The University of Texas at Dallas recently honored five educators with annual President’s Teaching Excellence Awards for their positive influence in the classroom and innovative approaches to teaching.
UT Dallas President Richard C. Benson recognized the recipients for their accomplishments in a virtual event April 29. This is the fourth year the Center for Teaching and Learning has celebrated faculty for their outstanding efforts.
“Bright young minds continually choose to pursue higher education at UT Dallas, in part because of our esteemed faculty,” said Benson, the Eugene McDermott Distinguished University Chair of Leadership. “I want to thank these educators for their contributions to the success of the University and for their expertise and dedication in a year of unprecedented challenges.”
The President’s Teaching Excellence Awards committee receives hundreds of nominations every year and considers a broad spectrum of eligible candidates from across the University. The award comes with a stipend, and recipients are presented with medallions.
This year’s honorees represent the School of Arts and Humanities, the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, the Naveen Jindal School of Management, and the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
The “President’s Teaching Excellence Award for Teaching Assistants” award recognizes exceptional instructional performance by a graduate teaching assistant. To be eligible, graduate students must have served as a teaching assistant for a minimum of 2 semesters on the UTD campus.
What is the most rewarding part of the teaching experience?
“For me, the most rewarding part of teaching rhetoric is showing students that writing can be fun. Most of my students enter my class dreading yet another English class, but by Day Two, they realize my class is different. We analyze hip-hop and other pop culture because I want to show students the things I am teaching them are applicable to their everyday lives. I love getting reviews at the end of the semester that say they were pleasantly surprised.”
What is one of your favorite memories from teaching at UT Dallas?
“I have been teaching at UTD since fall 2016. Every semester has its moments, but I think the best, my favorites, are those that surprise me. I like to surprise students out of their apathy toward English, and I love it when they also surprise me with their topics and what they’ve learned. I get essays ranging from an analysis of Princess Diana’s little black dress to quantum mechanics to Christmas ornaments.”
What was the best part of your teaching experience this year?
“This year has been different, obviously, but the best part actually stems from the online atmosphere. My students seem to be engaging with each other more than they ever have before. This has been a difficult time for us all, but seeing them make those connections has inspired me to integrate more online interactions in future classes.”
This is a truncated excerpt from this original article by Brittany Magelssen in the UTD News Center.