Congratulations to SBS Teaching Award Winners, Spring '21

Congratulations to the recipients of the SBS Teaching Awards! We thank them for their dedication to students, especially during a challenging year of teaching remotely during the pandemic.

Stefano Bloch, Assistant Professor, School of Geography, Development & Environment

SBS Undergraduate Lower-Division Teaching Award

This award recognizes superior and innovative teaching in lower-division undergraduate courses.

Stefano Bloch teaches the popular undergraduate course “Crime and the City.”

“Stefano Bloch integrates creative course content and assignments on spatial contexts to teach students to question their assumptions about poverty and criminality. He creates an interactive environment and develops personal rapport even in large classes,” one of the award judges said.

“Stefano’s TCE scores show that one of his strongest talents as an instructor is making students feel they are treated with respect,” wrote Sallie Marston and Diana Liverman, both Regents Professors in the School of Geography, Development & Environment. “Many students express they learned critical thinking skills and that Dr. Bloch helped them to get excited about the material. The comments indicate that Stefano has a very approachable and engaging teaching style and that he is full of humor and enthusiasm about his subject.”

“In so many ways, [Bloch’s] devotion to and skill in teaching is creating a reputation for him and “Crime and the City” as “must take” instructor and course. In November 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, there were 300 students taking the course, just three and a half years from its first offering at 150,” Marston and Liverman wrote.

Michael McKisson, Associate Director, School of Journalism

SBS Undergraduate Lower-Division Teaching Awards

This award recognizes superior and innovative teaching in lower-division undergraduate courses.

“Michael McKisson applies innovative, high-impact practices in lower-division teaching, from integrating hands-on experiences with audio and video technology for hands-on journalism experiences, to having students log and reflect on their own media consumption practices, to teaching business skills for pitching and designing interactive news projects,” one of the award judges said.

This year, McKisson modified his curriculum to build interactive experiences for virtual learning environments to help students learn and stay connected. His mantra was creativity and compassion for the 150 students in JOUR 150C1 “News in Society: The Printing Press to Fake News,” according to Carol Schwalbe, director of the School of Journalism

“It was one of my favorite classes this semester despite it being online,” a student wrote in a class review. “You were also really flexible on technical difficulties and aware of how we were all doing during this rough semester.”

“Professor McKisson’s teaching exemplifies creativity both inside and outside the classroom,” wrote Schwalbe. “He is passionate about his students and their success. He fosters an innovative outlook that will prepare them for an ever-changing industry.”

Antonio José Bacelar da Silva, Assistant Professor, Center for Latin American Studies

SBS Undergraduate Upper Division Teaching Award

This award recognizes superior and innovative teaching in upper-division undergraduate courses.

Antonio José Bacelar da Silva was honored for his exemplary and innovative work creating and teaching “Black Lives Matter Across the America,” which critically examines experiences of Blackness and anti-racism activism through a hemispheric lens. He introduced a new virtual exchange program as part of the class, pairing UArizona student with Brazilian students.

“Dr. da Silva’s teaching is highly collaborative and interactive,” wrote LAS faculty Elizabeth Oglesby and Javier Durán. “He designs each activity so as to provide students with opportunities to work together to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product, and to become more independent, strategic learners.”

“[Bacelar da Silva] brings a multidisciplinary and international approach to crucial, timely issue of race and racial violence,” wrote one award judge. “The course not only dismantles the traditional barriers between academic disciplines…but also engages both scholars and activists in productive dialogue.”

The judge added, “The pairing of UA students with students in Brazil creates opportunities for international intellectual collaboration and at the same time facilitates language-learning opportunities for students in both locations. An all-around brilliant course design."

A student wrote, “Thanks for your class, for the opportunity to talk about race openly and constructively.”

Dev Bose, Assistant Professor, Department of English

SBS Graduate Teaching Award

This award recognizes superior and innovative teaching in graduate courses.

For almost seven years Dev Bose has taught preceptorship, the one-year course that new Graduate Assistants, Teaching, or GATs, take their first year teaching in the Writing Program.

“In this time, he has left a major impact on GATs that then further impacts the undergraduate students they teach,” wrote Rochelle L. Rodrigo, senior director of the Writing Program. “Dev’s previous and current students have nothing but good things to say about his teaching and mentorship.”

“Of the 10 or so pedagogical mentors I’ve had in my six or so years of teaching, Dev Bose was easily the most impactful,” wrote one student.

Another student wrote, “Dev mindfully and respectfully considers a wide range of perspectives, modes, technologies, and ideas in his own teaching and research, which he practices and imparts on his mentees in preceptorship.”

“When he gave feedback – and he did so, often – I always received practical advice and concrete examples within a developed theoretical framework for a burgeoning pedagogue,” wrote another student. “In short, Dev is very much a teacher’s teacher. He demonstrates an unwaveringly calm and cheerful demeanor and ensures that his mentees always know that their success is his own.”

Hannah Andrews, Ph.D. Candidate, School of Sociology

SBS Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant/Associate Award

This award recognizes superior and innovative work by a graduate teaching assistant or associate.

Sociology Professor Brian Mayer said Hannah Andrews is a highly sought-after teaching assistant for many courses in the School of Sociology and that she has also become an “essential and exemplary instructor” for two of the most challenging courses in the Care, Health & Society degree program: CHS 401: Health Disparities and CHS 476: Research and Analysis of Health Data.

“Time and time again, Hannah has displayed her willingness to take on these challenging courses and to commit her time and energy to excellence in instruction and engaging with undergraduates,” Mayer said.

One of the amazing aspects of Hannah’s instructional success has been the teaching of CHS 476 for Arizona Online as a 7-week semester, Mayer added.

“To teach an advanced statistics course…in a traditional 16-week format is challenging,” Mayer wrote. “To do so online and in only seven weeks requires a herculean level of work.”

“This was one of the most challenging courses I’ve taken,” wrote one student. “Several factors that contributed to making the course manageable was that Hannah provided step by step instructions in both video and written formats, as well as provided individualized feedback throughout the course of the semester, while providing support and encouragement.”