L-R: Melanie Hudson, Becky Kennedy, Cindy Killian, and Melissa Miller.
Six WCC instructors completed a semester of professional development entitled CORE (Collaborative Online Reflection Experience) during spring 2020. CORE is focused on best practices in online teaching, and CORE sessions are led by WCC online instructors who serve as Peer Mentors. Spring 2020 Peer Mentors were Meret Burke, Dr. Natasha Harris, and Jon Howle. Once instructors complete CORE, they are eligible to participate in an online instructor certification process. CORE and Online Instructor Certification are part of WCC’s QEP (Quality Enhancement Plan), a SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) initiative. WCC was reaffirmed by SACSCOC in 2016.
Instructors completing CORE during spring 2020 were:
- Jamie Anderson, Biology instructor
- Andrew Bolick, Religion adjunct instructor
- Keith Casey, Computer Engineering and Robotics instructor
- Joey Cook, Sociology adjunct instructor
- Ethan Garner, Psychology instructor
- Daniel Triplett, Architectural instructor
Wilkes Community College also congratulates the latest Certified Online instructors, who met certification requirements during spring 2020. Instructors who recently became CORE Certified Online Instructors were Melanie Hudson, lead instructor of Psychology; Becky Kennedy, academic advisor and ACA instructor; Cindy Killian, lead instructor of Accounting; and Melissa Miller, lead instructor of Early Childhood Education. WCC President Dr. Jeff Cox recognized their achievement during the college’s annual spring luncheon on May 14, which was held virtually this year.
Online instructor certification means that WCC instructors have met quality online course standards in both course design and instruction. Certification is the second step in a two-step process. WCC instructors who teach online first participate in a semester of professional development entitled CORE (Collaborative Online Reflection Experience).