Best Instructor Selection Process

167 instructors and co-instructors from 155 universities in 47 countries on six continents participated in the 2023-2 round of the X-Culture competition and were considered for the Best Instructor Award.

Approximately 120 of these instructors absolutely excelled in their roles. Their students were well-prepared, they provided exceptional support throughout the project, they diligently and effectively managed all administrative tasks, and they fulfilled all responsibilities, from report evaluations to committee service, with great care.

We owe these instructors a BIG THANK YOU! Their universities should be proud to have such outstanding educators.

However, some groups of students achieved higher performance, and certain instructors went above and beyond in supporting their students and contributing to the success of X-Culture. These individuals deserve special recognition.

Each instructor was evaluated and ranked based on 124 performance variables.

Key Evaluation Criteria:

1. Class-Average Performance: The most critical factor was the students’ overall performance. This included ratings of student effort, intellectual contribution, collegiality, and individual contributions to team projects. Ultimately, this award is as much about recognizing the students’ achievements as it is about their instructors.
2. Class Diligence: Substantial weight was given to metrics such as the ability to meet deadlines and submit weekly progress reports.
3. Report Quality and Plagiarism: While class-average report quality and plagiarism statistics were considered, they were weighted less heavily because these outcomes were influenced by students from other universities collaborating on the same teams.
4. Instructor-Specific Contributions:
   • The quality of pre-project preparations, including the accuracy of student rosters and email lists.
   • The reliability and depth of report evaluations provided by the instructors.
   • Additional contributions, such as organizing webinars, participating in symposia, and developing training materials.
5. Class Size and Study Level: The challenges of maintaining high performance in large undergraduate courses compared to smaller graduate classes were considered.

Final Selection:

After ranking all instructors on the 124 variables, about 50 professors emerged as exceptional, scoring consistently high across nearly all criteria. These instructors are recognized as the Best Instructor Award recipients for this semester.

The names of these outstanding educators are listed below in alphabetical order. We chose not to rank them from 1 to 50 for two reasons:

• All of these instructors demonstrated exceptional performance.
• Rankings could vary significantly depending on the weight assigned to specific variables.

It is also important to note that the distinction between the “best” and the “rest” was not absolute. At least 50 other instructors received excellent evaluations across all dimensions, including positive student performance reviews and exceptional dedication. However, to highlight a smaller group of the very best performers, we recognize these 16 instructors as this semester’s award recipients.

Congratulations to our Best Instructor Award winners!

2023-2 BEST X-CULTURE EDUCATORS (ALPHABETICALLY)

Adrian Evans, University of the West of England, United Kingdom
Albachiara Boffelli, University of Bergamo, Italy
Andrew Ciganek, University of Wisconsin Whitewater, United States
Anna Codini , University  degli Studi di Brescia, Italy
Antonis Klidas, Deree-The American College of Greece, Greece
Astrid Schmidt-King, Loyola University Maryland, United States
Ausrine Silenskyte, University of Vaasa, Finland
Carri Reisdorf, Elon University, United States
Charles Bryant, Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech), United States
Cliff Wymbs, baruch college, United States
Daniel Velez, Universidad EAFIT, Colombia
David Allen, TCU, United States
David S. Shaw, University of Washington Bothell, United States
Denis O’Hora, University of Galway, Ireland
Derek Hopper, Coventry University, United Kingdom
Dirk Fischbach, Hochschule HARZ, Germany
Edwar Tamayo , Universidad EAFIT, Colombia
Ellie Hickman, De Montfort University, United Kingdom
Elvira Tiziana La Rocca, University of Messina, Department of Economics (Italy), Italy
Filip De Beule, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Gilberto Sarfati, FGV EAESP, Brazil
Jennifer L. Pacheco, Vincennes University, United States
Julie Lee, University of Western Australia, Australia
Karen Lynden, UNCW, United States
Kevin Litz, Northeastern State University (Oklahoma), United States
Lee Slater, Old Dominion University, United States
Leilani Baumanis, Lynn University, USA
Liviu Florea, Washburn University, United States
Louise Curran, TBS Education, France
Lynn Lim, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), Switzerland
Maria Randazzo-Davis, Farmingdale State College, United States
Mary Lou Rissa F. Cunanan, Ateneo De Manila University, Philippines
“Maurits Cosijn, Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen HAN / HAN University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands”
Menita Liu, Kang Chiao International School, Taiwan
Meysam Manesh, Fayetteville State University, United States
Nataliya Acc-Nikmehr, California State University Long Beach, United States
Navjote Khara, Brock University, Canada
Nguyen Thi Hien, Foreign Trade University, Vietnam
Nora Aljindi , Dar Al Hekma University , Saudi Arabia
Papiya De, SVKM’s NMIMS School of Business Management, India
Pascal Pley, ESPAS ESTICE ICM, France
Paula Caligiuri, Northeastern University, United States
Philippa Dehning, Georg-August-University of Gottingen, Germany
Priya Chaudhary, International management institute, New Delhi, India
Reccia Charles, St George’s University, Grenada
Rian Drogendijk, University of Groningen, Netherlands
Richa Chugh, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Rob Warmenhoven, Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences (VHL), Netherlands
Saifon Singhatong, Mahidol University International College, Thailand
Salman Ali, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, India
Sandra Graca, Eckerd College, United States
Simona Gentile-Ludecke, Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences , Germany
Sumati Varma, University of Delhi, India
Tim Muth, Florida Institute of Technology, USA
Tito Francisco Solano Roa , Universidad EAN, Colombia
Tomas Kincl, Prague University of Economics and Business, Czech Republic
Will Shannon, University of Canterbury Business School, New Zealand