Dr. Jason Huett, associate dean of Online Development, was awarded the Outstanding eLearning Faculty Distinguished Educator award by the Instructional Technology Council. Winners of this award received complimentary registration to the ITC’s 2013 eLearning conference and were invited to attend a special recognition luncheon in San Antonio, Texas.
“It’s quite an honor,” says Dr. Huett. “Everything that I have accomplished while at UWG has, at least in part, been a team effort, and I am continually in awe of the people I work with. I consider myself lucky to have landed at UWG. If I am able to do anything that enhances the school’s reputation, it is largely because UWG took the time to invest in me. Awards like this are just further evidence that UWG is a major player in distance education in Georgia and beyond.”
Although Dr. Huett feels that UWG is already well known for its excellence in distance education, he is dedicated to the department’s continued improvement.
“Right now is, perhaps, the most exciting time in education since we began gathering people on campuses,” he says. “Thanks to technology, education is becoming more accessible, flexible, social and affordable."
Dr. Huett also believes that online learning allows the university to reach more non-traditional students.
“There are potential students who have long been marginalized and ignored by more traditional institutions: adult learners, military personnel, disabled students, single parents and millions of other non-traditional learners,” he continues. “In order to bring educational opportunities to these new and underserved audiences, you have to be flexible and deliver engaging instruction in a variety of formats. In short, we need to allow everyone the opportunity to have a high-quality education, and we need to educate students for their futures and not for our past. Online learning and instructional technology are critical in accomplishing these goals.”
