Nothing gives a teacher more fulfillment than witnessing that powerful and most personal moment when a student “gets it.”
That moment of understanding – the “aha” moment.
It comes after explaining a concept seven different ways. It starts in the eyes and spreads to the entire face, creating a big smile, a head nod, a glimpse up – not to the ceiling, but to a realization.
Then come the questions. Thought provoking questions. Questions that, perhaps, even the professor can’t immediately answer.
This is what an excellent teacher thrives on.
UNMC is full of excellent teachers. Three were chosen to explain what puts them at the top of their profession.
- David O’Dell, M.D., LeeRoy Meyer Professor of Internal Medicine and 1984 UNMC graduate;
- Kendra Schmid, Ph.D., interim associate dean for academic and student affairs, director of the master’s program, and associate professor of biostatistics, College of Public Health;
- Betsy Becker, D.P.T., assistant professor, physical therapy education, College of Allied Health Professions, and 1999 MPT UNMC graduate.
All cite many mentors who helped shape their education philosophy, but Dr. O’Dell was groomed for 15 years by a legend who set the standard of teaching excellence at UNMC and across the nation; the man whose named professorship he holds – the late LeeRoy Meyer, M.D.
“Dr. Meyer spent every day of the year working with third- and fourth-year medical students in small groups, lectures and one-on-ones for their clerkships,” Dr. O’Dell said. “Instead of a daily lecture, he instituted interactive lectures and used the Socratic method to engage the students in learning.”
Beloved, the students recognized Dr. Meyer with the coveted Golden Apple Award a total of 26 times from 1967 to 2001. Because he received it so many times, he was the first to be retired to the Golden Apple Hall of Fame, or the “orchard,” and a new rule was initiated that limited receipt of the award to seven times. But, even when the award was renamed the Hirschmann Prize for Teaching Excellence for clinical education, third- and fourth-year students made Dr. Meyer the inaugural recipient in 2001, four years before he died while still working full-time at the age of 69.
The Golden Apple is still awarded by first- and second-year students.
Today, Dr. O’Dell, who joined six others in the orchard in 2007, conducts his clerkships in the education center dedicated to Dr. Meyer on the fifth floor of the Medical Science Building. UNMC physicians also dedicated the second floor of the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education to Dr. Meyer.
Dr. O’Dell remembers that Dr. Meyer wanted students to think. “If you didn’t get it right, he would say, ‘Mercy.’ I find myself echoing those sentiments.
“The biggest impact I can have as a teacher is to turn students into critical thinkers and life-long learners because what we do and know today may not be the best thing tomorrow,” Dr. O’Dell said. “If you can think physiologically, you can care for patients.
“On the second day of class, I tell students that nothing is worse than going into a patient’s room and not knowing how to help. And there’s nothing better than coming up with a plan to make them better.”
Teachers were previously the keepers of knowledge, but now students and patients can acquire the knowledge through the internet. “But the application – interpretation of the information with a patient – we strive to get the students to see the connections and apply that knowledge,” Dr. O’Dell said.
Flexibility is one attribute an excellent teacher must embrace, and this trio has done just that, adapting their teaching styles to the millennial way of learning. One way has been through e-learning modules, and all three were developers or faculty advisers on such projects through a program initiated this past year by Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dele Davies, M.D.
It’s risky. Venturing into the unknown is always a risk, but it’s something Dr. Schmid likes to do – especially with her biostatistics courses. “I’m always trying to improve the way I teach. That’s what makes education fun.”
Kendra Schmid, Ph.D.
Biostatistics is challenging and not always a favorite subject for students. But, Dr. Schmid has become extremely creative in how she explains complex concepts.
“I use multiple examples in different ways to explain concepts,” she said. She even made biostatistics sexy by using math to determine facial attractiveness of real people. Her study catapulted her onto the international stage.
She was featured in a Discovery Channel documentary and appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show. That upped her “cool” factor among students.
But, her true reward comes when a former student returns to tell her he now understands the methodology section of a scientific article – and no longer skips over it. “My goal is for students to walk out of my classroom with understanding and, at least, respect for the subject,” she said.
When Dr. Schmid began teaching at UNMC in 2007, her class size numbered about 30 students a year. Now, the class is taught annually with multiple in-class and online sessions to about 150 students.
Recognition of teaching excellence from student-driven awards is high praise. So, too, is being acknowledged by campus peers, the UNMC Faculty Senate and the University of Nebraska.
Dr. Schmid was surprised when she was named one of UNMC’s Outstanding Teachers in 2013. “I never expected a biostatistics teacher to be recognized at the campus level.
It is not only my award, but the result of great mentors and great students. Hopefully, I can make proud all those who helped me become a better teacher.”
It truly is a collaborative effort of mentors and colleagues who help shape an excellent teacher.
“It’s rewarding to work and share ideas with colleagues and mentors. No one stands alone,” said Dr. Becker, who has been at UNMC only four years, but has made a big impression for her dynamic and tech savvy approach toward teaching.
On rounds with David O’Dell, M.D., medical students Laura Pinon, third-year, reviews a patient’s chart while John Mitchell, fourth year, examines a patient.
“I enjoy incorporating technology into the classroom where it’s appropriate. A healthy blend is important. The great thing about technology is that it can appeal to all types of learning styles,” she said.
Each year, in her first class with physical therapy students, Dr. Becker walks them through a self-analysis to understand how they learn. “It’s important to realize that everyone learns differently.”
Dr. Becker, who received her master’s degree in physical therapy from UNMC in 1999 and is now pursuing a Ph.D. at her alma mater, comes from a family that is deeply committed and loyal to the University of Nebraska. Her parents, grandparents, sisters, aunts, uncles and even her husband (Mark Becker, M.D., ‘M98), are alums. Her grandfather, Richard “Dick” Adkins, was a regent when Wittson Hall was built in 1969.
She is appreciative of the opportunities she has had to collaborate with colleagues and students on integrating technology into the curriculum. Dr. Becker is now co-chair of the e-learning steering committee, is active in the Apple Initiative, which is exploring how Apple products can be used in the classroom, and is a member of the newly formed Interprofessional Academy of Educators.
Dr. Becker has helped develop seven e-learning modules, one of which she is researching to evaluate if it made a difference in performance on physical therapy range of motion exams.
“High-touch learning tools can be used effectively when blended with traditional teaching methods,” she said.
And, of course, the teachers themselves can never be replaced.