We are thrilled to introduce our 2025 Faculty Award for Excellence recipient, Dr. Ashley Winans! She serves as senior core faculty in the Healthcare Department, leading students to advance their careers in public health and healthcare administration. Dr. Winans’ students appreciate her use of innovative technology as well as her attentiveness in the classroom. We had the opportunity to chat with her and hear more about her impactful career.
ACE: Congratulations on receiving the 2025 Faculty Award for Excellence! What does this award mean to you
Dr. Ashley Winans (AW): Receiving the 2025 Faculty Award for Excellence is an unexpected but humbling experience! It affirms my commitment to student success and the collaborative work I’ve been fortunate to be part of at ACE.
ACE: Tell us a little about your career and what led you to ACE.
AW: I joined ACE about a year after completing my doctorate and wanted to help develop the Master of Science in Health Informatics program. I was drawn to ACE because of its forward-thinking approach, supportive environment, dedication to quality online education and affordable degrees. Joining the Healthcare Department has allowed me to merge my professional experiences with teaching and mentoring. I also have extensive experience as an online student, so I try to bring the best practices into my online classrooms.
ACE: Your contributions to curriculum development and participation in departmental committees are invaluable. What do you enjoy most about these components of your role?
AW: What I enjoy most is the opportunity to shape meaningful learning experiences that are relevant, inclusive and evidence-based. Curriculum development challenges me to stay at the forefront of the field, while committee work allows me to connect with inspiring colleagues and contribute to shared goals.
I also enjoy doing course revisions and updates by reimagining assignments in a way that enables students to better interact with the material and create a more fun, relevant deliverable (versus writing paper after paper).
ACE: End of course evaluations have you with a nearly perfect score for 2024, and your students specifically note your use of innovative technologies to enhance your course experiences. How do you select tools to use, and what makes them effective?
AW: I probably go a bit overboard with course “thumbprinting,” but try to provide additional support for each module, especially for classes with unfamiliar materials. I try to do a video explaining the assignments and provide a Google Drive link with extra resources. This may be a template, student exemplars or other items.
What makes these materials effective is adapting based on student feedback and asking what would have made an assignment clearer or more meaningful. If several students have the same question or struggle with the same area on an assignment, I make sure to address it the next time I teach the course.
ACE: What advice would you give to those aspiring to faculty positions?
AW: Hang in there! I had a difficult time finding a high school English teacher position during the Great Recession and eventually started working in healthcare as a medical editor. This started my journey into informatics, health science and, eventually, teaching in higher education. I recommend pairing education with professional experience and staying current with trends and research in your field.
American College of Education offers fully online, affordable programs where you can learn from faculty like Dr. Winans.
