Little, assistant provost and director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, was honored with the network’s 2019 Bob Pierleoni Spirit of POD Award.
Deandra Little, assistant provost and director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, has been honored for her work in educational development and contributions to the Professional & Organizational Development Network in Higher Education.
Little, who is also a professor of English, was presented with the 2019 Bob Pierleoni Spirit of POD Award, the organization’s top honor, at the group’s annual conference in Pittsburgh. The POD Network is a professional society for people who work in faculty and educational development in the United States, and the award is named for a longtime network member who passed away in 1990 in recognition of his significant contributions and dedication to the organization.
“I was honored and pleasantly surprised to be recognized with this award, and also humbled, when I consider the contributions of other past winners,” Little said about the recognition.
Little is a former president and board member of the POD Network, and nominators focused on her contributions to the field of educational development, both through leadership and scholarship. One nominator wrote that “she has shepherded processes thoughtfully and inclusively, playing a behind the scenes role that few people will know about but that many, many will benefit from — which seems to be a characteristic of her leadership.”
Suzanne Tapp, executive director of the Teaching, Learning and Professional Development Center at Texas Tech University, chaired the Spirit of POD Committee for the organization, and noted that Little has produced the largest international study of educational developers to date, which has allowed the field to draw clearer comparisons between work being done in different countries. “Her leadership for the POD Network — and beyond — has been a gift for our profession,” Tapp wrote.
Little is the second Elon faculty member to be honored with the Spirit of POD Award. Peter Felten, assistant provost for teaching and learning and executive director of the Center for Engaged Learning, was honored with the award in 2018.