Lidia Skrynnikova, associate teaching professor in natural resource ecology and management, is the recipient of the faculty 2025 Distance Education Teaching Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. Her primary responsibility in the department is online course delivery. She is a highly skilled and motivated online instructor.
Skrynnikova’s teaching role in NREM includes six online course offerings per year. Two of these are core courses for undergraduate majors. Her willingness to offer online sections of these courses each year, which typically have enrollments ranging from 20-100 students per course, provides students with options for completing requirements and increases their likelihood of graduating in four years. In addition to the offerings associated with her departmental appointment, she regularly teaches honors seminars and has developed five new multidisciplinary classes that provide international perspectives on environmental issues.
A colleague stated, “Lidia has done this voluntarily and on her own initiative after recognizing a gap in our curriculum that she has skills to fill. Her extensive international experiences (e.g., she is fluent in at least four languages), broad educational background and high level of enthusiasm for teaching have made Lidia invaluable in our department.”
Skrynnikova’s student evaluations speak to the thought, enthusiasm and care with which she approaches her teaching. One student stated, “Professor Lidia is amazing. All assignments are well thought out and relevant to the subject we're learning about. She takes the time to leave detailed comments about everything you complete.” Other comments include: “She was a pleasure to learn from,” and “Honestly, I wish this seminar was longer.” These comments demonstrate the positive connections she has formed with students, an important aspect for effective online instruction.
Even with excellent student evaluations, Skrynnikova continues to strive toward further improvement. “After 30 years of teaching in different countries and institutions, I am still learning how to teach,” she said. She has made innovations and improvements to her online classroom as a result of continued training and personal creativity. With support from a Miller Open Education Mini-Grant, she created interactive tutorials. Other new pedagogical approaches include discussion and assignment summaries, peer reviews and online educational games.
Skrynnikova is a team player who shares her time, talent and skills. She provides leadership and guidance to improve course instruction within the department and beyond. A colleague stated, “Lidia changed the way I teach. At one time I resisted moving into online instruction, but I’ll credit Lidia with introducing me to its positive aspects… Lidia is an outstanding online instructor, exemplifying the best aspects of this grand venture in collegiate education.”