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Paving the Way to CICan Gold
Paving the Way to CICan Gold
An innovative and caring approach to student success leads to national recognition.
Before “Zoom” became a common verb and online education became a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, Karen Klee was laying the foundation for work that became worthy of receiving the 2022 Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) Gold Leadership Excellence Award for Faculty.
As coordinator of Fanshawe’s Developmental Services Worker (DSW) program, Karen was an early adopter of eLearning tools and strategies that allowed her to incorporate blended learning and interactive online lectures to enhance student engagement and comprehension.
Tiffany-Anne Stones, a DSW graduate in 2017 who works at Community Living London, recalls how Karen’s classes included a mix of engaging lectures, fun activities and sharing of her professional experience that helped solidify the content.
“Karen demonstrates a remarkable balance between high expectations that push students towards excellence and support to help them be successful,” she says.
When DSW programs at other colleges shifted to all-virtual learning and placements at the height of the pandemic, Karen and the DSW team worked with community partners and students to maintain exceptional learning experiences.
“Besides the health and safety of my students and the community, my focus was ensuring our DSW students had authentic experiences working with people with disabilities before graduation,” says Karen. “That hands-on experience is critical as they embark on their career.”
When asked to reflect on her award—which she considers “an achievement of a lifetime”—Karen says she was touched by how much it was valued at the College.
“I have always felt appreciated at Fanshawe, but receiving this award made me feel like a kid bringing home an A+ and having my parents celebrate the accomplishment by pinning it on the fridge,” she says. “The reception has truly blown my socks off!”
