Jordan McKeon Named Adjunct Instructor of the Year by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Harford Community College

Jordan McKeon, who has been teaching health and fitness courses at Harford Community College in the Behavioral and Social Sciences division for the past 10 years, was recently named the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning’s (CETL) Adjunct of the Year. The CETL Adjunct of the Year Award recognizes outstanding achievements by an instructor that demonstrates their important role at Harford Community College and is awarded to the part-time instructor who exemplifies the highest quality of teaching and mentorship of students. Its purpose is to promote excellence in teaching at Harford.

McKeon demonstrates dedication, instructional excellence, pedagogical innovation, commitment to professional development, and fosters an inclusive learning environment. She has taught various PE classes at Harford including Cardiovascular Fitness, Fitness Walking, Aqua Aerobics, Weight Training, and Circuit Training. Her contributions have significantly enriched the College's online physical education program, expanding its offerings and improving student outcomes. She is one of the few adjuncts who attends professional development every year, even though the College does not cover the costs. McKeon effectively applies the information she learns at these professional development opportunities to her teaching. She creates a welcoming and inclusive learning environment for her students. McKeon is an adjunct who will step up and help others and is a true team player – willing to share her lessons with new adjuncts, assist full-time faculty when needed, and pick up another class when the department has difficulty finding an instructor. She is willing to teach online, face-to-face, and hybrid courses, and handles difficult circumstances unique to physical education, such as injuries and minimizing risk. She always goes above and beyond adjunct instruction requirements.

Jamie Batts (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), Jerome Lechasseur (Nursing and Allied Health Professions), Donald Smith (Workforce and Continuing Education), and Dan Rappazzo (Arts & Humanities) were also nominated for the award.

Batts, a long-serving member of the STEM Life Sciences department, has been teaching at Harford for 16 years. She has provided instruction in a wide range of courses including Fundamental of Biology, Biology for Health Professions, and Anatomy and Physiology I and II. She co-authored a biology laboratory manual in collaboration with Professor Wendy Rappazzo. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Batts developed online lessons and labs with video instructions used by all instructors in BIO 119.

Lechasseur teaches a variety of courses in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program at Harford, most notably being the lead instructor for EMS Foundations with the mirrored paramedic class running from 2023-2025. He has been heavily involved in the program, clocking 172 hours in the classroom as an instructor, with an untold number of additional hours dedicated to being a clinical instructor. As a clinical instructor, Lechasseur has spent days reviewing and approving students' paperwork regarding their time in the hospital and on an ambulance interacting with patients. Student evaluations are unanimously positive, his instructional style is clear and concise, and his knowledge base is unparalleled in the local paramedic community. Pedagogical innovation is Lechasseur's specialty and professional development is also an area where he shines.

A 20-plus year digital media veteran, Rappazzo started at Harford as a student. For 10 years, he worked as a digital media studio aide. He is an effective instructor, demonstrates pedagogical innovation, and fosters inclusivity and diversity. He not only knows his classroom content but everything else about the program as well, and possesses a deep background about the College. His knowledge, rapport, and skills are reflected in his positive student evaluations. Rappazzo is the day-to-day technical enabler of HTV (previously Harford Cable Network or HCN) on-air content, troubleshooting and improving as he goes.

Smith teaches construction classes using the curriculum and certification of the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). Harford has only been participating in this program since January 2023; the construction program in the Workforce & Community Education division had to evolve to meet regional workforce needs. Smith has been in the construction field for 40+ years and has his own business. However, to teach the NCCER curriculum, he had to complete their training, earning certification as a NCCER Curriculum Performance Evaluator and Certified Instructor. Smith has worked with a targeted population and students with numerous barriers. The first group of 10 students to fully complete the entire Core program finished in January 2024, and seven of those students earned their full Core certification.

Established by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in 2022, the CETL Adjunct of the Year Award seeks to recognize outstanding part time Instructors. The winner receives a $1,000 stipend while the other nominees receive $250 each.