Olga Parshina Receives 2025 Inclusive Design for Teaching Award

March 7, 2025

Olga Parshina, visiting assistant professor of psychology, has been selected as the 2023-2024 recipient of Middlebury’s Inclusive Design for Teaching Award for her work in using curricular design to improve accessibility in teaching and fostering more inclusive and dynamic learning. The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Research (CTLR) and the Advisory Group on Disability Access and Inclusion (AGDAI) award the $1,000 prize annually to a Middlebury faculty member.

“Among the excellent nominations we received, Olga’s stood out,” said Amy Morsman, interim director of CTLR and professor of history. “One student told us that Olga’s class ‘did the best in diversifying the course content material to make it navigable and comprehensive.’”

Visiting professor Olga Parishna, wearing a red sweater, speaks as part of a panel discussion on inclusive design. — Olga Parshina (left), visiting assistant professor of psychology, speaks during a February 19 panel discussion on inclusive design for teaching at Middlebury’s Center for Teaching, Learning, and Research. Other panelists included Lida Winfield (right) of the dance department; Emily Malcolm-White, math and stats; Erin Eggleston, biology; and Greg Pask, biology.

According to her students, Parshina established and effectively communicated clear academic standards and course policies, including grading rubrics that were easy to understand in her Introduction to Psychology course. They appreciated her use of a link to allow anonymous feedback on the course and her prompt responses to adjust the course when appropriate.

“Following the principles of inclusively designed teaching, this award celebrates colleagues who focus especially on clarity, choice and equity, and flexibility,” said Susan Burch, professor of American Studies and a member of the Advisory Group on Disability Access and Inclusion.

Parshina, who joined Middlebury in 2023, studies online language processing in unique populations, such as bilingual and monolingual adults and children, including those with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. In particular, her research investigates the questions concerning reading skill development using eye-tracking technology to learn more about what eye movements can tell us about sentence processing in these readers.

The Middlebury College community honored Parshina’s work, along with other nominees, at a reception at CTLR on February 19.

For more information, including nomination details, visit the Inclusive Design Award website.

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