There hundreds of nominees, but just four are chosen. This year, those four include:

• Cynthia Metz, assistant professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Physiology
• Danielle Franco, associate professor, Analytical, Semiconductor-based in the Department of Chemistry
• Roman Yampolskiy, associate professor in the Department of Computer Engineering and Computer Science in the Speed School of Engineering
• Audrey Kline, associate professor of Economics in the College of Business. 

Here are our 2019-20 Faculty Favorites in their own words.

Cyndi Metz. Notably, Metz was battling cancer during the 2018-19 school year. “[My students] responded with such compassion and kindness and I was so proud of them.” 

Danielle Franco: “I love doing what I do.”

Roman Yampolskiy. “Teaching well takes a lot of time and it makes a difference.” 

Audrey Kline. “Economics is hard for a lot of students. Working with them to get to that place where everything falls in place and they finally understand is very rewarding.”

All faculty, staff and graduate teaching assistants who receive nominations receive a formal letter of recognition from the Provost as well as a certificate. They were also recognized recently at the annual Faculty Favorites Reception.

They include Khaldoun Almousily, Classical and Modern Languages in the College of Arts & Sciences; Kathryn Harman,  Health and Sport Sciences, College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development; Ahmed Shalaby, Bioengineering, J.B. Speed School of Engineering; John Finch, Early Childhood and Elementary ����ֱ��, CEHD; and Emily Schnarr, Management, College of Business.

“The best part of my position right now is seeing our University of Louisville students become teachers. And I know when that transition happens,” Finch said. “I tell them early on that when you come into this course, this classroom, I don’t want you thinking and being a University of Louisville student. You are to be a teacher.  You are to think like a teacher, act like a teacher. You’re a teacher.  And that’s the way I’m going to treat you, that’s the way I want you to think, look and act. So when I see that transition, it’s absolutely phenomenal.” 

Shalaby, who teaches a class called managing big data in medicine, said the subject matter is complex and therefore needs to be simplified more. 

“I break down the information into smallest, smaller pieces that make easy for students easier to understand it,” Shalaby said. 

Harman agrees with the method of simplification for her course, which covers a lot of information about muscle function and how muscles create movements at joints. 

“I can’t just talk about it. I have to show them,” she said, adding that it’s important to give students a different way to look at course materials. 

Almousily’s approach to teaching is to add context to prepare students to be global citizens. 

“I want them to say I’m glad the class is over, I’m going to go practice what I learned,” he said. “The first thing we do in teaching is engaging. If a student is not engaged in the class I don’t think they’re going to learn anything. I want them to be the center of attention, the center of the class.”

“I tell my students … they’re the ones that keep me coming back and doing what I do,” Finch adds. 

Check out our Faculty Favorites in their own words: 

The Department of Physiology was recognized for its development of a rigorous research program in the scholarship of teaching and learning to assess the effectiveness of alternative teaching pedagogies with professional students in the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry and Graduate Studies. This research indicates that active learning strategies, such as engaging lectures, online modules and team-based learning, produce significant gains in student study skills, performance, motivation, class attentiveness and information retention.

According to the department’s award submission, these newly implemented teaching methods have “revitalized the departmental teaching mission, improved communication about teaching efforts, and ultimately made classroom interactions more positive, beneficial and inspiring for both faculty and students.”

The Paul Weber Award for Departmental Excellence in Teaching was established in 2005 by then-Provost Shirley Willihnganz to sustain a culture of teaching excellence, reward departments who collaborate to enhance student learning, encourage collegiality and more. The award is named in memory of Dr. Paul Weber, a distinguished teacher, scholar and mentor at UofL.

Faculty Favorites

Also during the luncheon, Billingsley recognized the four 2015-16 Faculty Favorite Award winners: Judith Danovitch, Denise Cumberland, Stephan F. Gohmann and Ayman El-Baz.

, is described by students as being “interesting and engaging.” She received her AB in Psychology and Biology from Harvard in 2000 and her PhD in Psychology from Yale in 2005. Her research interest is “how children seek out and evaluate knowledge throughout their development.” 

, is described by students as being “engaging” and “enthusiastic.”

Cumberland spent most of her career in corporate marketing, but fell into adjunct teaching on the advice of a friend. She enjoyed it enough to pursue her PhD at UofL, earning her doctorate in ����ֱ��al Leadership and Organizational Development in 2012. 

, is described by students as being “driven and passionate” and “very insightful.” 

Gohmann has been at UofL for almost 20 years. He was named director of the Schnatter Center when the center opened in 2015.

Dr. Ayman El-Baz, associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering, has 12 years of hands-on experience in the fields of bioimaging modeling and computer-assisted diagnostic systems. He has developed new techniques for analyzing 3D medical images, and his work related to novel image analysis techniques for lung cancer and autism diagnosis have earned him multiple awards.

In February, 2016, El-Baz became the acting chair of Bioengineering.

Students recognized him for being accessible in and out of the classroom, and working with them until they understand the subject matter.

This year, students submitted 624 nominations for 334 faculty members to the Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning, which solicits the nominations. The top four professors to receive the most nominations are recognized as “Faculty Favorites.”

More photos from the Delphi Center’s Celebration of Teaching and Learning event are .

Every year, students nominate faculty members they would like to recognize for making a significant impact on their learning and intellectual development. Students described Danovitch as “interesting and engaging.” 

“Judith is a phenomenal instructor who truly takes learning to the next level. She is able to take a graduate course that is not necessarily the desired topic of interest for all students, yet find a way to make the course applicable to each individual student. She demonstrates proficient knowledge of the topics, and it is clearly evident that she is well-organized and prepares for each class in order to facilitate maximal learning during each course meeting. She values each student’s ideas and knowledge and welcomes student discussion. Her course assignments allow students to expand their knowledge in their own particular area of interest, and her assignments are designed to be direct applications to a successful career in psychology,” one student wrote.

Danovitch received her AB in Psychology and Biology from Harvard in 2000 and her PhD in Psychology from Yale in 2005. Her research interest is “how children seek out and evaluate knowledge throughout their development.”

“I care very deeply about children and their development and their well-being, so I feel that it’s really important to make sure that I’m sharing the knowledge that we have as psychologists in a way that people can use it and that it will be relevant to them in the future,” she said. 

Watch more about Dr. Danovitch below. 

This year, students submitted 624 nominations for 334 faculty members to the Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning, which solicits the nominations. The top four professors to receive the most nominations are recognized as “Faculty Favorites.”

The favorites will be recognized publicly at a reception in February 2017 at the Celebration of Teaching and Learning.

Every year, students nominate faculty members they would like to recognize for making a significant impact on their learning and intellectual development. Students described Gohmann as “driven and passionate” and “very insightful” and also recognized his ability to “make you think and broaden horizons.” 

“I enjoy teaching students. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a fulfilling thing to do. We have a really long day sometimes, but it’s worth it to see the lights go on with the students,” he said.

Gohmann has been at UofL for almost 20 years. He was named director of the Schnatter Center when the center opened in 2015. More about Gohmann is included in the video below. 

This year, students submitted 624 nominations for 334 faculty members to the Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning, which solicits the nominations. The top four professors to receive the most nominations are recognized as “Faculty Favorites.”

The favorites will be recognized publicly at a reception in February 2017 at the Celebration of Teaching and Learning.