The Patricia A. Prelock Award for Excellence in Online Teaching, presented annually, recognizes superior online teaching by full-time and part-time faculty, provides models of excellence for fellow faculty, and encourages all faculty to continue to improve and advance their online teaching pedagogy. Named in honor of former Provost Patricia Prelock, an early adopter of online teaching at UVM, this award celebrates innovative and effective online instruction.
Dr. Prelock is Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Arizona, following her tenure as Provost and Senior Vice President at the University of Vermont (2019 to 2025) and as Dean of UVM’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS). Her University of Vermont faculty appointments included Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders in CNHS, and Professor of Pediatrics in the UVM Larner College of Medicine. Renowned for her expertise in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Dr. Prelock has secured $24 million dollars in funding for interdisciplinary training and ASD interventions and has published over 211 worked and delivered over 585 presentations on autism, neurodevelopmental disabilities, collaboration, leadership, and language learning disabilities.
Award recipients will receive a framed certificate, a letter outlining their accomplishments to aid in their professional development, and a taxable cash award of $1,000. Names are displayed on a plaque on the third floor of the Waterman Building.
Award Categories:
Award for Excellence in Online Teaching, Full-time Faculty: for courses (credit or non-credit) taught by full-time faculty members.
Award for Excellence in Online Teaching, Part-time Faculty: for courses (credit or non-credit) taught by part-time faculty members.
The AY 2025-2026 award recipients are:
Full-Time Category:
Assistant Professor Cee Carter, Department of Education, College of Education and Social Services
Dr. Carter exemplifies innovative, inclusive, and deeply effective online pedagogy that has a transformative impact on students’ learning and success. Across multiple fully online graduate courses, Dr. Carter demonstrates exceptional course design and delivery, intentionally leveraging multimodal technologies, structured yet flexible learning pathways, and interactive pedagogies, such as think‑pair‑share discussions, workshops, and community‑building rituals, to foster sustained engagement and a strong sense of belonging in virtual spaces. Students consistently describe her online classrooms as “warm and inviting,” noting that her thoughtful facilitation, clear organization, and responsive feedback support both rigorous learning outcomes and meaningful connection. One student shared that “the way she designed this course and made it so accessible was essential to my success this semester,” while another reflected that “Dr. Carter’s deftness in teaching and providing feedback online is first‑rate.” Her commitment to accessibility and inclusive practices through transparent expectations, flexible deadlines, accessible materials, and individualized support has been particularly impactful for first‑generation, neurodivergent, and working professionals. Coupled with her ongoing professional growth in online teaching and her profound influence on students’ academic confidence, critical thinking, and satisfaction, Dr. Carter’s work represents the highest standard of excellence in online education.
Part-Time Category:
Instructor Eva Kinnebrew, Professional and Continuing Education
Dr. Kinnebrew has demonstrated exceptional ability to deliver highly technical content through innovative, student-centered online pedagogy that consistently leads to strong engagement, learning outcomes, and student satisfaction. As documented in the nomination materials, she has designed and refined an asynchronous learning environment that combines expertly scaffolded course design, real-time coding demonstrations, applied case-study assignments, and frequent instructor-generated micro‑videos that respond directly to student questions, creating a strong sense of instructor presence and community despite the absence of live sessions. Her courses demonstrate a deep commitment to accessibility and inclusion through clear organization, transparent expectations, flexible support structures, and intentional normalization of learning challenges, particularly for students new to coding and geospatial analysis. Students consistently report high levels of confidence and skill development, describing her course as “the perfect example of how classes can excel asynchronously” and noting that “Eva is incredibly helpful and provided so many great resources that made this new coding platform easy to pick up and apply,” clear evidence of her impact on student success and satisfaction in online learning.
Eligibility/Criteria
All faculty members, whether teaching credit or non-credit courses, who have completed at least 9 semester hours of fully online instruction at UVM—delivered synchronously or asynchronously via the Brightspace Learning Management System—are eligible for consideration, except for those who have previously received this award.
The award evaluation considers the following criteria for excellence in online teaching:
Innovative and effective use of online teaching technologies and pedagogies
Demonstrated excellence in course design and delivery in the online environment
Evidence of student engagement and learning outcomes in online courses
Creative approaches to fostering interaction and community in virtual learning spaces
Commitment to accessibility and inclusive practices in online education
Professional development and continuous improvement in online teaching methods
Impact on student success and satisfaction in online learning
Nomination Process
Nominations are due by February 1st every year (if this date falls on a weekend, the due date is the following Monday), and must include the following:
A letter of nomination detailing the nominee’s excellence in online teaching and relevant achievements (should detail the minimum of nine (9) semester credit hours of online teaching required).
The nominee’s current curriculum vitae (CV) or link to their UVM profile.
The nominee’s course syllabi.
Optional: additional supporting materials such as evidence of student learning, examples of innovative coursework, student course evaluations, peer observation reports or documentation of inclusive practices.
All nomination materials should be submitted as a single PDF file titled “Prelock_Award_Nomination_[NomineeLastName]” as the file name no later than 11:59 PM on February 1st (if this date falls on a weekend, the due date is the following Monday).
Award Committee
The Committee is made up of faculty members representing degree granting colleges or schools and former award recipients. The Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs appoints the Chair of the Committee and its members. Committee members serve three-year terms, with the option to renew. The Committee recommends finalists to the Provost, who makes the final decision regarding award recipients.
Award Review Committee 2025-2028
Review Committee Chair: Bettyjo Bouchey, Chief Officer, Professional and Continuing Education (2025-2028)
Review Committee Members:
Thomas Delaney, Associate Professor, Division of Public Health, Larner College of Medicine (2025-2028)
- Shana Haines, Professor and Program Coordinator for PhD in Social, Emotional and Behavioral Health and Inclusive Education (SHIE), Department of Education, College of Education and Social Services (2025-2030, *On sabbatical 2026/2027AY)
Ann Hazelrigg, Extension Professor, Department of Agriculture, Landscape and Environment, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (2025-2026)
Alex Messinger, Manager of Online Learning, Professional and Continuing Education (2025-2028)
Marie Vea, Assistant Dean for Student Services and Staff Development, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (2025-2028)
Theodora Welch, Lecturer, Grossman School of Business (2025-2028)
Brittany "Brit" Williams, Associate Professor, Department of Education, College of Education and Social Services (2025-2028)
Darin Woolpert, Senior Lecturer, Director of the SLPA and SLP Pre-Master's Track Programs, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Nursing and Health Sciences (2025-2028)
Selection Timeline
December 1: Call for nominations opens. (If December 1 falls on a weekend, the call for nominations opens the following Monday.)
February 1: Nominations due. (If February 1 falls on a weekend, the due date is the following Monday.)
February 1 – March 30: Nominations reviewed by the Award Committee.
April 1: Award Committee submits list of finalists to the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.
May 1: Award recipients are announced.
For more information, contact Bettyjo Bouchey at Bettyjo.Bouchey@uvm.edu