Dr. Anne Wiley of Gill, a professor of psychology and women's studies at Greenfield Community College, was recently 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 online course, "Introduction to Psychology," 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.

In addition to accepting an award plaque at a special luncheon at the conference, Wiley was invited to present her course as part of the onference's Best Practices Showcase.

In nominating Wiley for the award, Michelle Barthelemy, coordinator of distance learning at GCC, wrote "over the past several years, Anne has worked hard to develop an online version of her successful Principles of Psychology course, simulating the personal connections and class dialogue integral to student success."

Wiley is a longtime professor of psychology and women's studies at GCC who has been actively involved in bringing women's studies and services to students at GCC. She helped to develop the Women's Resource Center,coordinated the Women's Reentry Program for three years, and developed the liberal arts option in Women's Studies.   Wiley has her doctorate in education from UMass and in addition to teaching at GCC, she is an adjunct professor of women's studies at Keene State College.

"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."

Close to 300 educators attended the 5th Conference on E-Learning, according to Kelley.

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.