Four faculty members have been selected as recipients of the 2009–2010 Teaching Excellence Awards, sponsored by the Center for Teaching Excellence.
Recipients are Dr. Wendy Carse, English; Dr. Karen Rose Cercone, Geoscience; Jason Chimonides, Theater and Dance; and Dr. Susan Fello, Professional Studies in Education. The award winners will be honored at the annual Center for Teaching Excellence Reflective Practice Project Awards Dinner on April 28, 2010.
Winners must be nominated and are selected by the Center for Teaching Excellence Advisory Board.
Wendy Carse is the recipient of the Academic Advising Award for her dedication to helping students. In 2009, English majors gave Carse the Outstanding Advisor Award for helping students to understand the revised bachelor's program and how to apply to graduate school. She was also cited in her nomination for her assistance to other English faculty in understanding curriculum changes.
Karen Rose Cercone is the recipient of the Instructional Technology Award for transforming the geology course Dynamic Earth into an interactive class for non-majors. Her nominator noted, “Her use of technology and creative teaching methods inside and out of the classroom have changed the way students view science.”
Jason Chimonides is the recipient of the Distance Education Award for his work and enthusiasm in teaching the Introduction to Theater distance education course. Chimonides was cited in his nomination for making the class “interesting and relevant for students, even without a traditional lecture section.”
Susan Fello is the recipient of the Content Pedagogy Award for her efforts to have students interact in the classroom. Fello was recognized in her nomination for using methods such as debates, think-pair-share, small and large group discussions, in-class problem-solving activities, storytelling, demonstrations, cooperative learning activities, guest speakers, field trips, and in-class writing assignments to help students learn, discuss, and retain information.