PNW Sociology faculty member earns LEAP Indiana teaching award
Purdue University Northwest (PNW) Associate Professor of Sociology Hubert Izienicki was honored for his teaching methods that apply inclusive and supportive practices for undergraduate students.
In recognition of demonstrating best practices, Izienicki was recognized as the 2024 full-time recipient of the Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) Indiana Annual Teaching Award. The LEAP Indiana teaching awards are granted annually to one full-time and part-time faculty member each who teach in the 24 colleges and universities that are members of LEAP Indiana. The awards honor instructors who use transformative, inclusive and engaged classroom techniques that result or culminate in effective teaching.
“It is quite an honor to be singled out for my teaching innovations with this LEAP Indiana Teaching Award,” said Izienicki. “I spend a good deal of time thinking about and experimenting with different pedagogical techniques, and I’m always interested in finding new uses for the teaching tools we are already using, so it is really rewarding to be recognized for my efforts.”
I spend a good deal of time thinking about and experimenting with different pedagogical techniques, and I'm always interested in finding new uses for the teaching tools we are already using, so it is really rewarding to be recognized for my efforts.
Hubert Izienicki, Associate Professor of Sociology
Izienicki was recognized in part for his work related to using the syllabus as a tool for student success. Knowing that students’ first experience with a course is often through the syllabus, he set out to investigate how the content of the syllabus as well as its format, presentation and implementation can promote students’ success in a course. This included a research study on implementing a syllabus quiz to predict students’ overall course performance. Students who did not perform well on the syllabus quiz could then be identified as those who may need additional resources and support for success.
Izienicki’s focus on the syllabus stems from his participation in the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) Course in Effective Teaching Practices. For several years the Center for Faculty Excellence has partnered with ACUE to offer PNW faculty members the opportunity to earn a Certificate in Effective College Instruction and reimagine their pedagogical strategies to better support PNW students’ academic success.
He is not only a reflective practitioner who takes a scholarly approach to his own teaching, but he is also a committed colleague who is passionate about supporting and enhancing teaching and learning at PNW and beyond.
Emily Hixon, professor of Education and director of the Center for Faculty Excellence
“More than 180 PNW educators have participated or are currently participating in the Course in Effective Teaching Practices,” said Emily Hixon, professor of Education and director of the Center for Faculty Excellence. “Evaluation data support what we hear from faculty regularly; they are using the evidence-based teaching strategies they learned in the course and it is making a difference for them and their students. This is certainly the case for Dr. Izienicki, who embraces such learning opportunities and is continuously striving to give his students the best possible learning experience. He is not only a reflective practitioner who takes a scholarly approach to his own teaching, but he is also a committed colleague who is passionate about supporting and enhancing teaching and learning at PNW and beyond.”