Doctoral student recognized with Midwest teaching award honorable mention

Monali Chowdhury, doctoral candidate in psychology, has been recognized by the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools with an honorable mention in its Excellence in Teaching Award at the doctoral level. Monali is also a Graduate Associate Teaching Award winner at Ohio State (2011).

MAGS made its announcement on March 1, and the awards committee commented in its award letter that Monali "is an exemplary teacher and mentor, someone who will no doubt continue to make an impact on teaching and learning."

Monali is also a former Preparing Future Faculty faculty in the Graduate School, and she will graduate in spring quarter. Monali will join the faculty at Allegheny College, Meadville, PA, in the fall.

"It was an honor to nominate Monali for this award," said Patrick S. Osmer, vice provost of graduate studies and dean of the Graduate School. "Her colleagues and her students hold her in high regard. She regularly earns comments from her students about being the best teacher they ever had, and it's clear that Monali works hard to earn that assessment. Monali is a great example of the excellent graduate students and graduate teaching associates that we have at Ohio State."

This is the second year of the MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award. Ohio State's Brandon Sullivan won the inaugural award in 2011. More

GATA award

GATA winners, 2011

Selections from Monali's nomination packet

"My approach to teaching builds on a deep personal regard for its inspiring and transformative power. I aim to make psychology more immediate and personally valuable to students. As I see it, when students appreciate the relevance of what they are learning, they are instrinsically motivated to be engaged in class. To that end, I try to relate current world events to psychology topics, challenging students to seek the psychological roots of contemporary issues. To encourage independent thinking I press students to find examples of psychological concepts from their own lives. I strive to make the classroom experience interactive by using active learning demonstrations that help students 'see and feel' the material." -- Monali Chowdhury, from her Statement of Teaching Philosophy

 

"As chair of the psychology department at Ohio State, which has a very large graduate and undergraduate enrollment, I have had the pleasure of observing and hearing about many teaching assistants over the years who have done an excellent job in the classroom. ... Monali has been an instructor in our large introductory psychology course for the past three years. Her dedication, creativity, and commitment are extraordinary, and her teaching skills are simply outstanding. Furthermore, she has enthusiastically taken on a leadership role in that program, and she has been an avid and effective instructor and mentor to peers as well as to undergraduates." -- Richard E. Petty, chair, department of psychology, Ohio State

 

For more information, contact Assistant Dean Kathleen Wallace, 247-7300.