Nipissing only Canadian university to receive prestigious Blackboard Catalyst Award

North Bay, ON – Nipissing University’s Teaching Hub team has been recognized with a prestigious Blackboard Catalyst Award from Blackboard Inc., a leading global EdTech software and solutions company. Nipissing is the only Canadian university to receive an award this year. 

Nipissing was honoured in the Student Success category which recognizes individuals and/or institutions whose creative program application has led to increased retention, increased completion, and/or improved outcomes for students.  

“At Nipissing, our focus on student success is woven into all facets of the university, including the online learning environment. In this unprecedented year, it’s an honour for our Teaching Hub team to be recognized for its ability to leverage technology in support of student success,” said Nipissing University Provost and Vice-President, Academic & Research, Dr. Arja Vainio-Mattila.  

The award-winning team from Nipissing includes five Learning Systems Technologists (LSTs) - Chris Bird, Rob Boulet, Kyle Charron, Mark Giddens and Mary Toye - and four Online Learning Partners (OLPs) - Brianna Dos Santos, Tate Drynan, Kathryn Schefter and Miranda Wilby.  

At the start of the global pandemic, the LSTs worked with instructors to redesign their onsite courses for quick transition online. They assisted in pinpointing at-risk students who required more support in online learning, as well as celebrating and praising highly engaged students for their efforts. The Online Learning Partners program was also created to offer students peer-to-peer support related to online learning through the Blackboard platform. 

“In the Teaching Hub, we’re always looking for ways to innovate and excel,  and the pandemic showcased our abilities to do just that,” said Dr. Pat Maher, Dean of Teaching, Nipissing University. “I’m incredibly proud of the team and the support they have been able to provide to both faculty and students as everyone adjusted to the new online learning environment.” 

Now in their 16th year, the annual Catalyst Awards recognize and honor innovation and excellence in the Blackboard global community of practice, where millions of educators and learners work every day to redefine what is possible when leveraging technology. Winners are selected by a cross-functional team of Blackboard experts. Honorees from across the globe will be recognized during BbWorld, Blackboard's premier annual global conference, to be held virtually over a two-week period, July 13-15 and July 20-22.  The 58 winners were selected from 130 nominees, the most since the Catalyst Awards program began. Nominations were entered from institutions in 17 countries. 

For more information on the Blackboard Catalyst Awards and this year's winners, please visit https://community.blackboard.com/catalystawards. 

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Contact:

Meghan Venasse
Manager, Communications
705-474-3450, ext. 4615
meghanv@nipissingu.ca