E-Insight

June 2004

CVMBS Faculty Members Receive Preston Davis Award

Three members of the Instructional Technology Unit were selected to receive the 2004 Provost’s N. Preston Davis Award for Instructional Innovation. The award was presented to Drs. Sherry McConnell, Kristy Dowers, and Regina M. Schoenfeld-Tacher at the annual Celebrate! Colorado State awards luncheon in May.

This award recognition was instituted in 1992 upon the retirement of N. Preston Davis who served the Colorado State University community creatively and loyally for more than four decades. His contributions were many and focused on instructional innovation. The N. Preston Davis Award is presented to an individual and/or unit for successful instructional innovation or the significant encouragement of instructional innovation.

The focus of the Instructional Technology Unit at CVMBS is problem-based learning and the use of computers and on-line tools to create new ways of teaching and learning.

“I like to think of myself as an interior designer for people’s content,” said Schoenfeld-Tacher, coordinator for the unit. “People come to me with their ideas and figure out what technologies are most appropriate to relay their content. We want to use tools that are efficient, effective, and functional and we spend a lot of time putting content into environments that enhance teaching and learning.”

The unit produces entire courses on-line, and prepares electronic homework assignments, continuing education courses, supplemental material, instruction aids, and outside preparatory materials.

“What we really do is help students be more successful,” Schoenfeld-Tacher said, “while helping our faculty members create a rich environment for their content so they can better instruct.”