School of Education recognizes outstanding faculty

School of Education faculty members Alec French, Marna Winter and Jeff Carpenter were recognized on May 17 for their excellence in teaching, service, and scholarship at the annual school awards banquet.

EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD
Alec French
Adjunct Instructor, Department of Health and Human Performance

Consistent with Elon’s philosophy of outstanding teaching, this award seeks to recognize a faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding teaching, as evidenced by engaging students in active learning and application of theory to practice in substantive and meaningful ways.

For more than 20 years, Alec French has demonstrated an unquestionable dedication to excellence in teaching as well as mentoring for all students in the School of Education. He is the consummate role model for the values of effective, professional teachers by being an excellent example for his students.

“Professor French has had a positive influence on many of the cornerstones of our work in the School of Education,” says one Elon colleague. “He embodies our mission to prepare educators who embody the best of what Elon stands for … approach(ing) life and work with optimism, integrity, knowledge, passion, skill, and respect for the diversity of humanity.”

Students view French as a teacher and mentor who is genuinely concerned about their academic and personal well-being. They feel challenged and empowered as learners, valuing his facilitation of their learning, his real-world experience and his clear expectations of their responsibility for an engaged teaching and learning environment.

French’s willingness to collaborate with colleagues, his mentoring of students and his consistent positive and professional attitude has led to a long, successful career as an educator and this year’s Excellence in Teaching Award recipient.

​EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE AWARD
Marna Winter
Lecturer and Department Chair, Department of Education

The Excellence in Service Award is designed to recognize the faculty member who has served to advance the School of Education, Elon University, and the teaching profession. Recipients of the service award have provided leadership and promoted collegiality within the School of Education.

Marna Winter has been a vital part of the School of Education’s progress over the past several years. She has served on the stewardship committee, teacher education committee, NCATE preparation team, presentation committee, Historic Cable School Tour Coordinator (after she led the charge of restoring the 1850s schoolhouse), early childhood program committee, elementary program committee, early childhood program design team, E-splash committee, and served on the Language Arts / Social Studies faculty search team.

Her service contributions to Elon include vice-chair of the Institutional Review Board, members of the Elon Book Selection Committee, co-captain of the Faculty and Staff Giving Campaign, and a member of the First Flight Pilot Team for the Writing Excellence Campaign. That’s not to mention the many roles she plays in the Alamance-Burlington School System through local partnerships she has built, the vast amounts of time she spends with her advisees and undergraduate research mentees.

Her colleague states, “what is truly admirable and very much appreciated is the leadership Professor Winter has provided to both the department and school over these ‘transition years.’” As coordinator of the Elementary Education program, she led the program through some valuable changes, including the addition of a classroom management course and restructuring the sequence of courses within the program, based on data and feedback from students, alumni, and the program advisory board she reinstated. These changes continue to have a positive impact on the development of our outstanding teacher candidates. For two years, she served as the director of education outreach and for the past year she has served as chair for the Department of Education.

“Her leadership and stability played a major role in the success the school has experienced this year,” said one Elon colleague, “and this award could not be timelier or well-deserved.”

​EXCELLENCE IN SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
Jeff Carpenter
Associate Professor of Education and Director of Teaching Fellows

The Excellence in Scholarship Award is designed to recognize the faculty member who exemplifies the Elon University teacher-scholar.  Scholarship that advances the knowledge of one’s discipline and supports one’s teaching is the hallmark of the Elon Teacher-Scholar.  

Jeff Carpenter is recognized by his peers for his driven contributions to the field of education. He connects teachers, teacher candidates, and professionals in the field with a goal to create educators that are self-directed to take an active role in their professional development.

“The key to balance is something Professor Jeff Carpenter has mastered. He contributes to the life of the university through stellar, impactful service, while delivering meaningful yet rigorous instruction, all while maintaining an exceptional scholarly agenda with an impressive trajectory,” stated Winter during her award presentation.

Carpenter’s scholarship addresses the needs of teaching and learning in the 21st century with themes that are threaded throughout each of the courses he teaches. He publishes, co-authors and presents with well-respected colleagues in the field of education including many through collaborative partnerships in the School of Education.

During the past years, Carpenter has published two book chapters, 30 peer-reviewed articles, with eight additional publications. Over 20 of these are as first author – four being published in 2017. These articles are published highly selective, top-notch educational journals including, Journal of Curriculum and Technology, Educational Leadership, and Teaching and Teacher Education, to name a few. Per Google Scholar, Carpenter has been cited more than 314 times since 2012. In addition, he has presented at almost 100 international, national, state and regional conferences including five at AERA, three at ISTE, and three in AACTE in 2017.

During his time at Elon, Carpenter has received impressive awards including, Best Research Paper from International Society for Technology in Education for 2017, an invitation to serve on a panel to discuss the National Educational Technology plan in Washington D.C., and has been awarded several impactful grants – most notably, in 2011, he was awarded an impressive $1.2 million, five-year grant to support the recruitment and preparation of science and mathematics teachers.

Carpenter was nominated by his colleagues and received the Excellence in Scholarship Award in 2013.