Member Awards Program
Richard Jonsen Award
In 2004, Steven Crow was recognized for his service to WCET and the distance learning higher education community. In his role as the executive director of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges, Crow has continually taken on the challenge of looking at the new ways that institutions serve their students with technologies. In addition, over the last several years, he gave WCET a great deal of his time in service as the chair of the Steering Committee and of the Executive Council.
WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) Award
In 2004, WCET inaugurated a new award to recognize the outstanding efforts of its members in implementing technology in higher education. WCET members are on the cutting edge in using educational technologies both on- and off-campus, and the award publicizes their achievements.
At the annual conference in November 2004, four institutions and organizations were honored as the initial class of WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) award recipients:
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Colorado Community Colleges Online for its “Online E-learning Quality Assurance” Manual. To assure that the quality of distance education continually improves, the manual is a set of comprehensive processes and procedures by which courses, programs, and faculty training are developed and evaluated.
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Minnesota State Colleges and Universities for Minnesota Online’s eStudent Services. In partnership with WCET, they created a student service “audit tool” that assists institutions in identifying web-based student services that could be improved. It also provides strategies for improving those services.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for its course “¡A su salud! Spanish for Health Professionals.” “¡A su salud!” (“To your health!”) tackles the growing need for working health care professionals to improve their Spanish language skills. The multimedia format includes video segments, a dramatic telenovela storyline format, and interviews with native speakers.
- University of North Dakota for its Distance-Engineering Undergraduate Degree Program. UND’s program is the only distance-engineering degree program that offers online bachelor of science degrees in chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering and is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology