Bristol Community College Professor receives state E-Learning Honor

Phyllis Wentworth of Arlington, MA, assistant professor of psychology at Bristol Community College, was recognized as an E-Learning pioneer at the fifth annual Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO) E-Learning Conference held at Middlesex Community College in Lowell. Her course, “Child Development,” was selected from more than 1400 courses offered through MCO, a consortium of the nine state and 15 community colleges in Massachusetts, to receive the MCO Course of Distinction (COD) Award. Eighteen state college and community college professors from across the state were selected for the award.

Wentworth joined the BCC faculty in January 2007, and began teaching online sections for the first time, with what she calls “a large measure of eagerness and a small dose of skepticism.” After the first semester she was hooked, and she remains interested in developing fully online and hybrid psychology courses for the broad student body drawn to this new educational medium.

Her Child Development course is a study of the development of human behavior from conception to adolescence with special emphasis on childhood. Special attention is given to the physical, social and cultural factors as well as the child's interpersonal relationships. It will be taught online again this fall.

“The faculty who receive the COD Award are master teachers who are using technology in amazing ways to reach students who might not otherwise have access to higher education,” said David Kelley, executive director of MCO. “Our state and community colleges are leading the way in distance learning and the COD winners are the stars.”

Massachusetts Colleges Online is a consortium of the 15 community colleges and nine state colleges in Massachusetts. The institutions have joined to share their over 1400 courses and close to 80 programs ranging from certificates to master’s degrees with students throughout the state and beyond. For the latest information on MCO, including one-stop shopping for online course offerings, visit the website at www.mco.mass.edu.