You are here

Leading by Example: Bertha Myers’ Blended Approach

Top Stories

Innovative Teaching and Learning Week set for April 8-10

Innovative Teaching and Learning Week brings together instructors from across campus to share emerging approaches, p

Read More ➝

QM Rubric Update Open; Faculty Must Complete by November

Quality Matters has launched the QM Higher Education Rubric, Seventh Edition. 

Read More ➝

H5P Communities Creating Connections, Measuring Outcomes

In Fall 2022, the Office of Distance Learning received a Louisiana Board of Regents eLearning Innovation Grant to su

Read More ➝

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette engages with and supports an active community of online and hybrid faculty, of which Mrs. Bertha Myers, College of Education, is one of our most involved faculty who teaches hybrid courses. She is part of a dynamic group of faculty who has earned both certifications issued by the Office of Distance Learning: ULearn Certified Online Teacher and ULearn Certified Course Designer. Her tenacity in completing professional development to teach online is spurred by her passion for personal improvement.

Bertha teaches EDFL 201: Principles of Teaching, Learning, and Growth, a foundation course for education majors. This hybrid course studies the principles and theories associated with children’s learning and growth, including both the social and emotional aspect of child development and its impact on learning. Most of the students enter the course with very little previous content knowledge. It is appropriate that someone who hired teachers annually in her previous career as a middle school principal be the one to instill an appropriate set of core values to future teachers.

After teaching one of the first courses delivered in a hybrid format in the College of Education, Mrs. Myers participated in a University course peer review process. In 2012, EDFL 201 earned internal course certification following a subscriber managed faculty peer review using the Quality Matters rubric and process. The course earned 94 possible points (out of 95), and all essential standards were met outright – a notable accomplishment! Her reviewers lauded her course design and how she made her expectations clear to students, with one reviewer writing that she “…is to be commended for the thoroughness of the descriptions and explanations provided in the course syllabus and in the assignment and assessment sections that are posted in each of the learning modules.” Mrs. Myers continued to modify her course, incorporating techniques and tools learned through Sloan-C workshops and other professional development. Her commitment to quality and continuous improvement is a testament to her passion for delivering effective hybrid courses to prepare our future teachers.

Because of her commitment to teaching in a hybrid format, Mrs. Myers was asked to serve as a panelist at the “Teaching Hybrid: A Blended Experience” workshop hosted by the Office of Distance Learning in April of this year. You can view the video from this panel on YouTube at this link - http://youtu.be/I4qCVCTRpIY. Previously, she has been both a participant and presenter at the Office of Distance Learning’s annual faculty focused Share Fair events which highlight excellence in teaching and designing online and hybrid courses. Frequently her colleagues seek her out to discuss approaches and strategies for the hybrid classroom, wanting to discover the most engaging opportunities for student success. The process continues to evolve because of Bertha’s endless pursuit of continuous quality improvement. And her students excel because of this commitment, with one writing: “Teaching is simply her passion. She doesn’t tell us how to be effective teachers; she models the behavior daily as demonstrated by her work ethic, commitment to teaching, and enthusiastic passion. By example, she has shown me (and my student peers) what it means to be an excellent teacher.” 

Recognizing Bertha’s care for student learning and success is evidenced by her consistent focus on improving her course design and the delivery of the online instruction part of her design. The Office of Distance Learning nominated her for the 2014 Sloan-C Excellence in Online Teaching Award. She became one of 26 finalists for this prestigious honor.

SHARE THIS |