Vinson Carter was recently named Technology and Engineering Education Teacher Educator of the Year by the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association.
Carter, an associate professor of STEM education in the College of Education and Health Professions’ Department of Curriculum and Instruction, received the award at ITEEA’s annual conference in Memphis.
“I am very thankful, humbled and honored to receive this award from my peers around the world who are leaders in technology and engineering education—the T and E in STEM education,” Carter said.
The ITEEA serves as the professional association for technology, innovation, design and engineering educators across the globe. The organization and its members strive to advance technological and engineering capabilities by fostering professionalism, growth and opportunities in the education community.
Carter’s approach to education, which has earned him numerous accolades and recognitions, primarily focuses on allowing students the opportunity to take their learning beyond what’s on paper.
“I love the idea of hands-on constructivist learning that is often the hallmark of integrated STEM instruction,” Carter said. “There is nothing more exciting than seeing a student grasp a concept by applying what may have only been a definition or formula on the board or a piece of paper a few minutes earlier.”
After joining the association in 2008, Carter went on to take up multiple leadership roles within ITEEA. He has been a member and treasurer of the ITEEA’s Council of Technology and Engineering Teacher Educators and an active participant on the organization’s Teacher Preparation Committee.
Carter holds three degrees from the U of A: a B.S. in industrial technology education, an M.A.T. in vocational education and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction. He joined the faculty of the College of Education and Health Professions in 2008 after previously serving as a teacher in Springdale Public Schools and a curriculum writer for the Arkansas Department of Career Education and the Southern Regional Education Board.
He was named Engineering and Technology Educator of the Year by the Arkansas Association for Career and Technical Education in 2014 and received the Outstanding Research Award from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in 2018. His research and teaching philosophy concentrates on integrated instruction and helping students make real-world connections in their daily lives.
Dr. Vinson Carter with a student in the STEM lab.
