This Instructor Spotlight installment features a video interview that we conducted with Dr. Karen Winstead. She is a professor of English whose interests range from medieval literature to contemporary film and popular culture. She regularly teaches the Survey of British Literature to 1800 as well as courses on medieval women, Arthurian legends, and vampires. In addition to several monographs on medieval culture, she has published editions and translations designed for classroom use. She received ALX grants to produce two Pressbooks anthologies: British Literature to 1800 and Vampire Classics. She has twice served as director of undergraduate studies in the Department of English. In 2016 and 2019, she won the English Undergraduate Organization's Professor of the Year award, and in 2020 and 2021, she won the English Graduate Organization’s Professor of the Year award.
This interview features Dr. Winstead talking about her investments in distance education and online learning. Her enthusiasm and passion for sound pedagogical intervention for creating online learning communities is contagious. Listen in to hear her talk about how her thinking concerning distance education has evolved over time, as well as the incredible work that she was able to do in concert with a team of graduate and undergraduate students to author open-access text books for her online, asynchronous courses, and much more.
We want to express our gratitude to Dr. Winstead for agreeing to participate in our Instructor Spotlight series. Dr. Winstead was also featured as a panelist in teaching forum event, “Assessment: Alternatives to High-Stakes Testing.” More information about this event, as well as a recording, can be found by following the link to the event page.
If you are interested in nominating an outstanding instructor who has invested in developing and delivering online courses, please feel free to email ascode@osu.edu using the subject line Instructor Spotlight Recommendation. Explore the full catalog of Instructor Spotlights here.
This feature was designed and edited by ASC Office of Distance Education Instructional Designer, Sarah Dove.