TORRINGTON – It’s been a year of accolades for David Currie.
Currie, associate professor of nursing at Eastern Wyoming College (EWC), was appointed to serve on the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) Board of Directors in October. Most recently, he was named EWC’s 2019-2020 Innovative Educator of the Year. He and winners from Wyoming’s other community colleges and the University of Wyoming were acknowledged during the 2020 Wyoming Innovations in Education Conference held virtually Nov. 5-6, according to a press release issued by EWC.
Educators had a lot of opportunity to be innovative in this unique year amid the pandemic. Currie made it his mission to find platforms that allowed EWC nursing faculty to teach remotely with virtual assignments and testing when school closed due to COVID-19, the press release said. The idea was to move forward being proactive rather than reactive.
As a result, he and EWC nursing faculty selected NurseTim products, whose mission is to provide hands-on interactive training for educators and learners through customized onsite and online conferences and consultations, according to their website.
“This has been a success and has us ready for another possible shutdown involving hospitals or school due to COVID-19,” Currie said in the press release. “It also allows us to continue student participation if they become quarantined or ill or during inclement weather events. No classroom or clinical hours are lost. The idea behind initiating new software was to be prepared for non-conventional teaching.”
Currie, who returned to EWC faculty in 2019 after a stint in Alaska teaching in a private nursing program, now teaches night students.
“I can think of no one more deserving of this Innovative Teacher award than David Currie,” said EWC Nursing Director Suzey Delger in the press release. “He stepped up to the plate when EWC Nursing Program needed him most and exceeded all expectations of navigating a difficult situation in trying to provide clinical experience to our Nursing Students.”
“EWC Nursing Program now feels it is ready for almost anything,” Currie said.
