The Office of Instruction announces four faculty receiving a 2018 Creative Teaching Award. Jeffrey Berejikian (International Affairs), Margaret Christ (Accounting), Melissa Landers Potts (Human Development and Family Science) and Simon Platt (Small Animal Medicine and Surgery). The four faculty were notified in person with a surprise visit from Vice President Rahul Shrivastav and associate vice presidents Naomi Norman and William Vencill.
The Creative Teaching Awards recognize UGA faculty for excellence in developing and implementing creative teaching methods to improve student learning. These awards are presented annually on behalf of the Office of Instruction, the Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Office of the Provost to faculty who have demonstrated either the use of innovative technology or pedagogy that extends learning beyond the traditional classroom, or creative implementation of subject matter that has significantly improved student learning outcomes in their courses.
Jeffrey Berejikian is an associate professor of international affairs and Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in the School of Public and International Affairs. He combines theory and practice through foreign policy simulation using video games as a form of active learning. By resolving simulated international conflict, developing military postures, and engaging in peace negotiations to build effective international institutions, he helps his students apply solutions to potential real-world problems in an innovative and inspiring way. He also uses the simulation data to evaluate the accuracy of the students’ theoretical concepts, which allows students to take an active, critical look at international affairs on a broad scale.
Margaret Christ, associate professor of accounting in the Terry College of Business, incorporates multiple methods of active learning within her ACCT 5310 Accounting Information Systems and Data Analytics course. She engages her students in applying the basic principles of accounting, from using social media analytics to demonstrate data-driven decisions, photography to capture examples of control, role playing in graham cracker house construction to navigate the production cycle and cost accountability, and a competition to build a Tableau-originated dashboard of data. The memorable hands-on learning exercises better prepare her students for the business world after graduation.
Melissa Landers-Potts, senior lecturer in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, incorporates service-learning into her adolescent development courses, in both face-to-face and online classrooms. She helps students develop a deeper understanding of the socio-emotional, cognitive and physical development of adolescents. This year, her students partnered with iPrevail and received hands-on learning as online wellness coaches to share age-appropriate information on human development with adolescents seeking mental health support. The company has now incorporated this model into their training for all coaches. Dr. Landers-Potts provided a pathway for students to apply solutions to real-world problems in an innovative and inspiring way.
Simon Platt, professor of neurology and neurosurgery in in the College of Veterinary Medicine, provides an innovative approach to medical examination through the development and implementation of Nerve Dawg, a 3D interactive animated neurological exam model. The virtual reality dog exposes students to a full variety of diseases for which they can evaluate, diagnose and prescribe treatment that they might not otherwise experience until they are in a veterinary practice. The technology also allows Dr. Platt to accurately standardize and assess learning outcomes and effectiveness in translating knowledge into functional ability.
Learn more about the criteria for the Creative Teaching Awards and past recipients.