admin USDLA, the leader in Distance and Digital Learning education, has announced its International Distance Learning Award winners for 2021.
The Organization
The United States Distance Learning Association was founded in 1987 and based on the premise of creating a powerful alliance to meet the burgeoning education and training needs of learning communities via new concepts of the fusion of communication technologies with learning in broad multidiscipline applications. It was the first nonprofit distance learning association in the United States to support distance learning research, development, and praxis across the complete arena of education, training, and communications. The learning communities that the USDLA addresses are: pre-K/12, higher education, continuing education, corporate training, military and government training, home schooling, and tele-health. Its mission is to support the development and application of digital and distance learning by focusing on legislation impacting the community and constituencies.
Details on the Announcement
Each year, USDLA recognizes innovators and leaders within the distance/digital learning industry as part of our International Award program. These highly coveted awards are presented annually to organizations and individuals who compete across several categories of excellence. The USDLA International Distance Learning Awards are created to acknowledge major accomplishments in distance learning and to highlight those distance learning instructors, programs, and professionals who have achieved and demonstrated extraordinary achievements through the use of online, videoconferencing, and satellite/video delivery technologies globally.
List of Awardees
This year, the following institutions were chosen by the review committee to receive awards in their respective categories:
• 21st Century Award: University of Cincinnati Online (winner); Frontier Nursing University (runner-up)
• Outstanding Leadership Award: Minnesota State University Moorhead
• Innovation Award: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (winner); Columbia University School of Social Work (runner-up)
• Excellence in Teaching Award – Clarkson University (winner); Iowa State University (runner-up)
• Impact Award – College of Education, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (winner); Oiada International (runner-up)
• Quality of Research Paper Award – Minnesota State University Moorhead
“The International Award program has provided prestigious recognition for educational influencers around the globe for many years” says Dr. Arletha McSwain, President of USDLA. “These award winners are truly leaders in the distance/digital learning industry and their work in support of pedagogy is unsurpassed”.
New Rules of Award Dispensation
Each year, the annual award winners are recognized by the Association at the USDLA National Conference Awards Dinner and presented a physical award. However, due to the continued pandemic concerns in 2021, the organization has decided to virtually recognize the award winners during the National Distance Learning Week (NDLW). All award winners will also be invited to its 2022 National Conference in Nashville, TN to be recognized in person.
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