College of Education's Distance Course Design & Consulting group honored

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Jennifer Parks, (808) 956-0416
Communications Coordinator, College of Education
Posted: Nov 26, 2013

In the Design-A-Bug game, students learn while creating.
In the Design-A-Bug game, students learn while creating.

The Distance Course Design & Consulting (DCDC) group in the College of Education's Office of Technology and Distance Programs (TDP) continues to be nationally and locally recognized, winning two highly competitive awards. The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) presented DCDC with a 2013 Crystal Award from the Division of Distance Learning. DCDC also won an Award of Excellence from AIGA, the professional association for design.

DCDC provides contracted instructional design, course design, and multimedia development services as well as teaching guides and instructional support to its partners. Partnerships have included Honolulu Community College, and the UH Mānoa College of Engineering and College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR).

It is a collaboration with CTAHR’s Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences (PEPS) department (PEPS 250) that led to DCDC’s recent awards. The PEPS 250 team--which includes Eddie Gose, Dr. Adam Tanners, Hong Ngo, Michelle Carino and Justin Hedani; partnering with subject matter expert Dr. Helen Spafford--designed and developed an innovative online version of PEPS’ World of Insects course.  While fulfilling science and writing intensive requirements, the course includes custom interactive, tablet-friendly games, animations and activities.

The Crystal award for innovative and outstanding multimedia-based distance learning courses and projects was bestowed upon the team at the AECT International Convention in Anaheim, California, earlier this month. One particularly engaging activity DCDC built into the PEPS 250 course is a Design-A-Bug game. Students design their own bug by selecting different bug body parts while learning what role each body part plays in survival.

Following the national recognition at the AECT convention, DCDC was given an Award of Excellence by AIGA Honolulu. The Design-A-Bug game was one of fifty projects selected out of 200 entries at the Hawaiʻi 5-O Design Competition.  Said DCDC Program Manager and Art Director Faye Furutomo, “Besides being another accolade for DCDC, as we continue to grow, I hope recognition amongst groups like AECT and AIGA will help us attract great talent and provide more partnership opportunities moving forward."

For more information, visit: https://coe.hawaii.edu/