Palm Beach State Professor Wins Excellence in Teaching Award

By: Michael Demyan

Palm Beach State College science professor, Dr. Chasity O’Malley, was named the winner of the 2018 HAPS-Thieme Excellence in Teaching Award.

The award was presented by the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society, which includes over 1,700 members who have an interest in anatomy and physiology education. It was given in partnership with Thieme, a textbook publisher which has been around for over 125 years.

“I’m very honored because I know it’s a competitive award,” O’Malley said. “It’s nice to be recognized for all the hard work that I do. I put a lot of time and effort into my classes.”

Along with the recognition, O’Malley also received a $1,500 honorarium, a waiver of her registration fees with the society and a chance to present a workshop at the annual Human Anatomy and Physiology Society conference, which will take place in her home state of Ohio from May 26-30. She plans to present “Lessons from the Three Little Pigs: Making Technology Your Brick” at the event, focusing on the use of technology in her courses.

Technology was one of the main reasons O’Malley was chosen for the award. She strives to use the latest technology in all of her courses, ranging from her online to face-to-face classes.

“The workplace now has so much emphasis on technology that if our students aren’t familiar with it they will be behind,” she said. “We want our students to be ahead.”

She was also a main driving force in making the Technology in Anatomy and Physiology Lab a reality, which opened at the Boca Raton campus last fall. The lab includes state-of-the-art technology such as z-Space virtual reality, Creston touchpad technology and Clarus glassboards.

O’Malley also created special training videos for using technology in the classroom and redeveloped the curriculum.

Dr. Tunjarnika Coleman-Ferrell, the dean of academic affairs at the Boca Raton campus, spoke highly of O’Malley’s contribution to PBSC in her nomination letter.

“From the moment she arrived to Palm Beach State College, she has hit the ground running as a rising star on our faculty team,” she said. “Her teaching evaluations consistently reflect that she has an excellent rapport with students.”