The highest standard that faculty must reach is the one set by their students. How do they pass on their wealth of knowledge in a way that a newcomer can grasp? How do they balance academic rigor with accessibility, and avoid the dreaded “boring” label?
This year, the UNC Board of Governors Alumni Teaching Excellence Awards recognize four faculty members at UNC Greensboro. In their own ways, they raise the bar and set their students up for success, even while adapting to new methods of teaching online.
Congratulations to the 2023 recipients:
James Y. Joyner Alumni Teaching Excellence Award
Dr. Jeffrey Kaplan
When educators switched to video and online lectures during COVID-19, Dr. Jeffrey Kaplan was told to keep his philosophy videos close to five minutes. Kaplan, however, figured that if students would sit down and watch a two-hour movie, he could engage them with longer videos if he did it correctly.
“My goal is for the explanations to be clear enough, the painstaking editing to result in a video smooth enough, and the watching experience to be fun enough that the students do not feel tempted to click away,” says Kaplan.
He was proven correct. Not only did the students love what he posted to Youtube, professors from other institutions incorporated them into their own curriculums. One of them was Dr. James DiSanza of Idaho State University. He says, “When it comes to keeping students engaged, talking heads and PowerPoint presentations don’t cut it, and Dr. Kaplan understands the YouTube presentational ethos perfectly.”
In the classroom, Kaplan keeps students engaged using simple quizzes. The trick, he found, was to show the percentage of students who got the correct answer, as it incentivizes more students to read the material and keep up with their peers. He incorporates their spontaneous discussions into exam questions.
“In the hallway before one of the sessions began, I overheard students talking positively about the course,” says Dr. Frances Bottenberg, lecturer of philosophy at UNCG. “They spoke about finding the course material interesting and also praised Dr. Kaplan’s sense of humor.”
Ashelen Tatum took one of his online classes as an elective. “I just assumed it would be some PowerPoints here and there, readings, tests, and done. However, this course ended up offering so much more and even made me fascinated with philosophy in itself. I never knew it was so interesting.”
Mary Settle Sharp Award Alumni Teaching Excellence Award
Jerry Walsh
Dr. Jerry Walsh’s passion for chemistry and biochemistry quickly rubs off on his students. His colleague Dr. Nadja Cech noticed how one of his students, wanting to protect her lab samples on a hot day, carried them from one class to another.
“The investment she was showing in her CURE project is exactly what we hope to foster in our freshmen chemistry students by involving them in research as part of their chemistry laboratory experience,” says Cech.
CURE, which stands for Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences, is utilized by Walsh to connect lab work with its practical uses. “A lab instructor has an opportunity to meet one-on-one with students and have conversations both about science and about the student’s education,” he says. “The instructor can assess student thinking and stretch the student to a deeper understanding of chemical concepts by this direct interaction in the lab.”
Walsh developed a course to prepare graduate teaching assistants. Philip West, National Science Foundation graduate research fellow with MIT’s chemistry department, watched how he worked with them. He says, “Dr. Walsh was effortlessly able to convey not only his rigorous methodology for successful participation in the educational process, but did so with a tangible excitement and style.”
One of his former students, Halley Price, says, “I have never seen a professor teach so passionately about a subject. He not only has this understanding and love for chemistry, but wants to share this love of chemistry with his students.”
Another student, Runzi Li, says without him, students might find the capstone courses intimidating. “Dr. Walsh teaches these challenging topics in a student-friendly fashion, structuring lectures and pre-laboratory sessions as conversations with the students and pausing for questions, rather than overwhelming students with jargon-loaded slideshow presentations and never stopping to check for understanding.”
Mary Settle Sharp Alumni Teaching Excellence Award
Sudha Shreeniwas
Dr. Sara Bailey, now an assistant professor of counseling at the University of Lynchburg, met Dr. Sudha Shreeniwas at a conference while she was a doctoral student. She remembers how the professor’s eyes lit up when she described her dissertation study on age-based discrimination and health disparities. “Her heart was clearly centered on providing culturally sensitive teaching and mentorship to her students as part of her mission to bridge gaps in care and awareness across the constellation of diverse cultural identities,” says Bailey.
Shreeniwas wants her students to transform their communities long after they leave UNCG, no matter their background. Her curriculum in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) is committed to the University’s mission as a minority-serving institution and a research conduit.
“Implementing a transformative teaching philosophy with social justice focused teaching goals often involves risk-taking,” says Shreeniwas. “However, these challenges inspire me to try to do better in the next iteration and continually improve my teaching philosophy and practice.”
Through the use of small group assignments, peer learning, and guided discussions, she fosters interpersonal engagement among her students. She matches students of different age groups and promotes experiential learning.
Shreeniwas has mentored 12 students and co-mentored 47 undergraduates since 2010. “It is exceptionally noteworthy that these students are from a wide range of backgrounds, races/ethnicities, ages, genders, and socioeconomic histories,” says HDFS Professor Linda Hestenes. “Many of these individuals are first generation college students and from underserved communities.”
Dr. Joi Bulls, associate dean for undergraduate affairs in Health and Human Sciences, is impressed with the way Shreeniwas handles emotionally and politically-charged discussions. “Many of our students believe that they are clear in their values and what they hold to be true and don’t want to step out of their ‘safe zone.’ However, Dr. Sudha created a space for students to not remain in their ‘safe zone,’ which allowed them to step into their ‘learning zone.’”
Anna Maria Gove Alumni Teaching Excellence Award
Sara MacSween
As a lecturer in Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Hospitality & Tourism, Sara MacSween has to instill a broad variety of skills to her students – written and oral communication, critical questioning, and social media engagement to name a few.
Student Holly Shields says MacSween was one of the most influential instructors in her life. “Sara has the advantage of her unique background, and she utilizes it in the classroom. She connects course material and real-life experiences,” she says.
Their assignments are as expansive as a full marketing plan and as personal as writing a thank you note. MacSween knows that they are anxious for feedback; even with a 4/4 teaching load and service commitments, she carefully structures her schedule so that she can review the extensive projects within a week, and they can quickly progress on the next assignment.
Dr. James Boles says, “Her approach to teaching translates into increased professional development of our students. She found free training modules so students earn certificates for Salesforce and HubSpot, which employers want for their entry-level employees.”
Her connections with businesses and government agencies such as the North Carolina Agricultural Department allow students to take on projects that will pay off in the long-term, and start building a network that could land them their dream career.
Aeliyra Kendall ’22 says, “Professor MacSween as a mentor allowed me to overcome my feelings of imposter syndrome, helping me realize I truly belong in my chosen field and will have a promising career. She pushed me to look deeper into my aspirations and gain a better understanding of myself, finding the path that lies before me.”
“I view my role as an encourager,” says MacSween. “It is an honor to spend my days working with the next generation. It is a joy to pass on knowledge to budding marketers and salespeople.”
Excellence in Teaching Award
Mathematics Professor Dan Yasaki was the 2023 recipient of this year’s Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award.
Yasaki was praised by his colleagues and students for his success in undergraduate and graduate-level courses. They mentioned his ability to “demystify” mathematics through his breakdown of its practical applications and his approachableness whenever they needed extra help outside class to walk through complex questions.
Read more about his accomplishments here.
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications
Photography by Martin W. Kane, University Communications
