Jason Porter, associate professor of accounting in the WSU Carson College of Business, is the winner of the 2018-19 Excellence in Online Teaching Award. The student-nominated annual award is sponsored by Academic Outreach & Innovation.
The award, now in its third year, seeks to acknowledge and reward WSU faculty members teaching on Global Campus who employ best practices to engage, inspire, support and show care for students in an online environment. Porter is one of 35 instructors nominated for the award. He will receive $3,000 and a trophy in recognition of his win.
Nick Braasch, an accounting major and one of eight students who nominated Porter, said in his nomination, “Dr. Porter has gone above and beyond my expectations. His instructional videos and class discussion sessions have been extremely thorough and well explained.”
Jennifer Battiste, also an accounting major said, “He is excited about the course material and it shows. You can ask him anything and he will respond with a well-thought-out and helpful response. He goes out of his way to be encouraging.”
“It’s truly overwhelming to get such a positive response from students. It is a real honor to be recognized like this by them,” said Porter.
Porter is relatively new to WSU but not to teaching. He joined the WSU faculty fall semester 2018 after teaching accounting for 12 years at the University of Idaho and the University of South Dakota.
“As a teacher, there’s nothing better than seeing the light of understanding come on in a student’s eyes,” said Porter. “Because we are online, I don’t see it in person, but I still get to see that excitement show up in their work and discussion posts as they grasp the material. It’s very rewarding, and it’s why I do what I do.”
Recognizing talent in online instruction is especially important, as distance learning presents a unique set of challenges for faculty members, said Rebecca Van de Vord, assistant vice president of AOI and chair of the 12-member Excellence in Online Teaching Award review committee.
“Reading through the nomination comments, it’s amazing to see how these 35 outstanding faculty members have impacted the lives of their students,” said Van de Vord. “Even though they are teaching at a distance, these instructors are able to project their excitement and passion and pass it on to their students. That ability can really make a difference, and it is something that deserves recognition.”
“Although I haven’t been at WSU long, I’m very proud to be a part of the outstanding faculty community here,” said Porter. “One of the best things about my job is being able to sit down and talk with other faculty members who are excited and passionate about their work. At WSU, I get that opportunity a lot.”
Porter will be honored for winning the Excellence in Online Teaching Award at the ASWSU-Global graduation reception on May 3, on the Pullman campus.
