Faculty Spotlight – 3M National Teaching Fellow Dr. Darren Dahl

Dr. Darren Dahl and Dr. Simon Ellis have recently been named 2013 3M National Teaching Fellows. The award is the most prestigious recognition of teaching excellence in Canada. The Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) and 3M Canada award up to 10 Fellowships each year, recognizing exceptional achievements and contributions to teaching, learning, and educational leadership at Canadian universities. 3M National Teaching Fellows embody the highest ideals of teaching excellence and scholarship. Dr. Dahl and Dr. Ellis join 12 other UBC professors who are 3M National Teaching Fellows.

Dr. Dahl, Professor and Senior Associate Dean, Faculty and Research, in the Sauder School of Business, was also named one of only four professors globally to make the short list for the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Business Professor of the Year Award. Dr. Dahl is the Fred H. Siller Professor in Applied Marketing Research, and has co-created a New Venture Design course for business and engineering students at UBC.

We had the opportunity to ask Dr. Dahl a few questions about his teaching philosophy and experiences. Here’s what he had to say.

Q: What is your teaching philosophy?

Darren Dahl (DD): My teaching philosophy rests on a deep commitment to student engagement that is built on a solid teacher-student partnership. This partnership is based in mutual respect, and a joint commitment to collaborative development, learning, and engagement.

When intelligent, curious students and teachers interact, the door to discovery and learning is opened. One significant barrier to achieving full bi-lateral engagement, however, is the inability of the teacher to identify what motivates, captures the attention, and awakens students’ imagination. Thus, I focus on aligning these three elements that are so integral to student commitment and positive, long lasting, learning outcomes. My perspective on student motivation, attention, and imagination is based in four central themes that I invoke every time I approach a new teaching assignment: 1) passion; 2) innovation; 3) dialogue; and 4) challenge.

Foremost is the need for communicating the passion and energy one has for the subject matter to students. When teachers are excited about the material they relate verbally, in writing, and in their evaluation techniques, student enthusiasm for the subject matter becomes contagious. We all enjoy listening to and watching someone who is passionate about a message, and want to engage in the subject matter as a result. Passion demands attention, is infectious, and motivates.

The second theme, innovation, has been demonstrated to me as a result of my own academic research in creativity where I have learned that consumers place a high value on innovative goods and services. Consumers of education are no different. They respond enthusiastically to creative approaches in the classroom; a place where I infuse my philosophy of teaching into every innovative in-class activity I implement. My techniques develop engaged students who eagerly anticipate my classes, as evidenced by my high attendance statistics. I know that innovation is not developed solely by employing technology in the classroom, but is cultivated through the combining of technology, more traditional approaches to teaching, and knowledge of current educational pedagogy as articulated by Brookfield, (1995), for example.

Innovation and passion are enhanced by the development of a learning environment that enables healthy dialogue and reflection among all classroom participants, including myself. Questioning, disagreement, and lively discussion are cultivated in my classrooms where students feel safe enough for this dialogue to occur. I achieve a high level of student involvement through the right balance of humor, energy, and effective listening; all exemplary teaching skills that encourage students to become partners in their own learning. Most of my classes are technology-free and dialogue-based, which means that all students become part of the conversation. My focus on dialogue also means effective communication outside the classroom is maintained and realized through timely interaction in person, via email, text, and other forms of communication.

Finally, a commonality across the various courses I teach is the demand for a high level of performance from my students. It is my belief that students are waiting to be challenged by their education and it is my role to set a bar that is realistic but high. For example, I employ the “Socratic” method in case analysis and develop assignments that push their comfort boundaries, such as suggesting students aggressively dispute common conventions, then report their reasons and findings to the class. My experience has taught me that students appreciate a course that acknowledges their intellect through rigor, reflection, and mutual respect.

Q: Do you have any advice for new faculty just starting out in teaching? Any tips or experiences you could share that helped you along the way?

DD: My advice? Watch other people teach, decide what is going to work for you, and develop your skills. I think good mentors that give you time and ideas can be very helpful. To this day, I enjoy watching other people teach…it gives me new ideas and challenges the way I see teaching happen.

Q: Have you worked with CTLT on any teaching and learning projects or initiatives?

DD: Sadly, not a lot to report here. I have taken courses (back when the unit was called TAG) and that did help me grow in my teaching abilities. I am now meeting with the 3M council/group here on campus and look forward to involvement with that body.

This article was published in the March 2013 CTLT Newsletter, Dialogues. Below is a list of the articles included in the issue:

Find out more information about the CTLT Newsletter, Dialogues.