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K-State Today

Division of Communications and Marketing
Kansas State University
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May 4, 2021

Benton wins AERA career achievement award

Submitted by Patrice Scott

Steve Benton

Steve Benton, College of Education adjunct and professor emeritus, recently received a national career achievement award for his work in faculty teaching, evaluation and development.

Benton was presented with the American Educational Research Association's W.L. McKeachie Career Achievement Award by the faculty teaching, evaluation and development special interest group. Benton joined the K-State faculty in 1983 and served as chair of the special education, counseling and student affairs department from 2000-2008.

"We are thrilled for Steve," said Christy Craft, interim chair of the department of special education, counseling and student affairs. "He has committed his professional life to developing faculty, and we celebrate the fact that he's being recognized at the national level. We're grateful that he's still on faculty and sharing his wisdom and passion for research in education with our current graduate students."

In addition to his adjunct position, Benton was a data scientist with Anthology and Campus Labs and senior research officer for The IDEA Center.

Benton said he was truly humbled with this honor and shared his former SIG officer Michael Theall's observation from a publication that "evaluation without development is punitive, and development without evaluation is guesswork."

"By using student ratings as one of many sources of evidence, by collecting sources of evidence that are reliable, valid and fair, by creating a growth mindset and by being sensitive to cultural and group differences, evaluation of teaching can become a rewarding process, instead of a dreaded event," Benton said.

His research areas of interest include assessment in higher education, student ratings of instruction, faculty development, academic leadership development, teaching and learning, motivation, academic studying, cognition and instruction, educational measurement, college-student alcohol/drug abuse prevention, and college-student mental health.