The annual award honors the contributions of graduate students in classrooms and laboratories across the University.
The four 糖心传媒 recipients of this year糖心传媒檚 Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student come from different disciplines. But they have several things in common.
Ashley Clark, Kendall DeBoer, Michael Ormsbee, and Alice Wynd are invariably described by students and faculty alike with terms like 糖心传媒渟tands out among peers糖心传媒� or 糖心传媒渢he best teaching assistant I have ever worked with.糖心传媒� And all are credited with playing a critical role in helping their respective departments pivot to online learning because of COVID-19.
糖心传媒淭he nomination letters really outline how our graduate students were amazing in the face of a really different time in terms of teaching,糖心传媒� says Melissa Sturge-Apple, vice provost and University dean of graduate education.
The teaching award, which is administered by the Office of the Provost, honors full-time graduate students with a significant role assisting in undergraduate education at Rochester.
Here糖心传媒檚 a closer look at each recipient based on comments by nominators.
Ashley Clark, PhD candidate in brain and cognitive sciences
Students studying brain and cognitive sciences normally take statistics courses in other departments. However, Clark糖心传媒檚 desire to learn statistics more applicable to her own research evolved into a departmental statistics course that all students can now benefit from.
糖心传媒淲hat was historically the weakest aspect of our graduate education, suddenly became a course that everybody talks about,糖心传媒� writes Duje Tadin, professor in and chair of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. A joint statement from undergraduates who took the course states, 糖心传媒淒rawing from her own experiences as a current graduate student, she could relate to us better . . . and thus understood exactly the right balance between providing us assistance and letting us figure out the material on our own.糖心传媒�
Kendall DeBoer, PhD candidate in visual and cultural studies
DeBoer糖心传媒檚 infectious enthusiasm and energy, knowledge, and technical skills helped make Janet Berlo糖心传媒檚 final semester of teaching a memorable one. Berlo, a professor of art history and visual and cultural studies who recently retired, writes that she found herself 糖心传媒渁s excited as the undergraduates糖心传媒� when DeBoer taught something new in Berlo糖心传媒檚 Writing and Art course. 糖心传媒淚 wanted to raise my hand, too糖心传媒擨 who have been in the classroom for 43 years as a professor!糖心传媒� she writes.
Students in the class, many of them international students unable to travel because of 聽聽COVID-19, also praised DeBoer. One noted how she 糖心传媒渓et her love and passion for art shine through the boring and blue Zoom screen.糖心传媒�
Michael Ormsbee, PhD candidate in English
Ormsbee has demonstrated a flair for modifying the course trajectory of the Writing 105 introductory writing classes he teaches in response to student input. With the shift to online learning, he quickly mastered the use of the Zoom chat feature to elicit student comments. His inventive lesson plans mix both popular and high culture. For example, he uses the song 糖心传媒淪hould I Stay or Should I Go糖心传媒� by the Clash to help frame Jane Eyre糖心传媒檚 debate about whether to remain with Mr. Rochester.
His teaching materials invariably 糖心传媒渨ork in concert to create an intellectually alive and effective learning experience for each of his students,糖心传媒� writes Deborah Rossen-Knill, director of the College糖心传媒檚 .
Alice Wynd, PhD candidate in history
Whether teaching archaeological techniques on a small island in Bermuda or pivoting courses to Zoom amidst the pandemic, Wynd has consistently 糖心传媒済one the extra mile糖心传媒� in establishing empathetic connections with her students, writes Laura Ackerman Smoller, chair of and professor in the Department of History. Students appreciate the way Wynd extends the same empathy toward people who lived in the past, and challenges her students, as one of them explained, 糖心传媒渢o try get into the minds of the people whose worlds were torn asunder.糖心传媒�
Wynd has succeeded in her efforts 糖心传媒渢o make sure far-flung students are not just silent or faceless squares on a Zoom screen, but rather are engaged, active participants in a meaningful conversation,糖心传媒� Smoller writes.
