BCCC English professor honored with Blackboard Exemplary Course Award | Eastern North Carolina Now

News Release:


With this new award, BCCC now offers seven Blackboard ECP Award-winning online courses. (left to right) Lisa Clark, Blackboard representative; Dr. Jay Sullivan, VP of Academic Affairs; Justin Littlefield, English professor; Dr. David Loope, BCCC President; and Kate Purvis, BCCC Blackboard Administrator.

    WASHINGTON, N.C.     Beaufort County Community College is proud to announce that English professor Justin Littlefield was recognized by his peers with the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program (ECP) Award. The ECP recognizes faculty and course designers from schools, colleges, and universities around the world who develop engaging and innovative courses that represent the very best in technology and learning. Seven courses at BCCC have now earned the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Award, keeping the college in the lead for most award-winning courses in eastern North Carolina. The college has also implemented the BCCC Online Certification Program, which works in conjunction with the ECP and provides additional training for participants.

    Littlefield was selected a winner for his course ENG 111 (Writing & Inquiry). The course demonstrated excellence in four areas:

    Course Design: the elements of instructional design, such as its structure, learning objectives, and instructional strategies.

    Interaction and Collaboration: the level of engagement offered by the course and the level of student interaction and collaboration

    Assessment: the evaluation of student work toward the achievement of learning outcomes and the quality and type of student assessments

    Learner Support: the resources made available to students, which may be accessible within or external to the course environment.

    "With the increased reliance on online classes on our campus, and especially during the pandemic, it is highly important that we are delivering the best possible product for our students to ensure that our students are getting what they need," said Littlefield.

    For nearly two-decades, the ECP has honored instructors and course designers whose courses demonstrate best practices. Since its founding, thousands of instructors, teachers, and designers have used the ECP to evaluate and improve their courses with recognized best practices. To be considered for the honor, applicants must be a user of the Blackboard Learn learning management system. Submitted courses are evaluated by other course developers, instructional designers, teachers, and professors using the ECP Rubric.

    "I am pleased to welcome Professor Littlefield to the ECP family," said Lee Blakemore, Chief Client Officer and President Global Markets at Blackboard. "Now more than ever, educators are challenged with creating engaging and effective courses. This 2021 cohort is among the best of the best for engaging and maximizing learning outcomes for students."

    "Justin not only completed the program, but his course English 111 earned the highest mastery level that you can earn with this program," said Kate Purvis, Blackboard Administrator at BCCC. "Equally as important is that while Justin was working on his course-and teaching and grading and planning-he was just as happy to help his colleagues. He would go above and beyond to help others as well."

    Littlefield is being recognized alongside other outstanding recipients on the Blackboard website as well as in the Blackboard Community, a platform where the largest organized network of Blackboard users connect, collaborate, and learn from their peers.

    Other ECP courses at BCCC include information technology professor Robin Lilly's CIS-110, music professor Dr. Stacey Russell's MUS-110 and MUS-112, mathematics professor Dr. Kimberly Mullis's MAT-110 and MAT-171, and criminal justice professor Crystal Watts's CJC-111.

    To learn more about the Exemplary Course Program, visit https://www.blackboard.com/resources/are-your-courses-exemplary.

    About Beaufort County Community College

    Beaufort County Community College is a public, comprehensive community college that provides open-door access to university transfer, workforce development, and life-long learning programs for the people of Beaufort, Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington Counties.

    The college strives to be an innovative community leader that promotes economic and social mobility through educational opportunities linked to workforce development, public service, and cultural and personal enrichment.

    Contact: Attila Nemecz,
       Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator

       (252) 940-8672