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����ֱ�� State University’s Online Learning Team in the Office of Continuing and Distance Education has earned national recognition for outstanding work in online education. The Association for Educational Communications and Technology presented first- and second-place awards to ����ֱ�� State for its faculty training courses, Online Classroom Examples and Ideas: A Showcase Course and A Pathway to Excellence: ����ֱ�� State’s Online Faculty Development Program. These training courses were designed to assist faculty members who teach online courses.

Additionally, ����ֱ�� State’s Department of Health Policy and Management in the College of Public Health received two national awards of distinction for its online courses from Blackboard, a leading educational technology company. A user-experience design course at the university also recently received Quality Matters certification.

“These national awards were the result of the hard work of faculty who worked with the ����ֱ�� State Online Learning Team to incorporate national standards into the design of their online courses,” says Valerie Kelly, executive director of ����ֱ�� State Online. “It takes a lot of effort to create high-quality learning experiences through a new medium. Collaboration between our instructional designers and faculty is improving online education at ����ֱ�� State.”

����ֱ�� State’s Online Learning Team works with faculty members and administrators to ensure quality in the design and development of online courses and programs offered at the university. highlighted the work being done at ����ֱ�� State.

“It is so rewarding to see faculty and staff receive external confirmation of the hard work and creative thinking that they’ve put into their courses,” Kelly says. “A well-designed online course allows instructors to spend their time connecting with students and creating teaching opportunities. Any partnership between faculty and our team is rewarding in itself, but having our efforts recognized by external bodies, reinforces our commitment and belief in what we are accomplishing.”

Faculty support resources for online teaching can be found at www.kent.edu/onlineteaching.

For more information about ����ֱ�� State Online, visit .

For more information about the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, visit .

For more information about Blackboard, visit .