Digital Education expands awards program, seeks 2017 nominations

Purdue Digital Education and the Office of the Provost have significantly expanded the University’s award program for digital education and are now accepting nominations for the 2017 awards. 

The new program includes five awards:

* Excellence in Distance Learning: Course Design and Teaching (Credit).

* Excellence in Distance Learning: Course Design and Teaching (Noncredit).

* Innovation in Course Design and Use of Technology.

* Digital Education Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award.

* MVP: Instructional Design and Support Award.

The awards are available to courses and individuals at all of Purdue’s campuses. Each recognized course or person will receive $2,500. Awardees will be recognized at the provost’s annual awards convocation in April. 

The new expanded awards program reflects the recommendations in the Action Plan for Digital Education.  “AP4DE called for an enhanced program of recognition for courses or individuals that exemplify excellence in digital education,” says Jon Harbor, director of digital education. “We created an implementation team of faculty and staff to identify an appropriate awards program, and the new program reflects the team’s recommendations.”

The new awards recognize more than course design and instruction. “Our implementation team thought it was important to recognize efforts to innovate, to find new ways to help students learn online,” Harbor says. "They also recognized that online learning must advance by research, and that online courses must have an effective support team to reach their fullest potential."

Awards are open to faculty, instructors or other staff members as individuals or as a team across all Purdue campuses. In the event a team wins an award, the $2,500 will be divided equally among members. At least one of the nominees for each award must be a current faculty member, instructor or other staff member at one of Purdue’s campuses. The related online learning activity must have been offered within the past two years.

“We ask that Purdue faculty and staff help us recognize the courses and individuals who are advancing digital education at Purdue by submitting a nomination,” Harbor says.

Application forms for the distance learning awards are available here. The deadline for applications and nominations is Feb. 27.

Questions related to the nominating process can be addressed to:

* Robin Cunningham, Associate Director for Digital Education 
rebel@purdue.edu
For Digital Education: Excellence in Distance Learning: Course Design and Teaching Awards (Credit and Noncredit) and Digital Education Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Awards

* Tanisha Willoughby, Associate Director for Digital Education
twillou@purdue.edu
For Innovation in Course Design and Use of Technology and MVP: Instructional Design and Support Awards