Distance Learning

Pearson Names Online Learning Excellence Award Winners

• By Leila Meyer
• 02/11/16

Pearson has chosen the recipients of its annual Online Learning Excellence Awards at its 16th yearly Cite Online Learning Conference.

Pearson presented the awards to K-12 and higher education teachers and administrators "who are making significant contributions in online education," according to a news release from the company. There are two categories of awards: one for excellence in online administration and another for excellence in online teaching, with two awards for K-12 and two for higher education in each category. Pearson will donate $1,500 to the scholarship fund of each winner's choice.

Recipients of the Excellence in Online Administration Award include:

• Seith Bedard, director of Peabody Learning Academy in Peabody, MA, who won for starting the alternative high school program for at-risk and dropout students that has been credited for reducing the dropout rate from 5 percent to 1.4 percent;
• David Cline, principal of Hart-Ransom Academic Charter School in Modesto, CA, who won for promoting a schoolwide culture of online learning, internal professional development and community promotion;
• Patricia James, executive director of California Community College Online Education Initiative in Sacramento, CA, who won for leading the development of online course design standards and related professional development programs; and
• Bruce Kauss, e-learning coordinator of Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, OR, who won for leading the development of the Oregon Colleges Course Sharing Consortium.

Recipients of the Excellence in Online Teaching Award include:

• Sarah Allen, first grade teacher at Indian Creek School in Crownsville, MD, who won for creating courses for the school's blended learning program;
• Dianne Hardy, lead mathematics instructor at Mountain Education Charter High School in Cleveland, GA, who won for leading an initiative to align the school's online curriculum to Georgia state standards;
• Darren Walsh, assistant VP of learning and academic support services at Excelsior College in Albany, NY, who won for developing and managing the college's open-source online writing lab, the Excelsior College OWL (EC OWL); and
• Sean Nufer, e-larning specialist and adjunct professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, who won for researching and recommending industry best practices to improve student engagement.

More information about the Pearson Online Learning Excellence Awards can be found on Pearson's site.