Dr. Spivey is Recognized for Contributions to Online Learning
Dr. Christy Spivey, Clinical Professor of Economics at The University of Texas at Arlington, is receiving the 2023 award from Texas Digital Learning Association (TxDLA) for Outstanding Commitment to Excellence and Innovation in Digital Learning by an Individual. Dr. Spivey has been teaching online courses since 2014 and has developed five online graduate and undergraduate courses.
Spivey was nominated by Anna Hollis, Manager of Digital Education Programs & Policy at the Center for Distance Education at UTA, who advocated for Dr. Spivey’s professional development and her online instructor mentality that there is always something to learn. When asked why she nominated Dr. Spivey, Hollis responded, “Dr. Spivey has proven excellence in online education through active learning and sharing her knowledge of best practices among the UTA community. In 2022, Dr. Spivey was awarded the UTA President’s Award for Transformative Online Education, and we wanted her efforts to be recognized on a national level. We are delighted that Dr. Spivey has won this prestigious award!”
During the pandemic, Dr. Spivey helped transition faculty online by creating instructional videos and she currently maintains the College of Business Canvas website. When asked why online learning is important to her and her students, Dr. Spivey responded, “I've tried to be a champion for quality online teaching. Now demand for online teaching is higher than ever, and I am sure part of that is because of its flexibility. I hope it's also in part because students realize they can learn virtually if the class is designed well.”
Dr. Spivey uses digital resources to enhance students' learning experience like WikiEdu and Moblab. Recently, she received a $10,000 grant from the College of Business for four additional faculty members to use Mainstay. Mainstay is an interactive chatbot platform that can be used as a virtual Teaching Assistant. UTA is the second university to use Mainstay for academic success purposes.