Raymond Flores, Shirley Matteson and Fethi Inan were among 14 inductees from across the university who were honored at a Thursday ceremony on campus.
Fostering excellence in teaching is the name of the game in the College of Education.
So it may not be surprising that the college was well represented in the latest class of inductees for the Texas Tech University Teaching Academy, which recognizes and promotes outstanding teaching.
Raymond Flores, Shirley Matteson and Fethi Inan were among 14 inductees from across the university who were honored at a Thursday ceremony on campus.
The College of Education tied with the School of Music for the most new members inducted this year. A faculty member from each of college's three departments joined the academy.
Fethi Inan
"I think that it is a humbling experience to make a positive impact on students' lives by creating opportunities for them to grow professionally and by mentoring them to fulfill their full potential," said Inan, an associate professor of educational instructional technology in the Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership.
Raymond Flores
"Teaching also gives me the satisfying opportunity to learn more about my students' unique experiences, cultures and perspectives."
Flores, an associate professor of mathematics education in the Department of Teacher Education, said he looked forward to taking advantage of avenues available to academy members for sharing teaching techniques and best practices.
"Sometimes we don't get the opportunity to talk with our colleagues across the university – there's just so many colleges and so many professors," he said. "I'm excited to be able to network with some of them."
The academy also offers opportunities for mentorship and other means of professional development. New members are added annually; They are nominated by current members and must have three years of service to the university.
Shirley Matteson
"It's validation from your peers that you're doing a good job with your work, and the other great thing about the Teaching Academy is that its emphasis is really to promote good teaching no matter what your background and field," said Matteson, an associate professor of middle level education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
"This just really kind of validates the idea of different approaches to pedagogy."
Also at the Thursday ceremony, Comfort Pratt and Aaron Zimmerman were recognized for earning Lawrence Schovanec Teaching Development Scholarships.
The $1,500 scholarship is for faculty members interested in attending a conference dedicated to teaching and learning. Zimmerman said he used the scholarship to travel to Austin to attend the Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching.
"That opportunity really broadened my horizons in terms of thinking about different types of scholarship that exists – specifically scholarship of teaching and learning and ways I can expand my own research interests and professional trajectory in terms of incorporating that type of scholarship," said Zimmerman, an assistant professor of curriculum studies and teacher education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
"It was really an incredible experience."
Applications for the next round of Lawrence Schovanec Teaching Development Scholarships are open online. The deadline is midnight on Nov. 16, and applications are reviewed by Teaching Academy members.
The Teaching Academy was formed in 1997 to demonstrate, support, promote and recognize teaching excellence at Texas Tech. For more information, go to depts.ttu.edu/tlpdc/Teaching_Academy.