CLC professors receive teaching excellence awards
College of Lake County professors Dr. Cathy Colton (English) and Debbie Colver (nursing) have received the 2015-16 Teaching Excellence Award from the Austin, Texas-based National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development.
NISOD 2016 winners Colver and Colton, who were nominated by other CLC faculty and deans, were selected from a pool of applicants by a committee consisting of a faculty representative from each CLC academic division.
Chosen for excellence in teaching and service, Colton and Colver received their awards at the NISOD conference May 28-31 in Austin.
Colton, who said she's "grateful" to receive the award, has been teaching at CLC full time since 2001. She holds a B.A. from Northeastern Illinois University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"To keep students engaged in the material, one thing I do is allow them to choose the topic and approach for their research papers," Colton said. "When reading and writing about issues that are personally meaningful, it is easier to immerse ourselves more fully in the work and put forth the effort."
Colver, who said she's "honored and humbled" to receive the award, began teaching full time at CLC in 2007. She received a B.S.N. from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an M.S. from Regis College.
To keep the attention of students, Debbie said she finds different ways to present or cover the material.
"I try to limit the use of PowerPoint and use games, videos, case studies and group work to make the students active participants in the classroom," she said. "I also share many personal experiences and examples, and I encourage the students to ask questions and share their experiences."
Since its inception in 1978, NISOD has emphasized the importance of teaching and leadership excellence in institutions of higher education.
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