Instructional Technology Council Grants Awards to CSI, MBA Program


Susan Pollack
Instructional Support Specialist
Center for Support of Instruction
Published: January-February 2010

Category: » University-showcase » Awards

The Instructional Technology Council (ITC) recently named UMUC's Center for Support of Instruction (CSI) and the MBA program among the recipients of its 2010 Awards for Excellence in eLearning. CSI won the award for Outstanding Technical Support and Service, and the MBA program was named Outstanding eLearning Program. The awards will be presented to the recipients at ITC's annual conference, eLearning 2010, in Forth Worth, Texas, in February 2010.

The Awards for Excellence in eLearning recognize exemplary individuals and institutions in distance education nationally. Winners are selected on the basis of their nomination forms, which are reviewed by a panel of judges from the ITC board of directors. The award judges reviewed numerous applications for seven award categories and selected as winners those which exemplified the highest, best-practice standards in eLearning.

CSI's nomination detailed how it has established significant value in UMUC for delivering quality service and support to faculty and other constituents within the university community, including providing online and off-line assistance and maintenance, contributing to improved student retention, supporting online course delivery, and continuously improving services and support.

"The Center for Support of Instruction is committed to supporting the university's educational goals. I'm proud that our team has been honored for its innovative and effective efforts in advocating and supporting best practices with instructional technologies," said Kathleen Puckett Ford, Director of the unit. "I am especially pleased that the ITC has recognized the importance of technical service and support in contributing to a successful online educational experience for both faculty and students. CSI will continue to provide and promote activities that distinguish UMUC as a leader in distance education."

The MBA program's win was based on factors such as its course development, innovation, student services, faculty development, and use of educational technologies.

"We are delighted that the MBA program has received yet another award recognizing the quality of the program," said Robert Goodwin, Chair, Business and Executive Programs. "Last year we were honored by the Maryland Distance Learning Association with the award as the Distance Program of the Year and in 2005 we received the Sloan award for the best online MBA program. This recent award from the Instructional Technology Council confirms the continuing high quality and national reputation of the UMUC MBA Program and we are very proud to be associated with it."

The ITC represents higher education institutions in the United States and Canada and helps advance distance education by advocating, collaborating, researching, and sharing exemplary, innovative practices and potential in learning technologies. Congratulations to all! 

About the Author(s)

Susan began her career at UMUC in 1998 as a digital communications specialist in UMUC's Center for the Virtual University and later the Center for Media & New Technology prior to joining the Center for Support of Instruction in 2007 as an instructional support specialist.

With an undergraduate degree in professional writing from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Distance Education from UMUC, Susan brings to the table a wealth of experience in online communications and learning. She previously spent five years in the educational publishing industry at the McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center and has several years of experience in print publishing and editing for newspapers, a law firm, and a variety of nonprofit organizations.

Susan considers herself a lifelong learner who is always eager to try new things. She is continually on the lookout for learner support and communication issues, and she is an advocate of accessibility in online learning applications.

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