(North Canton, OH – Aug. 25, 2021) – Stark State College instructor Chip Gerstenslager has been honored for educator excellence in online course design, interaction and collaboration, assessment and learner support.

Gerstenslager was named a winner in the 2020 Exemplary Course Program Awards by Blackboard, a top learning management system that also includes online collaborative learning, mobile learning, education analytics and accessibility.

Blackboard’s award program recognizes faculty and course designers from schools, colleges, and universities who develop engaging and innovative courses that represent the very best in technology and learning. Winners are named after rigorous assessment and a 14-point rubric review of courses.

Gerstenslager received the award for his international business course.

Stark State College also was recently named among the top 50 community colleges nationwide for online learning by College Consensus. eStarkState, the College’s online learning department, has been offering virtual classes for more than 20 years.