KCTCS faculty and staff receive national recognition

Versailles, Ky. – Twelve faculty members and instructional design staff from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System have been recognized by their peers from all over the world with the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program (ECP) 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 best in technology and learning.

The award is given to courses that meet the established standards for exceptional online courses. Each course has been reviewed by three people from schools from around the globe, using the ECP rubric. KCTCS winners, their college and courses are:

• David Childress - Ashland Community and Technical College
  • Employability Studies
• Janet Thompson - Ashland Community and Technical College
  • Medical Coding
• Sabra Jacobs - Big Sandy Community and Technical College
  • Death and Dying
• Brian Hines - Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
  • Internet Technologies
• Erin Faherty - Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
  • English 101
• Karen Hamilton-LaRosa, and Marcia Robinson - Gateway Community and Technical College
  • The History and Sociology of Rock and Roll Music
• Julia Laffoon-Jackson - Hopkinsville Community College
  • English 101
• Dr. Tiffany Young - Jefferson Community and Technical College
  • English 101
• Juli Gatling Book - Maysville Community and Technical College
  • U.S. History to 1865
• Lorraine Sturgeon - Owensboro Community and Technical College
  • Business Employability Seminar
• Kelly Paul - West Kentucky Community and Technical College
  • English 102

“This is important recognition of the creative hard work and expertise of our faculty, staff and colleges,” KCTCS Chancellor Kris Williams said. “More than one-third of the winners this year came from KCTCS colleges. These results showcase the investment our colleges have made to support faculty in their efforts to teach exceptionally well online.”

Eight of the winners from KCTCS colleges attended the KCTCS Optimizing Online Learning (KOOL) Academy, a cohort-based faculty development program offered by the KCTCS Office of Online Learning. An additional two winners served as instructional experts in that year-long academy.

For nearly two-decades, the ECP has honored instructors and course designers whose courses demonstrate best practices. Since its founding, thousands of instructors, teachers and designers have used the ECP 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 learning management system.