Cheryl Fulghum, Haywood Community College’s distance learning coordinator, was recently named Innovator of the Year, Western Region by the NC Community College Association of Distance Learning.    

NC3ADL is an educational, nonprofit organization that supports and promotes distance learning (also known as e-learning, digital education, or digital learning). 

In addition to serving as learning management system administrator and distance education coordinator, Fulghum is tasked with providing professional development for faculty who teach online. 

Describing one aspect of her job as ‘cheerleader for faculty,’ the award was given for expanding her cheerleading focus for online instruction to include on-ground teaching topics. Fulghum and her Distance Learning team developed, coordinated, and staffed a wide-ranging schedule of professional development best practice workshops for faculty and staff covering many 21st century learning and teaching practices.