Center for Distance Education Executive Director Susan Seal presents Rebecca "Beca" Spencer with the CDE Online Teaching Excellence Award. (Photo by Megan Bean)
Rebecca “Beca” Spencer is an instructor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Foundations in the College of Education. She has taught and/or developed courses such as Applied Behavior Analysis for Behavior Technicians; Social Foundations of Education; Basics of Single Subject Design; and Ethics, Supervision and Personnel—all asynchronous format courses. Additionally, she has served as lead instructor of record for several courses in the ACCESS Program and has served as assistant director for ACCESS. She also serves as the undergraduate minor/area of emphasis coordinator for the ABA program, advising approximately 60 undergraduate students per semester.
Regarding her online teaching, one student said her course approach helped students “know what was expected each week” and that her teaching and provision of resources made her dedication to student success evident throughout the semester. Her nominator said, “Mrs. Spencer’s enthusiasm for teaching, her positive energy, and her strong organizational skills allow her to engage with her students in meaningful, relevant instruction and dialogue while still being challenged with learning new material.” Beca has a Master of Arts degree in teaching/instructional strategies from Rockford College and a bachelor’s degree in social studies education from Southern Illinois University, as well as additional certifications in special education and applied behavior analysis.
