WOW Media Release 2009

WCET Recognizes Three Institutions for Outstanding Use of Technology in Higher Education

For Immediate Release
October 1, 2009
Contact: Russell Poulin
Associate Director, WCET

Boulder, Colorado – WCET announces the recipients of the 2009 WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) Award, a competition that recognizes innovative uses of educational technologies in higher education. WCET recognizes these efforts that include increasing the academic effectiveness of programs and the quality of online courses, improving student interactions with faculty and other students, and using online courses to improve student outcomes on a statewide graduation exam.

“The WOW Award represents a way to recognize and celebrate the best and most promising practices within the WCET community,” says Janet Kendall, WCET Awards Committee chair and Director of Distance Degree Programs for Washington State University. “For the 2009 WOW Award, there was a wonderful group of nominations that made the committee’s job especially difficult. This year’s recipients reinforced the value of innovative solutions that improve access both to higher education and the teaching and learning process itself.”

The 2009 WOW recipients include:

California Virtual Campus’s California High School Exit Examination Preparation Initiative-Stepping into Your Future Program with its two online courses that have improved student retention and pass rates for K-12 students preparing for California’s English and Math high school exit exams.

Capella University’s Capitalizing on Course Assessments at the Institutional Level for creating systems that maximize knowledge about the effectiveness of its online degree programs. That knowledge is used to improve course quality, assure the delivery of the intended learning outcomes, and report publicly on learner achievement of these outcomes.

University of Maryland University College’s UMUC 111 Virtual Meet & Greet for creating a relaxed, online environment for students, faculty and staff to discuss issues of concern to students, to provide help and advice to students, and to create connections that encourage persistence and retention.

WCET is a membership cooperative of institutions and organizations dedicated to advancing access and excellence in higher education through the innovative use of technology. Celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, WCET has members in 46 states and six countries.