A network of over 50 community colleges and associations across the globe has awarded a faculty member of Fanshawe College’s Developmental Services Worker (DSW) program for being an exceptional professor.
Fanshawe announced Karen Klee, a professor and coordinator of the DSW program, received a bronze medal in the Outstanding Educator category of the 2023 World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics (WFCP) Awards of Excellence.
Klee received her honour during the WFCP awards ceremony in Montreal on Tuesday. The annual event is held to recognize the best practices and contributions from national and regional associations of colleges across six continents.
“Karen embodies Fanshawe’s efforts to unlock the potential of our students and the communities we serve,” read a statement from Fanshawe President Peter Devlin. “Karen is an enthusiastic and innovative educator who demonstrates a strong commitment to student success. I am very proud of Karen and thank the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics for this recognition.”
Klee’s career began 30 years ago when she worked as nurse consultant in the developmental services sector for two decades. She joined Fanshawe’s School of Community Studies as a full-time professor in 2013. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fanshawe said Klee adopted eLearning tools and strategies into her courses as a way to enhance student engagement and comprehension.
Heading into pandemic times, Klee and Fanshawe’s DSW team is said to have made a substantial impact to the program by working with community partners and students to ensure they received authentic experiences in the lab and during placements, rather than shifting solely to virtual learning and cooperative education. Klee has proven to be a strong advocate for her students, making sure they have experience working with individuals with disabilities ahead of graduation.
Outside of school hours, Klee chairs a provincial committee focused on recruitment and retention of skilled support workers in the field of developmental services.
“Karen is humble and reflective of her teaching practices and continually pushes herself to explore new technologies and approaches to improve the delivery of her courses and eagerly shares what she has learned with colleagues across the College,” said the School of Community Studies Associate Dean Sandra Fieber in a release.
Klee tied for bronze with a professor at the Nettur Technical Training Foundation in India. Educators with Tourism College of Zhejiang in China and Niagara College Canada in Ontario received Gold and Silver awards respectively in the same category.
