Embodying the Mission: A Commitment to Instructional Excellence
By Alyssa Turner
Jonathan Davis, biosystems engineering lecturer and undergraduate program coordinator, was awarded the college’s highest teaching award — the 2021 Walker Teaching Award.
Representing the highest honor for instruction in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and presented to only one faculty member annually, the superior level of recognition of the Walker Teaching Award stands as a prestigious testament to an educator that can produce well-rounded students.
“My goal is always that students walk away from a class feeling like they have learned something,” said Davis. “I also want to provide students with the practical tools and knowledge that will help them land that first job or help them in their early career stages.”
Winning the award is no easy task. To qualify, one must receive a letter of support from the department chair, obtain three additional letters of support, provide current curriculum vita, summarize courses’ relevance to engineering advancements, participate in a thorough lecturing evaluation and be evaluated by student perceptions from the past three to five years.
Davis describes his teaching style as suitable and adaptable. Not ascribing to a particular philosophy, he utilizes multiple teaching methods to maximize classroom learning.
“The most satisfying part of teaching is seeing the recognition on a student’s face when he or she has figured something out and realized they are learning,” he said.
