Thomas Devine and Vicki Sealey
Each spring, West Virginia University recognizes selected faculty members for their exceptional and innovative teaching.
This year, the WVU Foundation Awards for Outstanding Teaching honor two faculty members:
• Thomas Devine, teaching assistant professor in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.
• Vicki Sealey, associate professor in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences School of Mathematical and Data Sciences.
Established in 1985 by the WVU Foundation, the Outstanding Teaching Awards recognize faculty who are particularly effective and inspiring teachers, as well as those who have established patterns of exceptional innovation in their teaching methods, course and curriculum design, and instructional tools.
“Each year, we honor our top faculty members for their exceptional teaching and dedication to student learning,” Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Paul Kreider said. “Professors Devine and Sealey are stellar examples of the type of faculty members deserving of this prestigious award.”
Thomas Devine started his higher education career at WVU in 2020, teaching 35 large engineering classes between Fall 2020 and Fall 2024. He is recognized for his unwavering dedication to delivering high quality instruction where all students can engage and succeed, and for contributing major curriculum developments in computer science and cybersecurity at foundational, practical and advanced levels. Devine is also honored for effectively mentoring undergraduate students through high impact research and capstone projects, and for serving on dissertation committees for a significant number of graduate students.
By combining hands-on learning with theoretical instruction, Devine ensures students can use what they have learned in the classroom to solve real world problems. In courses ranging from cloud computing to data integration and machine learning, he successfully links academic concepts with real world applications in ways that better prepare students for industry employment. Devine also helped acquire industry funds to build a new hands-on cybersecurity and software engineering laboratory in the Statler College and has co-authored peer reviewed publications on AI plagiarism detection and using drones as a platform for innovative cybersecurity education.
In summary, Devine is known for creating engaging and meaningful active learning classroom experiences that make cybersecurity accessible and understandable to most students. The high student evaluations and open-ended comments as well as strong testimonials from current and past students indicate his positive impact within and outside of the classroom.
Sealey came to WVU as an assistant professor in 2008 bringing with her a passion for helping others learn — especially math — and assisting others in developing and improving their teaching. She serves as the course coordinator for Math 155, Calculus 1, and has served as the program coordinator for the eight course calculus sequence. Sealey utilizes student-centered curriculum materials and student-centered active learning in every class session, provides frequent and detailed feedback on student work, and employs compassion for students who may not have had the best math opportunities and preparation in high school. She also freely disseminates lecture notes, student activities, and notes for instructors through a website she created for other math instructors.
Sealey’s teaching approach is grounded in historical and current math education research literature, which she uses to continuously revise course materials to ensure she attends to the most common struggles students face. She also regularly publishes research articles in top mathematics education journals, such as the International Journal of Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education and the Journal of Mathematical Behavior.
Beyond her work in the classroom, Sealey is deeply committed to supporting students and educators across West Virginia. As one of the recipients of a Neff Foundation Outreach Grant from the Mathematical Association of America, she brings valuable math resources and mentorship to rural communities throughout the state. In addition to her outreach efforts, Sealey is an exceptional mentor within the School of Mathematical and Data Sciences, guiding new instructors, graduate students and undergraduate teaching assistants. In all of her work across teaching, research and service, she has a goal of and passion for helping students learn.
Faculty members must be nominated by their college leadership to be eligible for the Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching. Each of the honorees will receive $5,000 in professional development monies from the WVU Foundation.
Award recipients will be recognized during a faculty and staff awards reception at Blaney House on April 16.