At the University of Baltimore, great teaching doesn't just happen in the classroom.
It happens in office hours, in feedback on a late-night draft, in a professor who
remembers your name and your goals. Every May, Thank A Teacher Week gives our community
the chance to pause and say what often goes unsaid: thank you. This year, the Center
for Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Technology (CELTT) is proud to celebrate
the faculty who go above and beyond.
The Teaching Scholars in Residence Program (TSiR) provides faculty with the structured
support they need to conduct Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research,
transforming curiosity about teaching into rigorous, evidence-based inquiry. This
spring, UBalt's second cohort of TSiRs is completing their residencies, and their
work reflects the depth and diversity of questions that drive great teaching.
- Jennie Keohane investigated whether noncompetitive, extracurricular debate builds
students' communication competence and civic skills.
- Mike Kiel explored how a librarian's teaching persona, whether emphasizing approachability
or professional expertise, affects student learning and motivation in asynchronous
instruction.
- Marta Baffy examined what factors influence law students' case reading compliance
across their 1L, 2L, and 3L years.
- Dong Chen studied whether an AI chatbot can serve as an effective personalized tutoring
tool to bridge prerequisite math skill gaps in Financial Management.
- Margaret Gillingham investigated how interactive features like embedded quizzes in
course videos affect student engagement and learning retention.
Together, these five scholars dedicated themselves to asking hard questions about
their own classrooms and doing the rigorous work of finding answers. We congratulate
them on completing the TSiR program!
Each year during Thank A Teacher Week, CELTT invites students to nominate the faculty
members who have made a meaningful difference in their academic journeys. This year's
honorees represent the very best of what teaching at UBalt looks like.
- Dawnsha Mushonga earned the Student Support Award for her "self-care first" philosophy
and genuine gift for showing up for students as whole people, with one nominator sharing,
"She specifically helped, encouraged, and championed me to believe in myself."
- Giovanni Vincenti received the Teaching Innovation Award for his real-world, hands-on
approach to systems administration, inspiring students so deeply that one "was almost tempted to change my major."
- Ting Zhang was honored with the Supportive and Inclusive Environment Award for building
a classroom rooted in belonging and possibility, where one student credited her with
inspiring them to present at a conference, launch a business, and teach AI literacy
to others.
- The Student Choice Excellence in Teaching Award, reserved for faculty nominated across
all three award categories, goes to Anne-Marie Carstens, whose students praised her
ability to make Property Law "fun and interesting from start to finish."As one nominator put it, "She does not simply teach the law; she teaches her students how to confront it with
honesty, courage, and compassion."
These four educators remind us that exceptional teaching takes many forms and that
students notice every single one of them.
Beyond formal recognition, Thank A Teacher Week opens the floor to every student who
has ever wanted to say thank you. The kudos poured in from across UBalt's schools and programs, and together they
paint a vivid picture of what great teaching looks like from the people who experience
it most directly.
- Students wrote of faculty who opened doors: "You have helped me access spaces that I never thought I would be in."
- They wrote of teachers who pushed them further than they thought possible: "She has not just helped me finish a project; she has helped me become a more rigorous
thinker, a more purposeful communicator, and a more confident advocate."
- They wrote of instructors who refused to give up on them: "Thank you for being patient with me and not giving up on teaching me, finding different
ways to reach me. I care about that a lot."
- And they wrote of lessons that will last a lifetime: "The habits of mind you cultivated in me will follow me into every room I walk into
professionally."
As the academic year draws to a close, we extend our deepest gratitude to the faculty
who showed up day after day with creativity, compassion, and commitment. We’re also
grateful to the students who took a moment to say thank you. We hope this summer brings
space to recharge, reflect, and return ready for everything that comes next. We can't
wait to see what you'll accomplish together.
