ACTC's Henderson earns award for online course

The Ironton Tribune, Ohio
·3 min read

Jun. 16—ASHLAND, Ky. — Ashland Community and Technical College is proud to announce that Dr. Lisa Henderson was recognized by her peers by earning Anthology's Exemplary Course Program Award.

The ECP Award recognizes faculty and course designers from schools, colleges, and universities around the world who develop engaging and innovative courses that represent the very best in technology and learning.

Henderson, an assistant professor in the Business department at ACTC, was selected a winner for her course OST 240-Advanced Microsoft Applications.

The course demonstrated excellence in four areas:

—Course Design: the elements of instructional design, such as its structure, learning objectives, and instructional strategies.

—Interaction and Collaboration: the level of engagement offered by the course and the level of student interaction and collaboration

—Assessment: the evaluation of student work toward the achievement of learning outcomes and the quality and type of student assessments

—Learner Support: the resources made available to students, which may be accessible within or external to the course environment.

"Dr. Henderson has been an asset to ACTC both in her years as an adjunct instructor and her current full-time role. Her knowledge of the technology and its applications allows her to quickly adapt to the ever-changing online course environment," said Dr. Sara Brown, director of Online Learning. "In addition to her local awards, this National award recognizes what we at ACTC have known for some time — Lisa is an amazing teacher. Her course design, including activities and assessments, provide students with opportunities to practice real-world skills so they will be job ready for their new work environments. We are so proud of Lisa and her continued outstanding contributions to ACTC."

For nearly two-decades, the Exemplary Course Program has honored instructors and course designers whose courses demonstrate best practices. The Exemplary Course Program Awards were expanded when Blackboard combined with Anthology in 2021. Since its founding, thousands of instructors, teachers, and designers have used the Exemplary Course Program to evaluate and improve their courses with recognized best practices. To be considered for the honor, applicants must be a user of the Blackboard Learn by Anthology learning management system. Submitted courses are evaluated by other course developers, instructional designers, teachers, and professors using the Exemplary Course Program Rubric.

"As we continue to grow our online enrollment at KCTCS, we must also place a premium on quality," said Dr. Todd Brand, Chief Academic Officer. "Dr. Henderson's dedication to innovation with that emphasis is a perfect example for all in KCTCS to emulate. We are very fortunate to have Dr. Henderson as a faculty member at ACTC."

Henderson is being recognized alongside other outstanding recipients on the Anthology website as well as in the Anthology+Blackboard Community, a platform where the largest organized network of users connect, collaborate and learn from their peers.

"These educators represent some of the very best when it comes to developing courses that engage learners and drive student success," said Jim Brigadier, president Global Markets at Anthology. "At Anthology, we're proud to announce the 2023 cohort of Exemplary Course Program Award winners and thank them for their commitment to engaging students and helping them achieve their goals."