UIS Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning receives major award

The Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning at the University of Illinois at Springfield was among pioneers in the use of new media technologies to be honored at the 2008 SNCR Excellence in New Communications Awards ceremony hosted by the Society for New Communications Research on November 14 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The SNCR is a nonprofit global think tank dedicated to the advanced study of new communications tools, technologies, and emerging modes of communication and their effect on traditional media, professional communications, business, and society. These prestigious awards honor individuals, corporations, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and media outlets that are breaking new ground in the use of social media, ICT, mobile media, online communities, virtual worlds, and collaborative technologies.

OTEL Director Ray Schroeder noted that award recipients comprised “some of the brightest leaders in the field of new media.”

Said Schroeder, “How exciting it is to know that UIS was so wonderfully represented among those who are shaping the future of emerging technologies and communications media! Just look at the others with whom we are listed -- Network Solutions, Dell, Cisco, IBM, United Nations University, Corel, and Lexis/Nexis, among many others.”

UIS’ award, in the category Online Reputation Management/Academic Division, was accepted by Shari McCurdy Smith, associate director of OTEL and one of the authors of the winning case study documenting UIS’ collective efforts in support of the campus’ online initiative. The complete text of the case study is available at www.newcommreview.com/?p=1352.

UIS also received a Commendation of Merit in the category of External Communications from SNCR for "Newsroom@Illinois Springfield," a website where many of the campus’ news and information web pages are consolidated into one central hub.

UIS’ Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning has as its mission the promotion of faculty use of the Internet and allied developing technologies to enhance learning, scholarship, and service. More information is available at http://otel.uis.edu/Portal/index.asp.

Additional information about the Society for New Communications Research is available at www.sncr.org.