Distance Education : News : Faculty Spotlight : Priscilla Stillwell

DE Faculty Spotlight:  Priscilla Stillwell

Unfortunately, sometimes community and technical colleges have the reputation of being easier than their four-year counterparts.  However, thanks to caring, informed instructors like Priscilla Stillwell, BRTC students can expect a fulfilling, educational learning experience.

Priscilla Stillwell is a resident of Paragould.  She lives there with her husband of over fourteen years, Allen.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Education and not one but two masters degrees:  a Master of Arts in History and a Master of Science in College Student Personnel Services.  Not only does Mrs. Stillwell teach history, but she also teaches psychology, cultural anthropology, and basic English. 

You’re not wrong if you think Mrs. Stillwell’s education is diverse.  It is.  She explains that she has “always had a love for history,” so she decided to major in it.  In 1993, as an Adult Education instructor helping adults receive their GEDs, she returned to college and earned a twelve hour certificate in adult basics.  That was not the end of Mrs. Stillwell’s educational experience, though.  After she completed her certificate, the college she worked for asked her to seek a Masters in counseling, which she did.  She completed that degree in 2003. 

Mrs. Stillwell is an educator in the entire sense of the word.  She is “driven to learn” and is “fascinated about how others learn and why they want to learn.”  She recognizes the difference that learning has made in her life:  “I know the difference education has made in my life and that has changed my small world.  I think differently; I am more accepting of others; I challenge myself.  I look back on my life, and sometimes I laugh.”  Such an outlook is absolutely what BRTC strives to find in its instructors.

Mrs. Stillwell is one of the instructors who teaches distance education courses.  Honestly, she was one of the instructors first on board for the program.  Not only was it her love of learning that propelled her to teach online, it was her understanding of the American culture and society.  She realizes that “society is moving away from traditional education due to the increased responsibilities in [students’] lives.”  When she began teaching online, she was aware of the negative perceptions often assigned to online education:  “There was the perception that it was SO EASY, that it was a great way to CHEAT.”  However, true to her character, she didn’t let such negative images stop her.  She plunged ahead and boldly accepted the challenge of creating quality online courses.  Doing so has convinced her that “one can produce a quality class in this forum.”  Indeed, as her classes prove, Mrs. Stillwell is right.

Mrs. Stillwell enjoys teaching online classes.  She likes the same things that her students like:  the freedom that distance education courses provide.   She also feels that she can present a more positive image and gain a better understanding of her students in an online class:  “I can respond at my own pace, I can give an answer to all [students] instead of one person at a time, I can gauge the value of the class for the students based upon the interaction between them on the discussion boards.”  Though she admits that she does not have as many freedoms as her students, she still believes that she can be a strong instructor in the online classroom.

It is Mrs. Stillwell’s philosophy that makes her so successful as an online instructor, successful in managing the high stress and work load that can come from an distance education course.  Her philosophy is “planning.”  She carefully plans each of her courses.  Her two most popular online courses, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology and Introduction to Psychology, are often taken by the same student during the same semester.  Submission of assignments for these students would normally be quite a challenge, but Mrs. Stillwell takes their needs into consideration:  “When I designed the courses, I made sure that assignments for each class were due biweekly; therefore, if  students are taking both classes they never have a Psych class assignment and a Cultural Anthro project due at the same time.”  This also prevents Mrs. Stillwell from having an abundance of papers to grade at once. 

Mrs. Stillwell admits that online classes can certainly create a lot of stress.  However, with her experience in teaching their courses, she has learned exactly what needs to be changed and what needs to remain the same.  She has learned the secret to extracting quality work from her students.  She has also, more importantly to her sanity, learned how to avoid “the overwhelming urge to micromanage” and allow her students to take more of the responsibility for their own learning.

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