Keith Herndon and Grace Ahn awarded by UGA Office of Instruction

Grady College faculty members Keith Herndon and Grace Ahn have been honored by the UGA Office of Instruction for incorporating innovation in their teaching.

Keith Herndon, William S. Morris Chair in News Strategy and Management, Director of the James M. Cox Jr. Institute and Professor of Practice in Journalism, is one of four professors campus-wide who received the Creative Teaching Award. Herndon was lauded for his use of virtual reality production with the Grady Mobile News lab and his leadership skills training through the Levin Leaders program.

At last year’s Grady Mobile News Lab, Herndon charged students with producing news stories without content leaving their phones.

“We give students a chance to experiment and practice,” Herndon said. “We experiment with new tools that are optimized for the smartphone and enable them to be multimedia journalists by creating content only on their phones.”

Herndon says the journalism industry is increasingly technology driven and it is important for students to have a wide variety of skills as they enter the workforce.

“As technology advances, we must be mindful of how to use modern tools in an ethical manner with journalistic principles to move media organizations into the next era,” Herndon said.

Herndon was presented with the Creative Teaching Award during the April 1 Faculty Recognition Banquet. He said the award is a testament to the hard work dedicated students do to learn new practices through extra-curricular opportunities.

Grace Ahn, Associate Professor in advertising and Director of the GAVEL Lab, was recognized as an outstanding First-Year Odyssey Seminar instructor. Ahn received the FYOS Teaching Award for “Harnessing the Power of Digital Technology for Better Lifestyle Choices.” She says she is delighted to connect students with research efforts.

“Students not only learn about the technologies but also have the opportunity to gain firsthand experience and become involved in research,” Ahn said. “It’s a pleasure to see my students realize the importance of research and that they can contribute to society’s grand challenges through research, even as freshmen students.”

Ahn says one of the joys of her work is to see students’ journeys develop from classroom discussions to cutting-edge research and career opportunities upon graduation.

Click here to see the full list of award winners from the UGA Office of Instruction.