A leader of award-winning online education for over 25 years, Middlesex Community College offers immersive and interactive courses via online, on-campus, hybrid and hyflex formats. Middlesex faculty members Kate Baker, Madhu Dhar and Leah MacPherson received 2023 Courses of Distinction (COD) Awards from Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO) for building a sense of community and excellence within their online classes.
An English faculty member for 12 years, Baker builds community within her virtual classroom through personal messages, google slides, and weekly video guides. She uses hands-on exercises and assignments where classmates engage with each other throughout the semester. Her goal is to build empathy and respect for her students’ varied perspectives and lived experiences by providing the space for them to share their ideas and opinions.
“I really appreciate the recognition, and I think the award is a testament to the collegiality and collaboration among faculty at MCC,” Baker said. “My online teaching has improved because I work with amazing people who are willing to share ideas, and we have a common goal to become better educators and do our best to support students. There are so many people going above and beyond to help improve our students’ lives and our MCC community.”
Dhar, a Science faculty member, has been at MCC for seven years. One way in which she brings her online students together is collaborating with the UMass Lowell Observatory to offer a virtual viewing session. The opportunity provides her students with the chance to engage in deeper discussions and feel unity with their classmates.
“[Receiving the award] is an acknowledgement of a job well-done and is justification for the agony, self-doubt and hard work that went into the class,” Dhar said. “In a classroom, creating a space of equity and belonging, students who come together with the common goal of learning feel more invested and connected to their classroom community.”
Dental Hygiene faculty member MacPherson has worked at MCC for 23 years. At the start of her class, she asks her students to complete a survey about their previous learning experiences to learn about what does and does not work for them, their backgrounds, previous jobs, interests, and any concerns. This helps her to show her students that she cares and is interested in them as people. She also uses group activities throughout the semester to “foster and promote teamwork.”
“At MCC, teaching and learning is valued and is at the heart of what we do,” MacPherson said. “Here I can focus on what I love, which is teaching and I’m able to keep working on improving my classes. I was very surprised to receive this award. I do think it takes a village to teach and I am grateful for all the support I have received from the college.”