USU COURSE NAMED WINNER IN INTERNATIONAL CONTEST

LOGAN An instructional technology course at Utah State University won honors in an

international competition for exceptional courses taught online.

Research for the Classroom Teacher, a course developed by Utah State faculty member

Nick Eastmond and graduate assistant John Louviere, is one of 19 courses to earn the WebCT

2001 Exemplary Course award. WebCT, a company that provides products and services to

enhance learning via the internet, deemed the course to be representative of the “gold standard”

in higher education e-learning.

The course, one of nearly 100 evaluated for honors, was created to instruct Utah teachers

how to design research for their work setting. Jacque Garber, a teacher from the Salt Lake area,

explained how the course helped her interpret the results of a research project concerning the

quality of crayons used in Utah elementary schools. Garber said, “As I looked over the pages of

research, I could relate to it so much better because of this class. I’m finding that many things I do

are validated because of my newly acquired knowledge.”

The course was selected for the honor because of its academic rigor and content

robustness. It has been taught online at Utah State for two semesters, enrolling more than 120

students. Utah State has been involved as an active participant with WebCT since 1999 and

currently has more than 200 courses using WebCT features, with 80 of them fully online.

“Developing this course online gave me the opportunity to put elements into this class

that I have wanted for years,” said Eastmond. “Getting the Exemplary Course Award from

WebCT is like frosting on the cake for us, giving external recognition to our efforts in building

this class. It is gratifying to receive an honor such as this, especially since it comes from a

company known for its strong academic heritage and demonstrated commitment to online

teaching and learning.”

Maisie Caines, a WebCT faculty development specialist at the College of the North

Atlantic in Newfoundland, and evaluator for the competition, noted that the winning courses

encouraged student involvement in the learning process. “These courses are constructed in such a

way that students are not merely ‘lurking,’ but their involvement with others (students and

instructor) is critical to their success.”

President and CEO of WebCT Carol Vallone was also complimentary. “We congratulate

Nick Eastmond and John Louviere at Utah State University for Research for the Classroom

Teacher’s inclusion in the WebCT 2001 Exemplary Course project. This course demonstrates an

exceptional use of technology to deliver academic excellence, and it also serves as an example to

education institutions everywhere just how robust online teaching and learning can be.”

Eastmond and Louviere are invited along with other course creators to attend WebCT’s

Third Annual Users Conference, June 23-27, in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. There they will

present papers or participate in panel discussions on their exemplary courses and be featured at

an awards ceremony.

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