Lake Superior College recently recognized art instructor Victoria Hutson for her leadership as an online instructor.  She has been selected to receive LSC’s Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Technology.

Hutson teaches popular online courses in digital drawing/painting and digital photography via LSC’s Connect e-Campus, as well as web-enhanced drawing courses.  She was recognized for her innovative use of technology online and in the classroom.

Because of her selection, Hutson was also advanced as LSC’s nominee for a prestigious national award.  She was recognized on Wednesday, April 15, 2009, at the 20th International Conference on College Teaching and Learning in Jacksonville, FL.

“Congratulations to Victoria,” said Barry Dahl, LSC’s vice president of technology and the Connect e-Campus.  “She has worked long and hard to utilize technology to advance learning.  Her students experience great teaching and are exposed to applications of emerging technologies in her art classes.”

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“We live in an IPod world but much of our education system is dominated by whiteboards and lecture halls,” said Pawlenty.  ” We have students with different learning styles, different backgrounds and different capabilities, and exploding interest in online opportunities and services.  We need to modernize the way college courses are delivered and put Minnesota on the cutting edge of online education.”

Lake Superior College was chosen as the site for the news conference because of its leading role in online education.  Pawlenty repeatedly acknowledged LSC’s “pioneering efforts” and success in online education and recognized President Kathleen Nelson, Vice President of Technology and the E-Campus Barry Dahl, online faculty and staff for their efforts.  Pawlenty has called for 25 percent of credits to be earned online by 2015 throughout the MnSCU system. He noted that LSC is close to reaching that goal now with nearly 25 percent of credits earned by LSC students taken online.

(Pictured left to right:  faculty member Victoria Hutson, Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences Hanna Erpestad, faculty member Tina Johnson, faculty member Susan Brashaw and President Kathleen Nelson) These faculty members, including Jocelyn Pihlaja, have been recognized for their outstanding online teaching.

“We are thrilled to be recognized for our efforts to provide service and technology to our college community,” explained Barry Dahl, LSC’s vice president of Technology and the e-Campus.  “The ranking is a testament to the dedication and skills of many members of our staff.”

Schools were placed in three categories based on size of enrollment, with college officials providing information from the 2007-08 school year.  At the survey’s conclusion, the top 10 in each of the three categories were named.  The survey examined areas of technology ranging from online admissions, student access to transcripts and grades, information security and infrastructure to weather and campus security alerts and online library capabilities.

View the full list of winners at www.centerdigitaled.com.

Marina Leight, vice president of the Center for Digital Education, said, “Our revised 2008 digital community college survey showcases the best utilization of digital technology. Community colleges continue to be the place to look for innovation.”

The Center for Digital Education is a national research and advisory institute providing education and industry leaders with decision support, research and educational services to help them effectively incorporate new technologies in the 21st century.  In addition to the Digital Community College Survey, the Center conducts Digital School Districts, Cities, Counties and States Surveys – all national studies that serve as benchmarks for excellence in IT applications and initiatives.

For more information on the Center visit www.centerdigitaled.com.  For more information on the Digital Community Colleges Survey, please contact Janet Grenslitt at (916) 932-1363.

Desire2Learn Incorporated, a leading provider of eLearning solutions, recently announced the winners of its 2008 Desire2EXCEL Award program. Three awards, in the categories of Teaching and Learning, Program and Community Service, were handed out at the FUSION Desire2EXCEL conference in Memphis, Tennessee.

In the Program category, Barry Dahl, vice president of technology and the e-campus at Lake Superior College, received the award for his work with the Online Student Mentor program, a first of its kind in higher education. The program has successfully employed 120 online student employees over its five years of operation. A sense of community within the LSC Virtual Campus has been fostered by providing online students with a peer connection. The course-specific mentor has proven to be a greater resource for a student than a mentor/peer/advisor who is more of a generalist. The mentoring experience provides the mentor with a solid means of giving back to the college as well as providing employment opportunities for off-campus students.

“I’m excited and happy to receive this award for Lake Superior College,” Dahl explains. “But this award really belongs to the many online students and faculty who participated in the program and helped us develop an innovative approach to eLearning.”

Dahl and Lake Superior College previously won a 2007 Desire2EXCEL Award for Community Service in recognition of partnerships with Grandma’s Marathon and the American Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Marathon.

The awards were handed out in Memphis, Tennessee, where 600 members of the global eLearning community convened at FUSION 2008, the Desire2Learn annual Users’ Conference focused on best practices and innovative breakthroughs in eLearning.

For more information about the conference and its award program, visit www.Desire2Learn.com/Fusion.

The awards are sponsored by Desire2Learn Incorporated, a leading provider of eLearning solutions. They are open to individuals and institutions that use Desire2Learn’s eLearning software. The awards recognize individuals for leading edge contributions to their respective organizations and the eLearning community.

Dahl is nominated for the Desire2EXCEL Program Award, which recognizes Desire2Learn users who have created an online learning program that demonstrates innovation and enhances teaching and learning.

Dahl and Lake Superior College previously won a 2007 Desire2EXCEL Award for Community Service in recognition of partnerships with Grandma’s Marathon and the American Birkebeiner. That project also won the People’s Choice Award in 2007, which was determined by a vote of all conference participants.

Winners of this year’s awards will be announced at the fifth annual Desire2Learn Users Conference, FUSION 2008, which will be held July 20 — 23 in Memphis, Tennessee.