Technology & Media Services Director Katrina Loutzenhiser Honored with Blackboard Exemplary Course Award

[Press release published on behalf of Blackboard.]

The University of Pittsburgh is pleased to announce that Katrina Loutzenhiser, an instructional designer for the School of Education, has been named a winner in Blackboard’s 2016-17 Exemplary Course Program (ECP). The biannual awards program recognizes faculty and course designers from schools, colleges, and universities around the world who develop engaging and innovative courses that represent the very best in technology and learning.

Loutzenhizer won for her course “Introduction to Online Instruction.” The course demonstrated excellence in four areas:

-Course Design: the elements of instructional design, such as its structure, learning objectives, and instructional strategies.
-Interaction and Collaboration: the level of engagement offered by the course and the level of student interaction and collaboration
-Assessment: the evaluation of student work toward the achievement of learning outcomes and the quality and type of student assessments
-Learner Support: the resources made available to students, which may be accessible within or external to the course environment.

For 16 years, the ECP has recognized instructors and course designers whose courses demonstrate best practices. Since its founding, thousands of instructors, teachers, and designers have used the ECP to evaluate and improve their courses with recognized best practices. To be considered for the honor, applicants must be a user of the Blackboard Learn learning management system (LMS). Submitted courses are evaluated by other course developers, instructional designers, teachers, and professors as well as experts using the Exemplary Course Program Rubric.

“I’m proud to recognize Katrina for her commitment to finding new and innovative ways to inspire students to learn and advance student success,” said Bill Ballhaus, Chairman, CEO and President of Blackboard. “We look forward to continuing to partner with the University of Pittsburgh and other members of the educational community to drive student success.”

Loutzenhizer will be honored alongside other outstanding recipients on the Blackboard website as well as in the Blackboard community.

Blackboard Inc. is a leading education technology company for teaching, learning and student engagement. To learn more about the Exemplary Course Program, visit www.blackboard.com/ecp.

About Blackboard Inc.
Our mission is to partner with the global education community to enable learner and institutional success, leveraging innovative technologies and services. With an unmatched understanding of the world of the learner, the most comprehensive student-success solutions, and the greatest capacity for innovation, Blackboard is education’s partner in change.