Presented annually on behalf of the Office of Instruction, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Office of the Provost, the Creative Teaching Awards recognize UGA faculty for excellence in developing and implementing creative teaching methods to improve student learning.
Jeffrey Berejikian
Jeffrey Berejikian is an associate professor of international affairs and Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in the School of Public and International Affairs. He combines theory and practice through foreign policy simulation using video games as a form of active learning. By resolving simulated international conflict, developing military postures and engaging in peace negotiations to build effective international institutions, he helps his students apply solutions to potential real-world problems in an innovative and inspiring way.
He also uses simulation data to evaluate the accuracy of the students’ theoretical concepts, which allows students to take an active, critical look at international affairs on a broad scale.
Margaret Christ
Margaret Christ, an associate professor of accounting in the Terry College of Business, incorporates multiple methods of active learning within her ACCT 5310 Accounting Information Systems and Data Analytics course. She engages her students in applying the basic principles of accounting, from using social media analytics to demonstrate data-driven decisions, photography to capture examples of control, role playing in graham cracker house construction to navigate the production cycle and cost accountability, and a competition to build a Tableau-originated dashboard of data. The memorable hands-on learning exercises better prepare her students for the business world after graduation.
Melissa Landers-Potts
Melissa Landers-Potts, a senior lecturer in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, incorporates service-learning into her adolescent development courses. She helps students develop a deeper understanding of the socio-emotional, cognitive and physical development of adolescents. This year, her students partnered with iPrevail and received hands-on learning as online wellness coaches to share age-appropriate information on human development with adolescents seeking mental health support. The company has now incorporated this model into its training for all coaches. Landers-Potts provided a pathway for students to apply solutions to real-world problems in an innovative and inspiring way.
Simon Platt
Simon Platt, a professor of neurology and neurosurgery in the College of Veterinary Medicine, provides an innovative approach to medical examination through the development and implementation of Nerve Dawg, a 3D interactive animated neurological exam model.
The virtual reality dog helps students learn how to evaluate, diagnose and prescribe treatment for diseases that they might not otherwise experience until they are in a veterinary practice.
The technology also allows Platt to accurately standardize and assess learning outcomes and effectiveness in translating knowledge into functional ability.
—Tracy N. Coley
