Heather Larson will soon graduate and even though it was one of her first classes at Granite State College, she still has a lot to say about taking biology with Dr. Sarah Eck: “To this day, I can say that it was just the most amazing, interactive course I’ve taken,” Heather shared. “I still remember doing the lung capacity lab!” For Heather—and realistically, for most GSC students—coming back to college was a major decision and there were many things that made her hesitant, including online courses. Just one course is all it took. Heather experienced the power of online learning and in just a few short months, she’ll have a bachelor’s degree to prove its value. These moments are what matter the most to Granite State College. The high level of quality that Sarah Eck brings as an online faculty member, matched with her passion for science, helps set GSC apart and reach impressive goals, such as its two top national rankings from U.S. News and World Report for best online programs. Granite State College embraces the good work of Sarah Eck, along with other members of the faculty who are innovators in online learning, and she now serves as a Faculty Fellow. In this role, she partners with colleagues to discuss best practices within their respective online classes. This helps leverage Sarah’s various insights and expertise among other instructors so as a community, the faculty can strengthen the teaching and learning that happens online at Granite State College. Sarah shared: “Having the opportunity to discuss best practices at the faculty level from one colleague to another generates new ideas. It elevates the level of teaching, it betters instruction for our students, and therefore we have better learning taking place.”
Recently Sarah collaborated with John Gianforte, a GSC astronomy professor. John was inspired by the lab activities that Sarah includes in her online courses and how they encourage student engagement through active experimentation. John adopted this approach in his own courses. The results? Students enjoyed the experience and it helped reinforce what they learned. One of Gianforte’s students gave feedback saying, “It has been the most interesting, informative, and fun class I have taken so far.” Granite State College is committed to making the academic experience of students as rich as possible and is actively growing its Faculty Fellows program. The College looks forward to seeing further faculty collaboration and the tremendous difference that it makes in the online classroom for GSC students!
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