Evidence of Excellence

Excellence in Online Teaching Award

In the spring of 2016, I proudly accepted the university-wide “Excellence in Online Teaching Award” from the Division of Continuing Studies at Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne.

From Applause, IPFW.edu:

Joy Musser, Ph.D. CCC-SLP

Dr. Joy Musser was awarded the 2016 Excellence in Online Teaching Award from the Department of Continuing Studies for her creativity and methodology in teaching design for her courses, CSD 11500 Introduction to Communicative Disorders and CSD 30400 Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism. She is a role model for others who attempt to teach online courses because of the variety of teaching methods and interesting ways to involve the students in their learning. Students who were apprehensive about taking an online course soon found that it was so enjoyable with Dr. Musser that they look forward to more online courses. Students praise Dr. Musser for her availability to them and her depth of knowledge.

https://www.ipfw.edu/departments/coas/depts/csd/docs/Applause_print_final_16.pdf

Course Strengths

As the enclosed materials demonstrate, the main strengths of my online courses are their design and innovation. Despite the wide variety of learners enrolled in these courses over the past several years, the common response is how “well built” the classes are, and how easy they are to navigate. Students are delighted with the vast media examples that are woven throughout concise lecture material that help to solidify the material and reinforce key concepts. Each content area has a wide variety of learning activities that lend themselves to all learning styles, and the Module “Toolbox” gets praised for providing supplemental learning materials that are frequently accessed and make the material fun! Students now can virtually attend study sessions from their mobile device using the app “GroupMe.” Colleagues report that they have modified their campus classes to incorporate elements of my pedagogy, and fellow course designers compliment my course layout, continuous improvement, and design “upkeep.”

Course Value

CSD 115 and CSD 304 are required courses for CSD majors. CSD 115 counts towards general education requirements and draws heavily from education, sociology, psychology, and health and human services majors. With the offering of an online section, CSD 115 now draws from an even wider pool of students, as compared to campus sections, which enriches the online environment.

CSD 304 requires lab meetings outside of lecture time, which created time and space demands, as well as significant challenges associated with cadaver dissection opportunities. The online section of CSD 304 provides a solution for all of these issues, and students now enjoy easy access to virtual dissection.

Online offerings give students much needed flexibility in otherwise tight course schedules as they strive to meet graduation timelines. They support the non-traditional student population, which significantly contributes to enrollment numbers. CSD courses give not just the student, but the children of our students, and the parents of our students, access to content material that may fall outside of their declared major, but with direct impact and benefit to family, career, campus, and community.

Course Evaluations

Excellence in Online Teaching: Letters of Support

Faculty

Student