Please join us in congratulating doctoral student David Chu, who has won a Graduate Part Time Instructor Appreciation Award from the Graduate School in recognition of how听he听has "risen to the challenges presented by teaching during the pandemic.鈥� It is an honor richly deserved.
David has been an outstanding teacher for the department for several years. He has taught in a wide variety of courses: he started as a section leader and then led his own Latin classes with extraordinary success and last year taught听lecture classes such as Greek and Roman Epic. Now he is teaching our department鈥檚 writing intensive听course. David responded with energy, wisdom, and balance to the听challenges of teaching remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When we pivoted to remote instruction last March, he quickly overhauled and redesigned his Greek and听Roman epic class to maintain academic听rigor and deliver the planned course content while, at the same time, taking student needs and difficulties into account. Although it听was extremely time-consuming, he not only set up asynchronous lectures, but continued to hold synchronous class session to go over material and听answer questions on the听lectures. He extended his virtual office hours, to make sure that all of his students regardless of new constraints on their time鈥攐r even different times zones鈥攃ontinue to听have access to him. He has been outstanding as the department鈥檚 lead TA for the Center for Teaching and Learning. Every semester, he repeatedly encourages听TA鈥檚 to do听the video consultations with the Center for Teaching and Learning. Most impressive, he organized an introductory teaching seminar for our entering class of graduate听students, particularly welcome given the uncertainty surrounding teaching remote, hybrid, or in person听this fall.
David has long and richly deserved special recognition for his exemplary teaching and his efforts to maintain this very high standard in present circumstances is even more听admirable and impressive. He is a most deserving candidate for this award.