​Teaching Tips from 13 of UVA’s Finest

The 2018 winners of the University’s top teaching awards share their ideas about what it takes to be a good teacher.

Editor’s note: This story appears in full in UVA Today.

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Every year, a new group of innovative and engaging faculty members are chosen by their peers for a series of teaching awards, sponsored by the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. Included in the nomination materials with testimonials from colleagues and students is each faculty member’s unique teaching statement.

(UVA Today has included) 13 tips, perspectives and creative methods showing the dedication of these teachers to make their courses a life-changing experience for UVA students, often including hands-on involvement with real-world issues or situations, enabling students to see they’re having an impact.

All-University Teaching Award Winner:

Dan Player, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

“My philosophy can be stated in one sentence: I teach students, not courses. I know I have met my main objective when my students begin to see the world in a different way. In an end-of-course evaluation, a student once described her experience in my class by commenting, “[This course] made me want to learn more about why the world is the way it is.” I consider myself a successful teacher anytime one of my students can echo that sentiment.”

(photo by Jack Looney)