Shelley Jones                                                                                                                                                                                              Assistant Professor of English, USC Extended University
2017-18 recipient, The John J. Duffy Excellence in Teaching Award for Palmetto College Campuses

The John J. Duffy Excellence in Teaching Award for Palmetto College Campuses has been presented annually since 2009 to a faculty member who exemplifies excellence in and out of the classroom. The 2017-2018 Duffy Teaching Award was presented to Shelley Jones, assistant professor of English in Extended University.

Jones created free online research modules as a student success initiative and developed a new Palmetto College course, PALM 495: Service Learning. Students had previously been required to spend 140 hours on-site – about 10 hours a week – for an internship class. The new course is a first of its kind at the university. Instead of working on-site, students can complete their work on their own time as long as they meet preset deadlines.

Of her own teaching, Jones said “I strive in all forms of my teaching to create a community of learners in conversation not only with me, but also with their colleagues, their texts, their culture and their lives outside the classroom.”