Shepherd Receives Hollon Family Award

As an associate professor of instructional technology in the University of Wyoming’s College of Education, Craig Shepherd teaches graduate-level courses using distance technologies to students across the country.

Evaluations from those students indicate that his use of those technologies, and the content he delivers, is extremely effective.

“Dr. Shepherd’s knowledge of running an online class was apparent in every aspect of the course,” one student wrote. “His instructions were clear, and his video posts and instructional slideshows were very effective.”

Shepherd’s teaching skills have earned him the 2016 Hollon Family Award for Teaching Excellence in Off-campus Programs. In 1986, C.E. "Jerry" Hollon, former UW trustee, established the award to recognize "contributions to the general extension outreach programs of the university."

“Dr. Shepherd uses the technologies of the day to package and deliver content and pedagogy to his graduate-level students that represent the best of what today’s technologies are capable of providing,” College of Education Dean Ray Reutzel wrote in his nominating letter. “In addition, Dr. Shepherd has demonstrated an availability and attention to his students at a distance that would rival or exceed that of faculty teaching on campus in face-to-face settings.”

Shepherd, who has developed and taught courses at UW since 2009, receives accolades from current and former students for his individualized approach.

“Dr. Shepherd has been an outstanding dissertation adviser and committee chair, and I am certain that I would have quit the program out of frustration had he not had the singular skills needed to guide a distance-learning student through this process,” wrote Jon Valentine, a UW doctoral candidate in instructional technology who lives in Atlanta, Ga. “For this off-campus student, he has made all the difference.”

“Although I am primarily an online student, I am a resident of Laramie and am frequently on campus. Dr. Shepherd has always been willing to be a resource for me as I take additional classes in the program,” wrote another doctoral candidate, Jonlee Anderle. “His leadership in the Instructional Technology Program is invaluable, and he is an outstanding example of the excellent quality of the educational opportunities at the University of Wyoming College of Education.”

A nationally recognized expert in instructional technology, Shepherd has published four book chapters with recognized national publishing houses and has published 13 articles in refereed journals. He presents frequently at national conferences.

Shepherd received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brigham Young University in 2002 and a Ph.D. in instructional technology from the University of Georgia in 2008.