Professor earns online teaching excellence award during COVID-19 pandemic
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Media Contact: Brittany Bowman | Communications Specialist | 405-744-9347 | brittany.bowman@okstate.edu
A professor instrumental in leading Oklahoma educators and Oklahoma State University professors through virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has received statewide recognition.
Dr. Kalianne Neumann, OSU assistant professor of educational technology, received the 2021 Oklahoma Online Excellence Award (OOEA) in Teaching from the Oklahoma Council for Online Learning Excellence (COLE). The award recognizes excellence in online learning environment design, collaboration with online educators and leadership.
“She was already an outstanding teacher, both in-person and online, but her efforts
during the pandemic were heroic,” said Dr. Sheri Vasinda, associate professor of reading
and literacy education. “She supported inservice teachers, preservice teachers and
teacher educators in developing proficiency and confidence using technology.”
Neumann led the first of a three-workshop series for Oklahoma teachers to ease the transition to virtual learning at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also part of a leadership team crafting a fully online OSU bachelor’s degree in elementary education and developed a Google add-on to help classroom teachers train their students in peer editing.
“This is really why I got into the field of educational technology,” said Neumann, who pursued a Ph.D. after teaching high school language arts. “I’m able to share my own experiences and positively affect these teachers, who will have a trickle down to their students.”
Neumann also teaches three educational technology courses for OSU education majors, modeling to her students how to personalize digital learning through attention to detail and thorough class structure. Dr. Julie Utley, associate professor of mathematics education, said Neumann is making a positive difference for Oklahoma education.
“She not only teaches her disciplinary courses, but she also amplifies her efforts by supporting teacher education faculty and K-12 teachers, helping them become excellent online teachers as well,” Utley said. “She is changing the face and perception of online instruction through her innovation.”