When you can’t find Campbell University’s Dr. Donna Woolard in the classroom, look for her in cyberspace. A Web designer for sites devoted to teachers, students and physical education, Woolard believes the Internet is vital to her profession. “I started being a Webmaster before the term Webmaster was coined,” said Woolard, who is a professor of Exercise Science and director of the Physical Education Teacher Education program (PETE) at Campbell. “The Web was a means of getting information out about issues concerning my students, physical education teachers and programs dealing with physical education. Now colleges, universities and people all over the U.S. use these Web sites.”Beginning with a Home Page devoted to her students’ needs, Woolard soon branched out to become a contributing designer for www.ncpe4me.com, a Web site created by Kymm Ballard, Physical Education, Athletics and Sports Medicine consultant for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and dedicated to physical education, health education, athletics and sports medicine in North Carolina. In addition, she led Campbell University’s PETE program to “Exemplary” status, a designation conferred by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and developed a Web site devoted to improving the teacher certification exam (Praxis) scores of PETE majors, www.pepraxis.com. “I have been consulting with colleges and universities in ways to improve their students’ scores on the Praxis Physical Education examinations for over a decade,” Woolard explains on her Web site for PETE professors, “to my mind the one thing you can do to improve scores is assess to the test.”Assessing to the test does not mean teaching to the test, but rather using Praxis style assessments in classes. The Web site guides teachers through the process of constructing multiple choice questions, timed responses and other learning techniques that help students prepare for the Praxis exam. “I’ve always liked technology,” said Woolard, who began her career as a high school coach in Ahoskie, N.C. “I started posting information on my Web sites that interested me and the sites sort of developed a life of their own. These Web sites help people across the board–students, teachers, everyone involved with physical education.”A native of Washington, N.C., Woolard received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from East Carolina University. She went on to earn a doctorate in physical education from Middle Tennessee State University. She joined the faculty of Campbell University in 1994 and was named College of Arts and Sciences Teacher of the Year in 1998. In 2000, Woolard was declared College and University Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Physical Education Association of the North Carolina Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NCAAHPERD). Most recently, the NCAAHPERD honored her with the 2003 Service Award. Woolard currently serves as president of NCAAHPERD.In addition, Woolard helped develop test preparation materials for the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and wrote the “Expert Advice” chapter in ETS’ Diagnostic Preparation Package for Physical Education. Since 2003, she has served as an outside consultant to ETS, writing and reviewing test questions for the Praxis Physical Education Exams.Her Web site www.ncpe4me.com recently received a grade of A+ from the journal publication “Education World.” The journal found the site attractive, user friendly and containing real solutions to preventing childhood obesity and Type II diabetes.Photo Copy: Dr. Donna Woolard moonlights as Webmaster. Photo by Shannon Ryals.
Dr. Donna Woolard: no stranger to cyberspace