Manchester lecturer wins Blackboard award

Drew Whitworth from The University of Manchester has been honored by education technology company Blackboard for the innovative way he uses their software for his teaching. Part of the annual Blackboard Catalyst Awards program, the Strategy Award is given to teachers and lecturers who use one or more Blackboard tools to support teaching and learning or campus engagement Whitworth, who is based in the School of Education, will be honoured alongside other Blackboard Catalyst Award winners during Blackboard's annual user conference in New Orleans this July. Whitworth said: "I am delighted to have been honoured in this way and shall look forward to picking up the award in New Orleans. "The course I teach, Development of Educational Technology, is the foundational unit of the MA in Digital Technologies, Communication and Education. "The secret of its success is that it brings together both distance and on-campus students in online tutorial groups, who share their experiences of e-learning and each other's professional situations. "This has proved very valuable. Ray Henderson, Chief Technology Officer and President of Academic Platforms for Blackboard said: "We applaud the Blackboard Catalyst Award winners and their accomplishments.