faculty developer at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA and as an Assessment Coordinator at the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) of the University of Minnesota. She also worked as an ESL instructor in many colleges and universities in New Jersey and is very glad to be at BMCC since she has a great passion to teach beginning Freshman and ESL students. She also taught Methodology, Teaching Grammar, Freshman Composition, Practicum to undergraduates in the department of English Language Teaching at Bosphorus University in Istanbul, Turkey.
She has been teaching online intensive writing and linguistics courses, integrating collaborative online international learning (COIL) at BMCC.

Expertise

Her research interests are Second language reading in terms of using constant quizzes and writing, use of technology in second language learning, digital literacy, experiences and beliefs of faculty in community colleges, faculty development, assessment in second language, especially concerning international teaching assistants.

Degrees

B.A. Hacettepe University, Ankara. Turkey, English Language and Literature,1983
M.A. University of Minnesota, Mpls, MN, Teaching English as a Second Language,1987
Ph.D. University of Minnesota, Mpls, MN, Second Languages and Cultures Education ,1994
M.A. University of Washington, Seattle, WA, Near Eastern Civilizations and Cultures,1997

Courses Taught

9 HRS.NULL LAB HRS. ESL 54 ESL 54 (English as a Second Language): This course is designed to improve the reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills of beginning and low-intermediate level students. It is obligatory for one semester for all incoming ESL students whose placement shows a need for instruction at this level.
Corequisite: ESL 49
3 CRS.3 HRS. LIN 100 LIN 100 (Language and Culture (Same as ANT 115)): This course will introduce the student to the study of Language and Culture. The course will introduce related topics, such as bilingual/bidialectal families and bilingual education, language and gender, literacy in a changing, technological society, child language acquisition, and different dialects and registers of English. The readings will draw on works in linguistics, literature and related fields. Students will work on critical reading and produce writing based on the readings in connections with their own experiences and backgrounds.
3 CRS.6 HRS. LIN 100.6 LIN 100.6 (Language and Culture for ESL 95): This course combines Language and Culture (LIN 100) and Intensive Writing (ESL 95). This course will introduce the student to the study of Language and Culture. The course will introduce related topics, such as bilingual/bidialectal families and bilingual education, language and gender, literacy in a changing, technological society, child language acquisition, and different dialects and registers of English. The readings will draw on works in linguistics, literature and related fields. Students will work on critical reading and produce writing based on the readings in connections with their own experiences and backgrounds. Students will receive an earned grade in LIN 100.6 that is equivalent to a grade earned in LIN 100.This is an accelerated course that combines credit-bearing and developmental content. Passing LIN100.6 meets the writing proficiency milestone requirement; students who pass LIN 100.6 are exempt from further ESL courses. LIN 100.6 may not be taken by students who have passed LIN 100 or ESL 95 or are exempt from ESL courses.
Please note: Tuition for this corequisite course is charged by the equated credit (hours) not per credit.
6 HRS.NULL LAB HRS. ESL 96 ESL 96 (Intensive Reading and Writing): ESL 96 is an intensive integrated skills course that emphasizes academic writing and critical reading for ESL students. It focuses on basic components of effective writing and reading, including essay organization, paragraph development, sentence structure, word choice, and content. Students demonstrate comprehension of texts of varying lengths and genres by reading and responding to a variety of texts and using argumentation, narrative, and description as modes of developing ideas in writing. Students demonstrate critical reading skills related to analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. This course is designed to help students master and apply a full range of college-level reading and writing skills in English.

Research and Projects

Quizzes and Student Improvement of Reading: A Pilot Study in a Community College Setting
The current research project examines the effect of frequent quizzes given at a remedial academic reading class at an urban-serving higher education institution. The current frequent quizzes research has implications as a teaching tool and a motivation.
Student Perceptions of Using DIIGO and improvement of their reading skills.
Community College Faculty Members’ Experiences and Needs at Different Stages of Tenure. This study, based on a survey and semi-structured interviews, aims to explore the experiences and needs across different discipline areas of pre-tenure faculty who has been teaching one to three years, four to six years, and those faculty who has more ten years of teaching experience.
Integrating “Global Competencies” in the writing ESL curriculum and asking the right questions:
ESL Students’ Perceptions of Group Work and the Improvement of Writing in an Intensive Writing Course in a Community College.

Publications

Peer-reviewed journal articles

Gokcora, Deniz and Oenbring, Raymond (2023). Restructuring a Developmental ESL Course at an Urban
Community College: Asking the Right Questions. Michigan Reading Journal: Vol. 56: Iss. 1, Article 12.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mrj/vol56/iss1/12
Oenbring, R. & Gokcora, D. (2023). Reimagining Sociolinguistics Courses with Virtual Exchange at Access-Oriented Postsecondary Institutions: The Bahamas Meets New York City in a Linguistic(s) Exchange. Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy, 22
Oenbring, R., & Gokcora, D. (2022). COILing diverse islands: a virtual exchange between the University of the Bahamas and the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Journal of Virtual Exchange, 5, 20-30. https://doi.org/10.21827/jve.5.37388
Gokcora, D. & Oenbring, R. (2021). Experiential learning across borders: Virtual exchange and global social justice. Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education, 4 (2), 55-60.
Vorobel O, Voorhees T, Gokcora D. (2021). Language learners’ digital literacies: Focus on students’ information literacy and reading practices online. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. 37 (4), 1127-1140. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12550
Gokcora, D. (2021). Beneﬁts of Collaborative Online International Learning Projects. Academia Letters, Article 202.

https://doi.org/10.20935/AL202.
Vorobel, O., Voorhees, T., & Gokcora, D. (2018). ESL students’ perceptions of using a social bookmarking tool for the development of reading in L2. JALT CALL Journal, 14 (3), 191-210.
Gokcora, D., & DePaulo, D. (2018). Frequent quizzes and student improvement of reading: A pilot study in a community college setting. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018782580
Gokcora, D. (2016). Motivating Community College Students When Teaching Argumentative Rhetorical Style Using a Documentary: Devil’s Playground, Journalism and Mass Communication. Vol.6, 1 (43-51).
Gokcora, D. (2004). Arabic Instructors’ Attitudes on Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Journal of National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages, 1, 137-176.
Gokcora, D. (1996). Teaching Assistants from People’s Republic of China and U.S. Undergraduates: Perceptions of Teaching and Teachers. International Journal of Academic Development, 2, 34-42.

Books

Other publications

Gokcora, D. (2018, Fall). Restructuring A Basic Writing ESL Course at a Community College: Asking the Right Question, Inquirer, 25, 24-29.
Gokcora, D. (2013, Fall). Diigo as a Research Tool for Creating a community of researchers in the classroom. BMCC Faculty Focus, Retrieved from www.bmcc.cuny.edu/faculty/focus/

Gökçora, D. (2005) CARLA and the Virtual Item Bank for LCTLs. Language Testing Update, 36.
Gökçora, D. (1998). Humanities in the Internet: From Byzantion to Istanbul. Türkiye Second International Distance Education Symposium Papers, (302-307). Ankara, Turkey: Zincir Agency Publishing.
Gökçora, D. (1998). Contrastive Analysis of Expressions of Gratitude and Apologies in Turkish, Uzbek, and English. Linguistics Conference Papers. Mersin, Turkey.
Gökçora, D. (1992). The SPEAK Test: International Teaching Assistants’ and Instructors’ Affective Reactions. Twin Cities: University of Minnesota. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 351 731)
Gökçora, D. (1989). A Descriptive Study of Communication and Teaching Strategies Used by Two Types of International Teaching Assistants at the University of Minnesota,and Their Cultural Perceptions Toward Teaching and Teachers. Twin Cities: University of Minnesota. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 351 730).

Honors, Awards and Affiliations

The Stevens Initiative Grant – Global Scholars Achieving Career Success (GSACS) Fellow – Spring semester 2022
Faculty Fellowship Leave – Fall 2021
Scholar-in-Residence Program, Faculty Resource Network, New York University, Spring 2021
New York University, Faculty Resource Network – Summer Seminar “Craft of College Teaching” – Summer 2020
Steward Travel Award, 2018, 2019 (CUNY)
Marquis Who’s Who, 2007 ed.
Pew Teaching Leadership Award, 1989 & 1993 (University of Minnesota)
Fulbright Scholarship, United States (Univ. of Minnesota)- 1985 -1987