DE Oracle @ UMUC

Congratulations to Our 2007 UCEA Award Winners

Linda Smelser

Instructional Support Specialist

Non UMUC

Published: March-April 2008

Category: » University-showcase » Awards

UMUC was well represented at the UCEA Mid-Atlantic Region Conference 2007 Awards for Excellence Ceremony. The four categories in which UMUC won awards include Administrative Support, Faculty and Staff Development, Credit Program Development, and Outstanding Continuing Education Student.

Administrative Support Award

Criteria: The award is given for effective and innovative administrative support services.

Recognition: The award was in recognition of the support and services provided to faculty and stuff for the new UMUC Syllabus Tool. “The syllabus tool was created to ensure consistency of course focus and scope and to provide model materials for faculty who teach the course, particularly those teaching it for the first time. The syllabus tool was developed in response to UMUC’s commitment to academic quality and continuity for all its students.”

Winners: The award was accepted by Janet Zimmer, Academic Director, IFSM; Michael Brown, Java Project Lead, IT; Cynthia Davis, Associate Dean, SUS Academic Affairs; Traicy Garey, Assistant Director Course Development; and Loyce Pailen, Interim Associate Provost, OISS, and CSI Director. This award is representative of the support and development of the syllabus tool project’s multiple teams.

Note: The syllabus tool was piloted with a single discipline in summer 2006. Feedback from faculty involved in the pilot implementation was used in the refinement of the tool over the course of the next two semesters.  The tool has now been implemented with all courses and faculty in both the School of Undergraduate Studies and the Graduate School of Management & Technology.  A robust and thorough set of directions have been written for both directors (who manage the common syllabi for their respective disciplines and disseminate those syllabi to faculty at the beginning of each semester) and the faculty who use the tool to create the syllabus used in their classrooms.

Faculty and Staff Development Award

Criteria: This award is given for the advancement of faculty and staff development programs.

Recognition: The award was in recognition of the design and implementation for UMUC’s online faculty development program Identifying and Reducing Math Anxiety in an Online Classroom. Initially, this program was offered through the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) for mathematics and statistics faculty; however, the program became popular in disciplines ranging from teaching to art to economics and business. This program has become the focus of several conference presentations discussing the benefits of improved student retention and faculty satisfaction.

Winners: This online faculty development program was developed by John Beyers, Academic Director and Professor of Mathematics and Statistics; Ruth Lattimore, Director of Student Affairs; Asian Division; and Dr. Cheryl Cleaves, Author and Professor of Mathematics.

Note: Dr. Beyers also received the UCEA's prestigious national Adelle F. Robertson Award for Outstanding Continuing Educator of the Year (2007) and the Regional Alexander Charters Award for Outstanding Continuing Educator New to the Field (2006).

Credit Program Development Award

Criteria: This award is given for the development of effective and innovative credit programs.

Recognition: The award was in recognition of the development of CCJS 320: Introduction to Criminalistics, an undergraduate course within UMUC’s Criminal Justice program. “The online version of the course includes the interactive ‘Crime Scene Game’ which allows student to learn how to apply science to the gathering evidence and choose appropriate laboratory tests for a virtual crime scene.”
                                                                                              
Winners: The award was accepted by Susan Blankenship, UMUC collegiate faculty and forensic scientist, on behalf of the project team who developed the course and its components.

Outstanding Continuing Education Student Degree Award

Criteria: This award is given to non-traditional students who have met the challenge of an unconventional educational background; is an inspiration to others through individual growth accomplished through meeting educational goals; and effectively managed multiple/significant commitments and responsibilities.

Recognition: The award was in recognition of the extraordinary commitment made by a graduated student whose institution is a member of UCEA.

Winner: The award was given to Kulsum (Kay) Malik, UMUC graduate fall 2007, BA in English. Kay is currently working at UMUC’s Effective Writing Center as one of the writing advisors. One of Kay’s supporting letters for the nomination from a UMUC faculty member states, “Most memorable for me was her extraordinary energy and brilliance as a contributor to class discussions. The success of any online literature course depends on the quality of its threaded discussions; that this course was perhaps the most successful online course I have ever taught is attributable in no small measure to the presence of Ms. Malik.”

UMUC is a member of the University Continuing Education Association (UCEA), founded in 1915 to assist institutions of higher learning and affiliated nonprofit organizations. UCEA’s Web site states that its mission is to “increase access through a wide array of educational programs and services. UCEA also provides national leadership in support of policies that advance workforce and professional development. Since its inception, the Association has been committed to making higher education available to everyone, as well as to ensure that programs and services address societal needs and economic trends. In addition, UCEA works with counterparts abroad to foster professional exchange and better international understanding of continuing higher education.” See the UCEA Web site for more details about the organization and its events.