Part of the annual Blackboard Catalyst Awards program since 2000, the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Award highlights technologically rich, engaging, well designed, and pedagogically sound courses that showcase best practices for the user community. Over 151 entries were evaluated in a rigorous peer-review process by more than 250 faculty and instructional designers. Submissions were judged on the following components: course design, interaction, collaboration, assessment and learner support.
The Blackboard Catalyst Awards program annually recognizes and honors innovation and excellence in the Blackboard global community of practice, where teachers and learners work every day to redefine what is possible when leveraging technology. This 7-week online course was delivered to Master’s of Science in Nurse Education students as an introduction to teaching and learning theories in clinical nursing education.
Content was presented in manageable segments as “Units” and was built in Blackboard using the modular approach. Content flowed in a logical progression from unit to unit and was enhanced with appropriate graphics and multimedia (video recordings) created in-house. The course was designed for intuitive and fluid navigation. Some of the highlights of the course fostering a true sense of community were a class photo, use of multiple discussion boards, a blog center, weekly interactive videoconferencing seminars, and frequent encouraging announcements with entertaining images. Students participated in group projects including wikis and created concept maps based on problem-solving methodology. The instructor frequently provided in-depth feedback with support of a rubric and detailed comments to guide students. Learners were supported through an orientation video, links to student services within the navigation panel, and virtual office hours were provided through Collaborate for remedial assistance.
“We applaud the Blackboard Catalyst Award winners and their accomplishments,” said Ray Henderson, Chief Technology Officer and President of Academic Platforms for Blackboard.
“Their work represents some of the most innovative thinking in education today, and offers great models for how technology can help shape an improved education experience. We congratulate the award winners for their leadership, creativity and passion that is clearly evident in their work.”
Cynthia Foronda, PhD, RN (Assistant Professor of Clinical), Lyndon Godsall(Instructional Designer) and Mary McKay, MSN, ARNP (Assistant Professor of Clinical) at the School of Nursing & Health Studies, will be honored alongside 37 other Exemplary Course Program winners during BbWorld®, Blackboard’s annual user conference to be held in July in New Orleans, La.
Blackboard is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day. Blackboard’s solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12, professional, corporate and government organizations to extend teaching and learning online.
