Congratulations to the 2022-2023 Teaching Excellence Award Winners!
FCTL Teaching Award for Per-Course Teaching
Dr. Bryan Brinkman
History
As a per course member of our faculty, Dr. Brinkman has gone beyond what would be
expected of a per course instructor. He regularly volunteers to judge at History Day,
which is hosted by the History Department; he volunteered to assist in chaperoning
a large class of students to the Nelson Atkins museum in Kansas City; he meets with
students after class to review Latin, and he also meets with Master of Arts graduate
students working on ancient history thesis topics. Bryan is an excellent example of
an instructor who cares deeply about teaching and goes above and beyond for his students
and the University.
FCTL Teaching Award for Excellence in Online Teaching
Dr. Ching-Wen Chang
Reading, Foundations, and Technology
Dr. Chang is committed to the success of her students. During Spring 2020 one of her
students shared that she “helped tremendously in my transition to online learning.
When I felt lost, she guided me. Her course was interactive and engaging. I loved
her class. My fear of online education was gone by the end of the semester.” Other
students expressed that she was very approachable and always took time to quickly
respond to their questions and emails. This speaks highly of Dr. Chang, particularly
during a time when many students were experiencing uncertainty and additional anxiety
because of the coronavirus pandemic.
FCTL Teaching Award for Excellence in Online Teaching
Mr. Luis Lombilla
Modern and Classical Languages
Learning a new language can be very challenging. Luis makes this experience meaningful
by having students interact with each other through Zoom to not only support learning
Spanish but also share ideas about a different culture, expanding their sense of cultural
competence. Students said this critical thinking and discussion “brought real meaning
to learning another language.” Luis has also become the department’s resident expert
in cutting-edge tools such as FlipGrid and VoiceThread and how to use them effectively
for online assignments and assessments. His efforts have had a major impact on the
ability of Modern and Classical Language to serve more students.
FCTL Teaching Award for Excellence in High-Impact Practices
Jennifer Pratt
Communication Sciences Disorders
Jennifer leads by example supporting students and patients in the Speech, Language
and Hearing Clinic. Students say they have grown through her coaching and feedback
which is designed to support and promote their curiosity of their chosen profession.
A fellow MSU faculty who had the opportunity to co-teach with Jennifer said that in
addition to integrating enhanced lectures, case studies, active learning, and clinical
experience into the classroom, her approach to teaching was student-centered in a
way that recognized the humanity of the students and made them a part of the collaborative
process of learning
FCTL Teaching Award for Excellence in High-Impact Practices
Annice McLean
Reading, Foundations, and Technology
With a vast experience of teaching in public schools, Annice knows what is needed
to inspire her student. Her department head says that Annice knows “how to challenge
her students constructively. She is a master teacher, and her students respect and
adore her.” One of her students said, “She challenged my classmates and me to think
outside the box to use technology to improve my teaching.” Another student said, “She
cared so much about her students, and you could always tell.”
FCTL Teaching Award for Excellence in Inclusive Teaching Practices
Dr. Julia Troche
History
Dr. Troche took a scholarly approach in revising the Egyptian History course she was
teaching to make it more inclusive, equitable, and diverse in both its content and
pedagogy. She wanted to escape the western bias of ancient history and include the
voice of African, African American, and Latinx scholars in ancient history. Dr. Troche
is committed to confronting systemic inequality and present ancient history in a way
that supports students’ cultural competence and a more inclusive society.
2019-2020 FCTL Teaching Award Recipients
FCTL Teaching Award for Excellence in Online Teaching
Dr. Margaret Weaver
Margaret taught ENG 100 online to help students with writing, but more importantly to remove a barrier for online students that are the most at-risk for persistence to graduation. Creating an engaging online writing community was critical for these students and Margaret used tools such as audio files, Wikis and videos to support the development of their writing skills. Students interacted by reading and providing feedback on classmates’ work and Margaret modeled communication by providing routine feedback through videoconferencing and chat. Her department head shared “Dr. Waver is an excellent online instructor whose online efforts have improved the learning of her students.”
FCTL Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching Diversity
Dr. Lyle Foster
Lyle is an Assistant Professor in Sociology and Anthropology and has a passion for inclusive teaching practices that engage all students. He teaches courses that focus on diversity, inclusion and equity in our society. He initiated development of a new Diversity in the US certificate this year and for several years has worked with the Tough Talk series which allows participants to discuss difficult topics related to areas of diversity. One of his students said that he “has empowered students to think about things in a very different light” and is “improving inclusion each and every day he is on campus.”
FCTL Teaching Award for Excellence in High-Impact Practices
Dr. Carrisa Hoelscher
In Carrisa’s COM 332 Small Group Communication class, she teaches students about growth mindset and challenges them with one overarching goal to Do Good. Students work in teams to develop a community project which has real-world application and engages them in the group communication processes they are learning. Through student’s work in these “Do Good” projects they work with community partners, perform volunteer work, and provide support through the donation of goods and raising contribution dollars. Carrisa shared that “seeing their growth mindsets come to life . . . is inspiring as they connect their personal growth to making their corner of the world a better place.”
FCTL Teaching Award for Excellence in High-Impact Practices
Dr. Sarah Mellors
In teaching HST 380, Sarah engages students in early Asian civilization using a role-playing game called Reacting to the Past. Students view historical events through the eyes of historical characters and then have opportunities to contribute in ways they may not have done so in a traditional classroom. Students felt this made history more real and allowed them to playout historical events without risk of any real crisis or embarrassment. One of Sarah’s students said, “I hope I’m as good a teacher [as Dr. Mellors] one day.”
FCTL Teaching Award for Excellence in High-Impact Practices
Dr. Rohit Dua
Dr. Dua challenges his students with experiential learning projects outside of the classroom that engage them in real-world problems. He started an Embedded Systems Club to extend students’ learning and increase career preparation beyond classroom learning alone. His department head spoke of his willingness and commitment to meet with students outside of class, often in the evening or weekends, to guide them as they are working on projects. One such project was to deconstruct a processor and analyze the flow in information through the integrated circuits. This not only challenged students critical thinking skills but provided them a great sense of confidence in their knowledge and skills.
FCTL Per-Course Teaching Awards
Federica Wanda Gentile
Federica’s approach to teaching Intro to Gender Studies allows students to confront contemporary issues regarding class, race and gender in a way that are meaningful and deeply felt by students. Her nominator said this class is life changing and should be a mandatory for all students. Federica also teaches an Introductory Italian class using storytelling and language input which focus on the way our brains naturally acquire language. Using these teaching methods, students with no prior Italian language skills can engage in basic, but genuine, conversations speaking Italian in less than 8 weeks.
FCTL Per-Course Teaching Awards
Heather Haynes
Heather works in the History Department and observes practicum teaching of students taking HST 418, Teaching of Secondary School Social Studies. She provides detailed and concrete feedback and mentors these students so they can improve their teaching as the semester progresses. She also teaches larger enrollment seated sections of History 122 where she instructs students how to write using carefully designed assignments and formative assessment. Students have shared that these assignments have positively impacted their writing and learning in other classes.
FCTL Per-Course Teaching Awards
Raymond McCord
Raymond teaches MED 290 Fundamentals of Multimedia Design for the Department of Media, Journalism and Film. He brings his professional experience into the classroom teaching students coding skills that are necessary for the design and creation of interactive media. The course is structured around a real-world workflow and at the end of the semester students have a completed project for their portfolio. One student shared that they didn’t think they could “learn to code being a media student, but I now feel I am on the right path with a great skill that makes me more hire-able.”