Idaho Gem Innovative Educator Awards Given to CSI Faculty
Release Date: Monday 2023-10-16
TWIN FALLS, ID – The College of Southern Idaho is pleased to announce that two faculty members from CSI were selected by the Idaho State Board of Education for the Idaho GEM Innovative Educator Awards. These faculty members were selected by the state because of exceptional teaching practices that, among other things, enable non-major students to understand and apply methods of inquiry to expand their knowledge and solve problems, innovatively use high impact practices to effectively engage students, and increase educational access and affordability for students. These instructors also support the state’s goals of general education through participating in institutional general education initiatives and mentoring other instructors.
We are proud to announce that Tandace Crane was selected as the GEM Innovative Educator for Oral Communication and Shawn Willsey was selected as the GEM Innovative Educator for Scientific Ways of Knowing.
Oral Communication: Instructor Tandace Crane
Tandace is an outstanding example of an instructor who jumped in with both feet since being hired in 2019. She incorporates strategies such as gaming and team-building practices and works to make her classroom a safe and engaging space for students to explore while learning. She engages in collaborative teaching methods with others in her department and works to create a learning community within her classroom. Her department chair reports: “Tandace is one of the mostly highly sought instructors on campus… students vie for her classes, which fill quickly.”
Scientific Ways of Knowing: Distinguished Professor Shawn Willsey
Shawn has taught at the College of Southern Idaho for close to 20 years and, in that time, has made an impact on thousands of students. According to one student, “Shawn portrays his passion through the compassion he shows his students, his knowledge of Geology, and continues to inspire his students every day to take the step out of comfortability and push them into achieving a higher form of understanding.” Shawn is currently working on a sabbatical project to create open access videos of National Park geology in an effort to continue to lower the cost of textbooks for students in all of his classes.
“These instructors represent the very best of effective teaching and student connection. We are very proud of their efforts and thankful to the State Board of Education for recognizing their outstanding work,” said Tiffany Seeley-Case, Dean of General and Transfer Education. Tandace and Shawn received their awards at the State General Education Summit last week.
Media Contact:
Tiffany Seeley-Case
Dean of General and Transfer Education
tseeley@csi.edu | 208.732.6779