Jim Flowers, professor of industry and technology at Ball State University, has been named the winner of the 2006 Rawlings Outstanding Distance Education Teaching Award by the School of Extended Education.

The award, established in 2002, honors a full-time professor who has proven to be the most dedicated to teaching extended education students at off-campus distance education sites.

Flowers, director of online learning for the Department of Technology, received the award for his leadership in helping to implement online master's degrees in technology teacher education and in career and technical education.

"Jim has been a pioneer and a catalyst for Ball State's online degree program offerings. He serves as an excellent model for other faculty members at Ball State who may be thinking about converting a degree program to an online format," said Frank Sabatine, dean of the School of Extended Education.

Flowers also conducts research about online education and has published several refereed articles and given numerous presentations about the subject at regional, national and international meetings.

The award was named after Joseph S. Rawlings, dean emeritus of the School of Extended Education. Rawlings worked nearly 20 years to create and develop the university's distance learning program.