COD Winners for 2023

Welcome to the 2023 COD Award Online Showcase

Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO) created the Courses of Distinction Awards to recognize faculty whose course designs and practices best exemplifies online education’s potential to enhance teaching and learning.
In addition to honoring faculty for their efforts at the COD Awards ceremony there will be a COD Video Presentation Gallery where faculty will showcase their work, this video showcase has become an important focus of the MCO Sharing Best Practices in e-Learning Conference.

Each MCO institution may nominate up to 4 courses from 2 categories:
– 2 courses from Category 1 “Course Delivery Method”
– 2 courses from Category 2 “Innovative Features”

Congratulations 2023 Courses of Distinction!

-COD Winners Video Tours

If the COD Winner has a icon before their name, click on the name of the COD winner to watch the video tour of their course and or best practices.

Description of COD Categories

2023 Campus COD Awards: 

Category 1- Course Delivery Method Award
A course that demonstrates exemplary course design and practices.

Online synchronous

  • Professor Kate Baker, Middlesex Community College 
    Course Name: Honors English Composition I


Online asynchronous

  • Assistant Professor Christin Hodel, Bridgewater State University
    Course Name: Seminar: Branding, Celebrity, and Gender on the Disney Channel
    Course Video link Click Here
  • Dr. Anne Goodwin, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
    Course Name: Medical Terminology
  • Dr. Joann B. Nichols, Fitchburg State University 
    Course Name: Investigations
    Course Video link Click Here
  • Dr. Wendy Knight, Bridgewater State University
    Course Name: Burnout in Social Services
    Course Video link Click Here
  • Professor Fayette Reynolds, Berkshire Community College
    Course Name: Brain, Mind & Behavior
  • Professor Kathryn McGrath, Massachusetts Bay Community College
    Course Name: Introduction to Film
    Course Video link Click Here
  • Associate Professor Madhu Dhar, Middlesex Community College
    Course Name: Astronomy
    Course Video link Click Here
  • Professor Mary Ambrose, Massasoit Community College
    Course Name: Ethical Dilemmas
    Course Video link Click Here
  • Dr. Maureen Clark, Westfield State University
    Course Name: Crisis Treatment and Suicide- Special Topics
    Course Video link Click Here
  • Associate Professor Robert Shapiro, Westfield State University
    Course Name: Concepts and Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis
    Course Video link Click Here
  • Professor Tom Grady, Bristol Community College
    Course Name: College-Composition I
    Course Video link Click Here


Online hybrid/blended

  • Professor Leah MacPherson, Middlesex Community College
    Course Name: Periodontology
  • Associate Professor Nicole Mooney, Berkshire Community College
    Course Name: Composition I


HyFlex

  • N/A


Category 2- Innovative Features Award
An innovative pedagogical practice that encourages student success and engagement

Special Topic 1- Open Education

  • Professor Igor Baryakhtar, Massachusetts Bay Community College
    Course Name: Accelerated Precalculus Mathematics
    Course Video link Click Here
  • Associate Professor Kisha Tracy, Fitchburg State University
    Course Name: World Literature I Myths and Traditions
    Course Video link Click Here
  • Dr. Michael Vorwerk & Dr. Karin Vorwerk, Westfield State University
    Course Name: Math Methods in Natural Science
    Course Video link Click Here
  • Professor Ricky Sethi, Fitchburg State University
    Course Name: Computer Science I
    Course Video link Click Here


Special Topic 2– Tech Wizard

  • N/A


Special Topic 3- Video Innovator 

  • N/A


Special Topic 4- Universal Design, Inclusivity, and Accessibility

  • Dr. Denise Pruitt, Health Studies Department Chair, Massachusetts Bay Community College
    Course Name: Health Careers Exploration
    Course Video link Click Here


Special Topic 5- Community of Practice (CoP) 

  • N/A