Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
McALLEN, Texas – For the last decade, South Texas College Biology faculty member Alan Herrera has embedded and implemented advanced technologies into his online courses that enhance his students’ learning experiences, changing the way students see and learn science.
For his efforts, Herrera has earned multiple awards through the years, including this year’s 2026 eFaculty of the Year Award.
“This recognition caught me by surprise. I didn’t even know I had been nominated for it,” he said. “I’m sure there were a lot of great candidates up for this, so it’s an honor. I know a lot of people always working hard to improve online learning. I appreciate the recognition by the Biology department and our chair. This is definitely a group recognition.”
Herrera said when he began his journey into the classroom, he never imagined he’d be where he is today.
He started teaching science labs as a student, teaching assistant at the University of Texas-Pan American, now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2013, as he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Biology.
“Being a teaching assistant really validated my newfound passion in teaching,” said Herrera. “Before this, I wanted to do something primarily in medicine, but I suddenly loved teaching and found myself pursuing educational opportunities. The rest is history.”
Beginning his career as a part-time faculty member at STC, it quickly turned full time, as he began researching how to certify online courses through Quality Matters, a global organization leading quality assurance in online and digital teaching and learning, to improve course design and reduce barriers for students.
“Biology was one of the first departments to implement new online learning infrastructures and frameworks,” he said. “We work closely with the college’s distance learning department to be the pioneers of new technology.”
Going from Blackboard to Ultra Blackboard was one of the department’s first steps, with Herrera at the helm. Ultra Blackboard is the mobile-friendly evolution of the classic Blackboard digital learning platform, making it more user friendly for students and faculty.
Additionally, Herrera has worked with his department to introduce new tools and technology to offer different learning resources, such as virtual and video labs and Open Educational Resources (OER), that offer free teaching, learning and research materials, saving students money.
“I can’t emphasize enough, on how all these efforts have been a collaboration; even most recently, the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI),” Herrera said. “At the Biology department, we work together to make everything possible for our students, and with technology and AI evolving so rapidly, we must prepare our students for the present and the future.”
Herrera’s supervisor, Biology Department Chair and faculty, Maria Cervantes, Ph.D. calls Herrera the driving force behind the department’s digital transformation.
“It is a pleasure working with Alan Herrera. He consistently demonstrates professionalism, strong organizational skills and a goal-oriented approach to his work, while also serving as an outstanding mentor to his colleagues,” she said. “He has spearheaded our Biology department’s digital transformation through his leadership in Open Educational Resources, and his commitment to making high-quality science education accessible and affordable for our students is truly commendable. I could not be prouder to see him receive this recognition.”
With a new academic year fast approaching, Herrera said he will continue his adoption of new AI technology in Biology and teaching students how to use it properly and responsibly.
“AI is an additional tool to help students learn. My generation had Google, this new generation has AI,” he said. “There’s no reason to fight it or go against it. We need to adapt, help students learn and appreciate it.”
Furthermore, Herrera said his overall goal it to keep learning science and biology and making it fun for his students.
“I have a mix of biology students, major and nonmajor, but no matter who I’m teaching, I want my students to leave my class with a new outlook,” said Hererra. “My job is to give them the tools they need to learn, appreciate science and find success.”
