On behalf of the General Education Subcommittee, Jana McCurdy and Susan Aydelotte presented General Education Matriculation (GEM) Awards for Excellence to College of Western Idaho (CWI) faculty who teach General Education courses. Awards were presented during Faculty Professional Development Day at the Zions Bank Building on March 1, 2019.
Criteria for this inaugural award include:
- Exemplary teaching
- Creativity in course design or implementation
- Excellence in translating disciplinary methods of inquiry to non-majors
- Delivery of instruction that improves access and affordability (e.g., OER, dual credit, incorporation of PLA methods, reduction of special course fees, and/or co-requisite integration
- Service to our General Education program at CWI and the state
2019 GEM Awards for Excellence:
Liza Long
GEM 1: Written Communication
“Creating the space where I can support students’ authentic learning and growth is one of the most important things I can do as an educator,” Long said.
Johnny Rowing
GEM 2: Oral Communication.
Johnny is extremely competent as a speech coach, having led the CWI Speech and Debate team to five of our six national championships. This depth of knowledge in research and public speaking adds great benefit to oral Communication students.
Emiko Quintana
GEM 3: Mathematical Way of Knowing
One of Emiko’s students said, “During lectures, she would be very clear and precise about the material we were covering that day. She was able to explain each math problem in multiple ways.”
Rebecca Flock
GEM 4: Scientific Way of Knowing
Rebecca participates in citizen science where students learn about and actively participate in local projects that affect their communities and personal lives.
Joel Gladd
GEM 5: Humanistic and Artistic Way of Knowing
Joel has gone beyond using Open Educational Resources to giving students a project where their work becomes part of the textbook for the next group of students who will use the updated anthology.
Nikki Gorrell
GEM 6: Social and Behavioral Way of Knowing
Nikki develops activities where students role play to help them understand key concepts.
Congratulations to each of these recipients who have been recognized for their excellence!
