Staff Senate is proud to announce the winner of the annual Outstanding Team Award for calendar year 2020 is the collaborative and cross-disciplinary Teaching Innovation and Pedagogical Support team.

Teaching Innovation and Pedagogical Support, or TIPS, consists of talented staff from the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center, University Information Technology Services and Global Campus, with a focus on academic technology and teaching support. In 2020, this focus became a critical support component of the campus teaching mission — providing training and support for web conferencing, addressing academic integrity issues, updating Blackboard, assisting University Relations with the implementation of the Keep Teaching website and numerous other projects aimed at helping our campus adapt to the realities of a COVID-19 impacted university.

TIPS assisted classroom support units in planning for hybrid instruction as well as procuring licenses for online academic resources to support faculty across campus. Other elements of support included departmental workshops, one-on-one support, online tutorials and a remote teaching hotline for faculty.

TIPS received three glowing nominations for Team of the Year from different parts of campus, and in her nomination, Deb Korth stated that "…without their collaboration as the TIPS team this year, we would have endured serious consequences, leaving many of us unable to teach our students."

Congratulations to these members of the Teaching Innovation and Pedagogical Support 2020 Outstanding Staff Team of the year.

• Kathryn Zawisza, UITS, director of academic technology and innovation
• Chris Bray, UITS, Blackboard administrator
• John Chapman, UITS, Blackboard administrator
• Mike Duncan, UITS, academic technology administrator
• Lori Libbert, TFSC/VCAC, HEI Program coordinator
• Blake Ellison, GLBL, learning resources developer
• Shelly Walters, GLBL, associate director of instructional design and support services
• Lesley Speller, GLBL, student engagement specialist
• Alicia Estes, GLBL, student engagement specialist
• Pamela Martin, GLBL, academic technologist
• Ben Sharon, GLBL, academic technologist
• Andy Stroman, GLBL, academic technologist
• Erik Watkins, GLBL, Blackboard support
• Carolyn Smith, GLBL, faculty development coordinator
• Abi Moser, GLBL, Blackboard support