Three Utah State University faculty members were presented the Utah System of Higher Education Exemplary Use of Technology Award May 23 for their innovative use of technology in teaching. 

“Today’s students expect to use the same social media tools — such as podcasts, wikis and Web videos — for education as they already do for entertainment,” said Interim Commissioner of Higher Education David L. Buhler. “These awards highlight the impact of effectively incorporating technologies into distance learning and classroom instruction.”

 

Buhler presented the awards to USU’s Deborah Byrnes, Beth Foley and Kevin Young.

 

Since 2002, Deborah Byrnes has been the architect and director of Utah State’s distance delivered EdD program. This highly successful program has delivered quality instruction via interactive broadcast and the Internet to many of Utah’s rural and remote communities. Doctoral students in this program prepare for leadership roles in public and higher education. Byrnes is widely known for the excellence of her instruction, high academic standards and a personal touch with working professionals, all of which support the EdD program.

 

Beth Foley has been a proponent, during her entire career, of using technology to deliver clinical services to those with communication disorders. As head of the Department of Communication Disorders and Deaf Education, Foley has embraced the use of technology to deliver high-quality pre-professional training for students seeking a second bachelor’s degree in order to apply to graduate training programs. She encourages the comprehensive development of courses to include all experiences that would occur in a face-to-face class. The department’s focus on quality teaching was further recognized through the 2008 USU Department Teaching Excellence Award.

 

Kevin Young has been enthusiastic and innovative with his teaching. He has been successful with taking a difficult subject matter and using technology to ensure that students excel and have fun at the same time. He teaches anatomy and physiology over IP video. When he was unable to find a suitable published textbook for his course, he had his students write their own Wiki textbook and has continued to have his students add to and edit this text. He also incorporated the use of video iPods so students can acquire additional instruction away from class, creating some podcasts and pointing students to others available from other universities.

 

Contact: Spencer Jenkins, 801-321-7110
Writer: Annalisa Fox, 435-797-1429, annalisa.fox@usu.edu

  Email story         Printer friendly