TWSIA 2008 Award Winners

The judges for the Teaching with Sakai Innovation Award reached a unanimous decision on the award recipients for the first ever Teaching with Sakai Innovation Award. The recipients are:

First Place

Dr. Aileen Y Huang-Saad
Course: Biomedical Engineering Graduate Innovative Design
University of Michigan

Second Place

Mr. Salim Nakhjavani
Course: International Law
University of Cape Town, South Africa

Honorable Mention

Dr. Fred T. Hofstetter
Course: Web Design Portal
University of Delaware

Honorable Mention

Mr. Michael Burns
Course: Advanced Placement English Literature and Language
Minisink Valley Central School District, New York

Browse All Award Entries

The panel of judges consisted of Dr. Paul Elsner, Dr. Karen Swan, and Dr. Ken Bain, all internationally known educators. They reviewed the finalists' applications and participated in a course demonstration and interview via live web conferences with each finalist. The judges were very enthusiastic about the winning course. Dr. Swan noted that the Dr. Huang-Saad's course on Biomedical Engineering was "a really innovative course that fosters collaboration and uses real world problems." Dr. Bain said that it provided the ability to "visualize and utilize a team enhanced environment." Dr. Elsner stated that the course "was very adaptive and self-organizing." The judges also had considerable praise for Mr. Nakhjavani's course in International Law. Elsner was impressed with the obvious " impact on the larger African community." Bain noted that it provided a "robust learning environment by engaging students in the process of international law."

The first and second place recipients will be awarded reimbursed travel expenses to attend the 9th Sakai Conference in Paris. They will present their innovative uses of Teaching and Learning with Sakai and will be recognized at an Award Ceremony during the opening of the conference on July 1st.

The award is being sponsored by IBM Corporation, with additional support from the Sakai Foundation. It was designed to promote faculty best practices and innovation in using Sakai for teaching and learning. Although there are many ways in which technology can make the teaching process more efficient or productive, innovative applications of both pedagogy and technology can truly transform the educational experience. The intent of this award is to highlight examples of educational applications of Sakai which fall into this innovative or transformative category.

The first place winner, Dr. Aileen Y Huang-Saad stated, "The Sakai platform was critical to the success of my class, and I am grateful to have had such a diverse platform readily available. In particular, the wiki tool was crucial for developing class-based concept design documents, challenging students to evolve their ideas in and outside of class.

Mr. Salim Nakhjavani said, "I am humbled to have received this award for what was truly a collaborative effort between academic lawyers, educational technology specialists and students at the University of Cape Town. I hope that this recognition of African innovation on the international stage would encourage others to use Sakai in ways that bridge rather than deepen the digital divide."

Many volunteers from the Sakai community participated in this new collaborative initiative and are very proud that their efforts will help to bring teaching and learning to the center of the Sakai community.

Meet our Judges

Dr. Karen Swan

Karen Swan is Research Professor in the Research Center for Educational Technology at Kent State University. Her current research focuses on data literacy, online learning, and ubiquitous computing in education. Dr. Swan was the 2006 winner of the Sloan Consortium's award for Most Outstanding Achievement in Online Learning by an Individual.

Dr. Ken Bain

Ken Bain is Vice Provost for Instruction, Director of the Research Academy for University Learning, and Professor of History at Montclair State University. He is the author of the international bestselling book, What the Best College Teachers Do (2004, Harvard University Press). Before coming to Montclair, he was founding director of three major centers for learning and teaching: Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University, Center for Teaching Excellence at NYU, and the Searle Center for Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University.

Dr. Paul Elsner

Paul Elsner was Chancellor of the Maricopa County Community College District 1977-1999. He is one of two leading members of Sedona Conversations, an organization whose goal is to assist leaders in understanding and comprehending new developments in multimedia, the merging of education, technology and entertainment, and understanding future change. He has written and spoken widely on the impact of technology and is a recognized leader in higher education.