Back
Back
Back
Back
Back
Nomination Open: 11/01/2024
Nomination Deadline: 02/14/2025
Jeffrey Ray was the Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at Western Carolina University. A first-generation college graduate, Ray worked to provide support systems to other first-generation students to help them succeed. He was a champion of diversity and inclusion. Spurred by a desire to give back and to change students’ lives, he established a scholarship for aspiring engineering and engineering technology students. Ray also served the American Society of Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Executive Board as Vice President, Institutional Councils and as Chair of the Engineering Technology Council. He was an ASEE Fellow and served as president of the ASEE Task Force on Faculty Teaching Excellence.
The Jeffrey Ray Memorial Award recognizes proven leaders for teaching in their chosen fields. The recipient of this award has demonstrated enhanced student learning experiences, which has enabled students to excel. This award recognizes individual achievement in innovative teaching in engineering technology and/or applied engineering education, contributions to the scholarship of teaching, and participation in and service to engineering technology education at the regional and national level. The Jeffrey Ray Memorial Award was established to identify and recognize those who are among the nation's most influential educators in the study of applied engineering and/or engineering technology education. The goal is to award individuals whose insatiable love of teaching and learning has led them to strive above and beyond that which is expected of faculty to create learning environments that motivate students to reach outside their imagination and enable students to develop creative solutions to engineering problems in ways that make our world a better place. Moreover, the awardee’s actions are not to be limited to their classrooms; the awardee must actively and relentlessly share their accomplishments and successful teaching and learning strategies with colleagues in the engineering technology community. Further, it is expected that awardee will use the award opportunity to further develop, expand, and share the teaching strategies, experiments, and/or programs that drew the attention of the selection committee.
NOMINATION FORM
Criteria and Qualifications: The award will be made to an individual who has demonstrated a high level of performance and commitment to excellence in creating learning environments that motivate students to imagine and develop creative solutions to engineering problems in ways that make our world a better place. Nominees must demonstrate extraordinary performance and commitment in at least two of the the following three areas: 1. Teaching: Inspire a strong culture of innovative thinking Develop and use innovative delivery techniques Possess broad communications skills Demonstrate technical excellence Reinforce workforce accomplishment Encourage a safety-focused environment Support social and economic development 2. Scholarship of Teaching: Course and curriculum development Laboratory development Publication and presentation Sharing innovative teaching activity and experience 3. Participation and Service: Engineering Technology Division, Engineering Technology Council, and/or Journal of Engineering Technology of ASEE ASEE at the local, regional, and national levels Professional and technical societies
Nominations are automatically transferred over for the next award cycle. If not selected, nominations can be re-submitted after one award cycle.
Back
Nomination Open: 11/01/2024
Nomination Deadline: 02/14/2025
| Year | Winner Name |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Ismail Fidan |
| 2022 | Michael Johnson |
| 2021 | Rustin Webster |
Dr. Annalisa Scacchioli is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Rutgers University's School of Engineering. She received the prestigious 2024 ASEE Jeffrey Ray Memorial Award, which recognizes distinguished accomplishments and individual achievement in innovative teaching in engineering technology and applied engineering education.
Dr. Scacchioli's teaching philosophy centers on fostering student success through innovative pedagogical approaches that address technological, academic, and societal needs. She combines active learning pedagogy with instructional technologies to make her large-enrollment courses inclusive, supportive, and accessible to all students while ensuring they meet learning outcomes.
As an educational innovator, Dr. Scacchioli has led the implementation of a digital assessment platform that provides consistent and immediate feedback while mitigating unconscious bias in grading. She applies research-informed personalized learning strategies and technological tools to improve course accessibility, schedule clarity, and assignment flexibility to support students with diverse learning needs.
Her classroom innovations include the use of multiple types of polling devices to enhance learning by enabling students to self-assess their progress. She incorporates conceptual questions in polling platforms during lectures and connects students through group work activities to support engagement and real-time interaction. Her approach to building student success includes creating collaborative learning environments, incorporating peer-learning assistants to facilitate the learning process, and using examples from cutting-edge research projects to ignite students' curiosity and imagination.
Dr. Scacchioli's dedication to teaching excellence and continuous innovation has made her a leader in engineering education, with a commitment to making an even greater impact on student success while inspiring fellow educators to advance teaching innovation.
| Year | Winner Name |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Ismail Fidan |
| 2022 | Michael Johnson |
| 2021 | Rustin Webster |
