Teacher and special education chairperson receives honorable mention

Troy Hicks, Chairperson for the Teacher and Special Education Department, has received an Honorable Mention for the 2025 CCCC Outstanding Book Award in the Edited Collection category for Better Practices: Exploring the Teaching of Writing in Online and Hybrid Spaces. This collection was co-edited with Amy Cicchino form Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) is a constituent organization within the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Talking about Better Practices, Hicks says, “Knowing that there is no single set of ‘best’ practices for teaching writing – and that our colleagues each bring a variety of experiences and expertise whether they teach in face-to-face, online, or hybrid courses – we are proud to feature the voices of over three dozen intentional, engaging composition instructors in this collection.”

Cicchino adds, “We were so delighted to bring together talented educators from across the United States to share their online lessons, which are informed by national standards and adaptable for both online and hybrid learning environments.”

This year’s CCCC Book Award selection committee noted that in the Better Practices collection, Hicks and Cicchino weave statements from relevant scholarly organizations to create an exigence for better, not best, practices. The unanimous sentiment among the committee was expressed by one member who wrote “what a wealth of perspectives offered in the chapters!”

Hicks will be announced as a recipient of an Honorable Mention for the CCCC Outstanding Book Award on Friday, April 11, during the 2025 CCCC Annual Convention in Baltimore, MD.