It was an honor and privilege to attend the Virginia Foundation for
Independent Colleges (VFIC) Fall Luncheon honoring three outstanding
professors statewide for academic excellence. The luncheon was hosted by
Williams Mullen and held on the 15th floor of their Richmond building.
Dr. Thomas Brown, VWC Associate Professor of Criminal
Justice/Sociology, is the recipient of the VFIC H. Hiter Harris, III,
Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award. He is the second VWC
faculty member to win a VFIC teaching award. Professor of Philosophy Dr.
Larry Hultgren received H. Hiter Harris, Jr., Award for Excellence in
Undergraduate Teaching in 2009.
Other recipients this year
included: Dr. James R. Kirkwood of Sweet Briar College (H. Hiter Harris,
Jr., Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award) and Dr. Nicole
Drewitz-Crockett of Emory & Henry College (H. Hiter Harris, III,
Rising Star Award).
The awards were presented by Hiter Harris,
III, Managing Director of Harris Williams & Co. and Chair of the
VFIC Board of Trustees, and Thurston Moore, Chairman Emeritus of Hunton
& Williams LLP, and Immediate Past Chair of the VFIC Board of
Directors.
Dr. Ken Ruscio, retiring President of Washington & Lee University and President-elect of VFIC, was the keynote speaker.
Tom,
who has served Virginia Wesleyan since 2011, is an ardent practitioner
of using technology, and he understands that technology is transient and
ever-changing. He has developed a teaching technique that includes
pre-recording a short lecture, or video segment, on his office computer,
embedding videos, Prezis and PowerPoint presentations into the
lectures. He includes quiz questions and reflection prompts within the
lecture as well. For each lecture, he also prepares guided notes in
Google Docs that comprise a detailed lecture outline with underlined
blanks and other open fields. Then, via Google Classroom, he distributes
an individual copy to each of his students. During regular class
periods in the physical classroom, students watch the short lecture at
their individual workstations using earphones.
Tom indicates that
he’s achieved a significant boost in student engagement with the
lectures in this mode. He says that students are staying on task and are
more focused on the course material: “No more Facebooking or shopping
for shoes during class!”
We are extremely proud of Tom Brown’s
outstanding accomplishment and the prestigious recognition his award
brings to Virginia Wesleyan. Because he has promoted the integration of
technology into our College curriculum in a variety of ways, both
through his innovative use of technology in his courses, and as a
founding member and active participant in the campus Digital Pedagogy
Working Group, this award is a well-deserved confirmation of his
dedication to student success.
