Seven Northwestern State University faculty have been recognized with the 2022 Excellence in Teaching Award.
Here is a profile of one of this year’s honorees.
Name: James MacDonald
Academic college/department: School of Social Sciences and Applied Programs
Number of years at Northwestern State: 15
Why is teaching important to you? I think history is a subject that is underappreciated in modern times. As a professor, you always attempt to make connections from the past to the present. We can never understand and appreciate who we are if we have no idea of where our story began.
Why do you believe you are an effective teacher? Students in my class begin to realize that the study of history is simply not about memorization of dates, facts, and people. I always try to hone the skills of students as critical thinkers. Cause and effect, knowing the “why” and “how” questions are as significant as the “who” or “what” pieces of information.
As a teacher, what brings you a feeling of accomplishment when working with students? Nothing is more satisfying than when a student tells me that he or she struggled with the subject of history but at the end of the semester have an appreciation of some aspect of our nation’s history. I would like to think the passion I have for teaching is infectious to those who sit in my classes each semester. Some students only take one history class in college, and that motivates me to always improve my craft.
Have the last 2-3 years made you a better teacher? I would like to think so. The pandemic made all of us adapt to new ways of learning on the fly. Many of us changed our delivery of lectures, discussion, and lessons to accommodate electronic and hybrid learning. And for me, having students back in the classroom made me appreciate being a teacher even more.
