Cheryl Kautz, adjunct professor in the Computer Applications Department, and Grace Schwanda, an adjunct in the Music Department have recently submitted their courses to the Blackboard Exemplary Course Award Program.
The Blackboard Catalyst Awards include the exemplary course program, innovative development, community collaboration, mobile innovation, communications strategy, and staff development. (Szymon Machajewski received the 2011 Innovative Development Award last year for his work on developing an open source Building Block called “bbStats”.) The Exemplary Course Award Program award serves to recognize and promote best practices in the design, delivery, and use of Blackboard to improve student success and to enhance teaching.
The areas of focus include:
- Course Design
- Interaction, Engagement, and Collaboration
- Assessment
- Learner Support
The process is beneficial in that professors receive valuable feedback that will provide better insight on how to better engage with students and elevate their teaching experiences. The winners will be announced later this Spring.
Lisa Gloege and several other faculty members are also participating as reviewers in the program this year. Lisa also served as a reviewer last year which included Mursalata Muhammad and Denise Acevedo.
The Department of Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies would like to recognize and thank Grace and Cheryl in going the extra mile, spending extra time, and for their dedication to provide quality instruction through the leveraging of Blackboard.
The daily employee newsletter of Grand Rapids Community College 
The process of applying encourages you to think about best practice. I’m glad I took the time to fill out all the questions about my teaching. Thanks everyone in DLIT for your support.