Dr. Alison Lewis Recognized at National Distance Learning Week Awards Ceremony

Dr. Alison Lewis , iSchool Assistant Teaching Professor, has been selected as a 2011 Drexel University Outstanding Online Instructor. She received recognition for her commitment to teaching during National Distance Learning Week (November 7-11, 2011).  This honor recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the field of distance or online learning.

“I am honored to receive the 2011 Outstanding Online Instructor Award.  The iSchool has been at the forefront of distance education, and I am pleased that National Distance Education Week effectively publicizes the fact that online education is quality education,” Lewis said.

Dr. Alison Lewis regularly teaches a variety of courses in the MS in Library and Information Science, including a required course about the profession, humanities and social sciences reference courses, and the practicum.   During the last academic year, Dr. Lewis taught 13 sections of 5 different courses with over 250 students.  She maintained an overall teaching evaluation score of 9.15 out of 10.  Students refer to Dr. Lewis as an “inspiring instructor” who “continually pushed students to think about concepts and structural issues in LIS (Library and Information Science).” Another student noted that Dr. Lewis was “by far the best instructor I have had while taking online courses at Drexel.”

In addition to her outstanding course evaluations, Dr. Lewis developed an online version of Special Collections, which until now has only been taught face to face.  This is a challenging course to teach online and Dr. Lewis conducted thorough research as she created the online version of this course.  This addition to the curriculum will enhance our online program.

The following comment from an online student sums up the rationale for this award:  “Prof[essor] Lewis is one of the best professors I had during my time at Drexel. This is my third class with her, and she provides clear instructions for every assignment as well as providing timely feedback. I love her use of audio for lectures and the time she takes to respond to students in the discussion board. She is a great asset to Drexel and the iSchool!!”

NDLW is an annual initiative that generates greater awareness and appreciation for distance learning within the areas of pre-k through 12 education, higher and continuing education, home-schooling, as well as business, corporate, military, government and telehealth markets.

For more information about National Distance Learning Week visit http://www.ndlw.org.