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CMC director honored with eLearning award

Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado
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GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado – Alice Bedard-Voorhees credits her passion for distance learning from a job she held in the 1970s, when she drove a mobile classroom unit to multiple reservation communities in North and South Dakota.

What has fed that passion, she said, are the technological developments that have expanded opportunities to cross distances and connect learners, faculty and resources, she says.

Bedard-Voorhees, Colorado Mountain College’s director of innovations for teaching and learning, was recently recognized by her peers for her continuing enthusiasm for distance education.



She was honored at the annual conference of the eLearning Consortium of Colorado (eLCC) with the 2009 eLCC eLearning Educator of the Year award.

“Alice has been a leader in e-learning here in Colorado for many years,” said Phyllis Dobson of Colorado Community Colleges Online, who nominated her for the award.



As Bedard-Voorhees explains, e-learning includes the standard concepts of distance learning, which can be delivered by television, e-mail, correspondence or the Internet. But it also includes devices like phones as part of the learning or training experience. And because many of these technologies are also used in the classroom, e-learning now can play a part in face-to-face classes, as well.

“She is creative, extremely knowledgeable and willing to investigate new technologies for teaching and learning,” said Dobson, who noted Bedard-Voorhees has worked with both CCCOnline and CMC.

The awarding organization eLCC, formerly known as Colorado TELECOOP, is a coalition of public and private colleges, universities, K-12 education districts, private sector businesses and public television stations dedicated to the enhancement of educational opportunities through distance learning.

“The award is a precious one because it is presented by peers in the field,” Bedard-Voorhees said.

Bedard-Voorhees earned a doctorate in distance education from Capella University in Minnesota and has a master’s degree in English and a bachelor’s degree in American studies.

She has been working in online teaching and learning for many years.

She joined CMC in summer 2007, where she is an advocate for a variety of distance learning tools.


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