WSU Teaching Academy Recognizes Nine Faculty with Four types of Awards

The Washington State University Teaching Academy has presented awards to faculty members systemwide who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and scholarship this year.

The organization drives implementation of academic goals, supports models of teaching and learning, and facilitates the creation of mindsets and practices of students and faculty.

“We value the accomplishments of this year’s awardees as educators, scholars, and role models for others,” said Kara Whitman, academy chair. “They have gone above and beyond, and it is an honor for the academy to recognize their efforts.”

Applicants were reviewed by a committee, and four types of awards were presented.

Outstanding Publication in the Scholarship of Teaching in Higher Education

Two awards were given for an exceptional publication to:

• Intissar Yahia, of the Intensive American Language Center, and Joy Egbert, of the College of Education, both at WSU Pullman, for their paper, “Supporting Non-Native-English Speaking Graduate Students with Academic Writing Skills: Explicit Instructional Use of Paraphrasing Guidelines.” It was published in the Journal of Writing Research.

• Caitlin Bletscher, of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences at WSU Vancouver, whose co-author is from Virginia Tech. Their article is titled, “The Power of the Microphone: Podcasting as an Effective Instructional Tool for Leadership Education.” It was published in the Journal of Leadership Education.

Teaching Academy Award for Excellence in Teaching a Large Class

This award recognizes the achievement of teaching class sections of more than 50 students. Two awards were presented to:

• Hillary Mellinger, of the College of Arts and Sciences at WSU Pullman. Through her innovative criminology course design, she maximizes accessibility by captioning live classes, providing untimed assessments, and incorporating diverse readings and perspectives. Her assignments prioritize learning over grades, offering students safe spaces to make mistakes and providing clear feedback for growth. By implementing active learning practices and fostering student engagement through various activities, Mellinger empowers students to be active participants in their own learning journey. She exhibits outstanding dedication to promoting inclusivity, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA).
• Cara Hawkins-Jedlicka, of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at WSU Pullman. She is also recognized for fostering IDEA in her teaching approach. By prioritizing students’ self-integrity and social belonging, she creates an environment where students feel valued, supported, and actively engaged. Through innovative strategies such as values-affirming interventions, community service partnerships, and interactive discussions, she ensures that students not only learn course material but also develop confidence in their abilities and feel empowered to contribute to the course direction. Her commitment to personalized engagement and active participation effectively counters student disengagement commonly found in large classes.

Teaching Academy Conference Registration Award

This award covers the cost of registration fees to attend a conference, meeting, or workshop that will directly enhance the applicant’s classroom teaching and/or scholarship of teaching. The three recipients are:

• Tasha Bradley, of the College of Veterinary Medicine at WSU Pullman
• Samantha Gizerian, of the College of Veterinary Medicine at WSU Pullman
• Michael S. Berger, of the College of Arts and Sciences at WSU Vancouver

Teaching Academy Book Club

This award recognizes faculty who successfully implemented WSU Teaching Academy Book Club topics and/or strategies into their classroom teaching. This year’s book is Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education: Strategies for Teaching, edited by Rita Kumar and Brenda Refaei.

One award was presented this year to:

• Erin Pinnell, of the College of Veterinary Medicine at WSU Pullman. She implemented active learning techniques in her lectures, such as using clinical cases and Kahoot quizzes, to engage students and promote retention. She fostered a supportive environment by addressing student questions through flashcards and incorporating group work to encourage peer learning. Her commitment to student success and continuous improvement is evident through her engagement with feedback and participation in teaching enhance programs like LIFT.