Center Rewards Quality Teaching

Despite complaints of over enrollment and limited class choices, especially in the Core, many students are raving about their teaching fellows.

The Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning recently awarded several hundred TFs a Certificate for Distinction in Teaching for having achieved high CUE guide ratings overall for fall semester courses.

"It's awarded to TFs who get a rating of higher than 4.5, with a minimum of seven categories in the CUE," said Jane B. Phipps, program coordinator at the Bok Center.

Phipps said the award consists of a certificate of achievement and a reception to be held on April 2 in honor of the TFs.

James Wilkinson, director of the Bok center, said the award was instituted about seven years ago because "it's important to recognize good teaching."

Some TFs said they believe that the ratings may also play a role in promotions or future hirings for courses.

"[The award] probably helped me get re-appointed as a TF," said David A. Soloshatz, a section leader for Statistics 100 and an award recipient.

"It seems to me that the sort of qualities reflected in the CUE guide would be taken into consideration [in future employment decisions]" Wilkinson said.

But some award recipients said that garnering high ratings in the CUE guide is about more than above average teaching skills.

"If you have dynamic people [in your section], it's easy to be a good teacher," said Benjamin H. Wells, a TF for Social Analysis 10, who also received the award. "I'm a law student, so I'm not planning on going into economics. I just do it for fun."

Wells also said that being a good TF requires both enthusiasm about the material and experience in teaching the class.

"Two or three years [as a TF] might be the optimum because you have some experience, but you're not bored yet," Wells said. "Another thing that helps is that I'm relatively young."

But Wilkinson said certificates are given to a wide range of TFs, from those teaching the class for the first time to seasoned veterans who get high ratings year after year.

"There certainly are people who hit the ground running and there are others who manage to keep their interest in a subject up year after year," Wilkinson said.

However, other factors such as the type of class the TF teaches may influence the rankings, and some courses may encourage higher ratings than others, according to Wilkinson.

"We have some very, very fine students in every discipline," Wilkinson said. "If there are some very cranky organic chemistry students, they should put aside their pique and recognize that organic chemistry may be as tough to teach as it is to take."

"Stats 100 doesn't lend itself to open discussions," Soloshatz said.

But Soloshatz went on to say that students may recognize the difficulty of the course when rating their TFs.

"The more difficult the material is the more students need to rely on sections," Soloshatz said

"Stats 100 doesn't lend itself to open discussions," Soloshatz said.

But Soloshatz went on to say that students may recognize the difficulty of the course when rating their TFs.

"The more difficult the material is the more students need to rely on sections," Soloshatz said