Education Faculty Win International Exemplary Course Award

The Exemplary Course Program (ECP) recognizes faculty and course designers from schools, colleges and universities around the world who develop engaging and innovative courses that represent the very best in technology and learning. Only 36 individuals from 26 institutions won 2020 ECP Awards.

The three ASU faculty members were honored for their online course titled “School Counseling Techniques” that is part of the curriculum for ASU’s Master of Science in professional school counseling degree. Casarez, an associate professor, is director of the degree program.

Dr. Lesley Casarez “As the faculty for this program, the three of us are so excited to receive this award from Blackboard,” Casarez said. “It recognizes the efforts that we have put forth to ensure our courses are utilizing cutting edge technology and are also accessible to all students.”

The ASU course was recognized for demonstrating excellence in the four award criteria:

• Course Design: the elements of instructional design, such as its structure, learning objectives, and instructional strategies
• Interaction and Collaboration: the level of engagement offered by the course and the level of student interaction and collaboration
• Assessment: the evaluation of student work toward the achievement of learning outcomes and the quality and type of student assessments
• Learner Support: the resources made available to students, which may be accessible within or external to the course environment.

“I am pleased to welcome Ashley Atwood, Lesley Casarez and Audrey Heron to the ECP family,” said Lee Blakemore, chief client officer and president of global markets at Blackboard. “Now more than ever, educators are challenged with creating engaging and effective courses. This 2020 cohort is among the best of the best for engaging and maximizing learning outcomes for students.”

Ashley Atwood To be eligible for an ECP Award, applicants must also be users of the Blackboard Learn learning management system. ASU uses the Blackboard online platform as its course delivery system. Students can view information about their courses, including the syllabus, instructor contact information and assignments. Faculty use Blackboard to deliver course materials, including notes, assignments, test reviews, important announcements and grades. Additionally, all ASU online courses are delivered through Blackboard.

Dr. Audrey Heron Atwood, Casarez and Heron are being recognized alongside other outstanding ECP Award recipients on the Blackboard website and Blackboard Blog, as well as in the Blackboard Community, a platform where the largest organized network of Blackboard users connect, collaborate and learn from their peers.