(DeWolfe, Oliver M - 2012) -- BFA Award for Excellence in Teaching and Pedagogy
Overview
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When Professor DeWolfe joined the physics faculty in 2006, the department already had an outstanding national reputation for teaching excellence. He learned quickly from his award-winning colleagues and has achieved excellence in his own right. He teaches the full range of classes, from introductory physics for non-majors to graduate courses in general relativity. He is noted for the clarity of his explanations, the intensity of student engagement in his classroom, and his willingness to help students outside the classroom. As indicated by standardized tests, Professor DeWolfe’s students achieve a level of mastery that exceeds the national norm. Beyond this statistical measure, many students spoke of the difference his individual attention made to their understanding of physics. The excellence of Professor DeWolfe’s teaching benefits not only students in his classes but also the department as a whole. As part of a course transformation process, physics faculty routinely team-teach classes. As a result, his teaching has had an impact on how others in the department teach. Professor DeWolfe has become a valued member of the Physics Education Research Group and the Science Education Initiative program.
