Dr. Aftynne Cheek, associate professor and special education program director in the Department of Reading Education and Special Education, received the 2022 RSEQ Reviewer of the Year award from the American Council on Rural Special Education (ACRES) at the annual conference in March.
The Reviewer of the Year is selected based on their timely, consistent peer-reviews for the journal that includes excellent, constructive feedback for authors during the peer-review process. Cheek reviews about six to ten articles a year for this journal alone.
For her, reviewing articles allows her to view current research in the field of special education as well as provides her the opportunity to help colleagues publish manuscripts that meet the journal requirements and needs in the field.
“I enjoy reading the work of others and providing feedback,” said Cheek. “The peer-review process is important in our field and the feedback only improves our work.”
She continued, “I review articles for several journals - about 15-18 articles yearly. It's nice to know my contribution is seen and appreciated.”
“I enjoy reading the work of others and providing feedback,” said Cheek. “The peer-review process is important in our field and the feedback only improves our work.”
Cheek currently reviews for Rural Special Education Quarterly (RSEQ) and is an associate editor for the journal. She also reviews for Teaching Exceptional Children (TEC), Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities (FOCUS), Journal of Special Education Preparation (JOSEP), and Remedial and Special Education (RASE). Additionally, she is the Co-founder/Editor for the Journal of Case Learning for Exceptional Learners which has its inaugrual issue being published in May 2023.
In addition to her scholarship, Cheek teaches introductory and methods courses in special education at the undergraduate and graduate levels that emphasize instruction, curriculum design, and individualized assessment for students with extensive support needs. Her research interests include literacy instruction for students with extensive support needs, teacher preparation, eCoaching, and teacher mentoring.
The Rural Special Education Quarterly (RSEQ), published by the Hammill Institute on Disabilities and SAGE, is the quarterly refereed journal of the American Council on Rural Special Education (ACRES). RSEQ is the only national scholarly publication devoted to topics and issues in service delivery or personnel preparation in rural special education and disability services. The purpose of RSEQ is to provide a forum for the presentation of new research findings, description of innovative program models or current best practices, analysis of local, state, and national policies, and discussion of issues and trends for special education and related services personnel working in rural communities.
Dr. Aftynne Cheek
