Murphy Wins Association's Gold Award for Distance Learning

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Cheryl Murphy

Cheryl Murphy, director of distance education in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas, won a Gold Award for Excellence in Distance Learning Teaching, the United States Distance Learning Association announced May 4.

Murphy won the award for online technology in the higher education category. An associate professor of educational technology, she has served as the coordinator of the educational technology program, a master's degree program, for eight years.

The association presented the award to Murphy at a ceremony May 3 in St. Louis that was broadcast live on the Web. The ceremony was part of the association's annual national conference.

Murphy was appointed to the newly created position of director of distance education in January.

"This award confirms the commitment of Dr. Murphy and our college to putting our online programs on the forefront of distance learning," said Tom Smith, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions. "We are pleased to see that Dr. Murphy's expertise and interest in distance education programs has earned her this national recognition. In addition to expanding our online delivery at the University of Arkansas, she is equally concerned with maintaining high quality courses and degree programs."

The awards were created to acknowledge major accomplishments in distance learning and to highlight those distance learning instructors, programs and professionals who have achieved and demonstrated extraordinary results through the use of online, videoconferencing, satellite and blended-learning delivery technologies, according to the United States Distance Learning Association.

This year's award winners represent many of the most innovative leaders in the field of distance learning, said Reggie Smith III, chair of the association's board of directors. The nonprofit association formed in 1987 and is based in Boston.