. . . BU Office of Distance Education

Associate Director Eric Friedman, Proctored Exams Coordinator Thomas Adams Martin, and Director Nancy Coleman (left to right) accept the 2010 Sloan-C Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Education award from Selection Committee Chairman Burks Oakley.

Before a crowd of innovators and representatives from the world’s premier online learning programs, the Sloan Consortium last week recognized Boston University’s Office of Distance Education as the best of the best, presenting the award for Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Education to the BU delegation during its international conference last week in Orlando, Fla.

“We are so proud to accept the award on behalf of the faculty, students, and support staff of Boston University,” said Nancy Coleman, Director of the Office of Distance Education. “The national recognition speaks to the high level of quality and instructional excellence that we are committed to providing.  We continue to be innovative in our approach to online learning, and in the future, look forward to raising the quality of the BU online experience to yet another level.”

Coleman accepted the award along with Eric Friedman, Associate Director of BU Online, and Thomas Adams Martin, the department’s Proctored Exam Coordinator. Both Friedman and Adams Martin also delivered presentations during the three-day event, offering an audience that annually includes more than 1,000 leaders looking for the latest advancements in online education a peek into how BU’s program set the standard.

“We were thrilled to be in Orlando to accept this award. It is a testament to the exceptional teaching and learning that happens in our online degree programs,” Friedman said. “It was truly an honor to be recognized by our peers, by the institutions represented at Sloan-C, by the sponsors of the conference, and by all of the participants there for the work we do.

“The conference itself has grown over the years and is clearly now the place to be for the country’s premiere online programs and the universities who offer them,” he continued. “Many innovations and best practices were showcased. Our own Thomas Adams Martin presented our approach to proctored online final exams to a packed room, and our poster session on social media was one of the busiest.”

In becoming one of only two schools to receive Sloan-C’s Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Education Award this year, BU added to a list of accolades that previously included honors from the United States Distance Learning Association in 2005, 2009, and 2010. And, as it continues its efforts to stay on the cutting edge of both teaching and technology, the Office of Distance Education is confident there could be more to come.

“We should all feel very proud of this award and of all our accomplishments,” Friedman said. “There is no doubt that we are at the forefront.”

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