Leeds Workshop Highlights Teaching Innovations

Cutting-edge teaching practices took center stage during the Leeds School of Business Innovative Teaching Award Workshop earlier this month.

Hosted for faculty in the hopes of inspiring dialogue, the workshop was led by Kai Larsen, professor of information systems; Jeff York, associate dean for strategic initiatives and professor of strategy and entrepreneurship; Brad Werner, teaching assistant professor in the Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Operations division and teaching director of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship; Ryan Lewis, assistant professor of finance; and Brian Waters, assistant professor of finance.

Larsen won the inaugural David B. Balkin and Rosalind and Chester Barnow Endowed Innovative Teaching Award last spring for his Simplyx interactive learning courseware and supporting materials. York, Werner, Lewis and Waters were finalists for the award, which was established to recognize and reward faculty who develop and operationalize innovative teaching practices that include producing revelatory and useful teaching knowledge by Leeds professor of management David Balkin.

Winners and finalists were required to present their innovative methods to the rest of the Leeds faculty “and encourage them to use it in their own courses,” Balkin said.

“Being able to encourage and reward innovations in teaching is not only beneficial to faculty, but also to students, who are able to learn in a more engaging way,” he explained.

The award and workshop aren’t the only ways Leeds aims to foster and recognize outstanding teaching. The Joseph L. Frascona Teaching Excellence Award is presented annually by students to a Leeds professor who is a strong mentor, encourages intellectual development and creates lasting impact beyond the classroom. Faculty are also supported by committees and initiatives at both the campus and school level, including Leeds teaching excellence and teaching mentors committees as well as the Teaching Excellence Speaker Series.