Kee Jeong Kim receives 2013 Sporn Award for Excellence in Teaching Introductory Subjects
Kee Jeong Kim, associate professor of human development in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, has received the 2013 Sporn Award for Excellence in Teaching Introductory Subjects.
The annual award recognizes a Virginia Tech faculty member who teaches introductory-level courses. Students submit the nominations. Award recipients are selected by a committee composed of student representatives from the Omicron Delta Kappa and Golden Key honor societies, as well as the faculty member who won the award the previous year. Award winners receive $2,000 and are inducted into the university's Academy of Teaching Excellence.
The award was established in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Philip J. Sporn and is sponsored by the Center for Instructional Development and Educational Research and the Virginia Tech Academy for Teaching Excellence. Philip Sporn was a Virginia Tech alumnus and president and chief executive officer of American Electric Power Co.
A member of the Virginia Tech faculty since 2004, Kim has established herself as an extremely popular and highly effective teacher, particularly in Human Development from Conception to Adolescence, a large introductory course that brings together majors and non-majors along with students from all class levels. In fall 2012 alone, 51 out of 190 students declared a primary or secondary major in human development during or after taking Kim’s class.
“This is very compelling evidence of Dr. Kim’s effectiveness in this introductory course,” said Rosemary Blieszner, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Human Development. “Her passion motivates her students to attend class regularly. She is always upbeat and cares deeply about the course content.”
In 2009, Kim was a finalist in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars’ Inspire Integrity Awards. This is the only national student-nominated faculty awards program. Six of her students anonymously nominated her for the award.
Student evaluations of Kim’s introductory course recently averaged 3.9 out of a possible 4.0.
One student wrote, “I enjoy her class even though it’s at 8 a.m. Dr. Kim is super enthusiastic, lively, and passionate about the subject, which she makes interesting. She cares about her students and remembers them individually, which surprised me in a lecture class.”
Kim received a bachelor’s degree from Hanyang University (South Korea) and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Iowa State University.
Written by Catherine Doss.
