Best Instructor Selection Process

A total of 160 instructors and co-instructors from 150 universities across 48 countries on six continents participated in the 2024-2 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, managed all administrative tasks diligently and effectively, and 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 overall performance of the students. This included ratings of student effort, intellectual contribution, collegiality, and their individual contributions to team projects. Ultimately, this award is as much about recognizing the achievements of the students as it is about their instructors.
2. Class Diligence: Metrics such as the ability to meet deadlines and submit weekly progress reports were given substantial weight.
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: Consideration was given to the challenges of maintaining high performance in large undergraduate courses compared to smaller graduate classes.

Final Selection:

After ranking all instructors on the 124 variables, a group of 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!

2024-2 BEST X-CULTURE EDUCATORS (ALPHABETICALLY)

Adrian Evans, University of the West of England, United Kingdom
Afsaneh Nahavandi, University of San Diego, United States
Alexander Assouad, Belmont University, United States
Anna Codini, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Italy
Antonis Klidas, Deree-The American College of Greece, Greece
Astrid Schmidt King, Loyola University Maryland, United States
B. Ariel Blair, Weber State University, United States
Chen Ho, Ming Chuan University, Taiwan
David S. Shaw, University of Washington Bothell, United States
Denis O Hora, University of Galway, Ireland
Derek Hopper, Coventry University, United Kingdom
Eric David Cohen, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil
Estefania Zuluaga Quintero, Universidad EAFIT, Colombia
Hanh Tran, Foreign Trade University, Vietnam
Heike Doering, Cardiff University, United Kingdom
Ilan Avrichir, ESPM, Brazil
Ivan M Manev, University of Maine, United States
Jennifer Pacheco, Vincennes University, United States
Jim Johnson, Rollins College, United States
Jorge del Castillo, Universidad ESAN, Peru
Julie Anne Lee, The University of Western Australia, Australia
Kevalin Setthakorn, Thammasat Business School, Thailand
Leilani O. Baumanis, Lynn University, United States
Liviu Florea, Washburn University, United States
Louise Curran, TBS, France
Lydia Karnadi, Universitas Ciputra, Indonesia
Lynn Lim, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Switzerland
MiKayla Raines, Rowan Cabarrus Community College, United States
Muhammad Shehzad Hanif, University of Central Punjab, Pakistan
Ngat Chin Lim, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, China
Nidheesh Joseph, Institute of Management Technology Ghaziabad, India
Omer F. Genc, Youngstown State University, United States
Paula Caligiuri, Northeastern University, United States
Philippa Dehning, Georg-August-Universitat Goettingen, Germany
Ram Subramanian, Stetson University, United States
Rana Haq, Laurentian University, Canada
Rian Drogendijk, University of Groningen, Netherlands
Rizwan Tahir, Rochester Institute of Technology (Dubai Campus), United Arab Emirates
Robert Warmenhoven, HAN ISB, Netherlands
Saifon Singhatong, Mahidol University International College, Thailand
Salman Ali, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, India
Sam Arts, KU Leuven, Belgium
Sandra Graca, Eckerd College, United States
Simona Gentile-Luedecke, Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Sumati Varma, University of Delhi, India
Symeon Mandrinos, Swinburne University of Technology, Malaysia
Tim Muth, Florida Institute of Technology, United States
Tito Francisco Solano Roa , EAN, Colombia
Tomas Kincl, Prague University of Economics and Business, Czech Republic
Venkataraman S, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, India
Wendy Ritz, Florida State University , United States
Zhivka Valkova Zapryanova, Universidad de Colima , Mexico