Dr. Patrick O’Shea, an associate professor in the Reich College of Education’s (RCOE) Department of Leadership and Educational Studies, has been selected for the Board of Governors Appalachian State University School/College Award. The award recognizes faculty who utilize innovative teaching methods in the classroom and make a difference in the way students learn.
“Receiving this award is a great honor for me as I take my teaching responsibility very seriously, and being recognized for my efforts is tremendously gratifying,” said O’Shea.
“I value the interpersonal relationships that are built in the classroom, and attempt to build my teaching around the belief that all of my students are valuable contributors to the class,” he continued. “As such, each of my classes focuses on empowering the students to be creators rather than simple consumers of content.”
“I value the interpersonal relationships that are built in the classroom, and attempt to build my teaching around the belief that all of my students are valuable contributors to the class. As such, each of my classes focuses on empowering the students to be creators rather than simple consumers of content.”
“Also, it is tremendous to be recognized given the outstanding teaching quality represented by previous awardees of this honor,” O’Shea added. “I hold the previous winners of this award in high esteem, so being placed in their company is a fantastic honor.”
O’Shea joined the RCOE faculty in 2010, teaching educational technology courses for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students. He is also the program director for the educational media graduate program.
His research interests focus on two areas:
- the impact of using augmented reality technologies in educational settings and
- the design and implementation of distributed learning environments where students are creating rather than consuming content.
O’Shea has worked with master's and doctoral students to present at conferences, publish academic work, write grants, and create podcasts and websites dedicated to better understanding augmented reality tools.
O’Shea’s teaching goes beyond the classroom. After conversations with undergraduate students, he developed and implemented a series of seminars through the James Center for Student Success and Advising that aimed at assisting undergraduate students in the RCOE to better understand the technology they would be asked to integrate into their professional practice when they entered their own classrooms.
He also developed and implemented a seminar series for doctoral students that is aimed at providing them guidance on the intricacies and rigors of completing doctoral work.
About the Appalachian State University Campus Teaching Excellence Awards
Campus teaching excellence awards are in addition to the system-wide awards, and winners at each UNC campus are determined by a selection committee. Awards of $1,000 awards are presented to faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in, and commitment to, teaching over a period of time.
The granting of the awards is an annual process that stems from a 1993 decision by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors and the General Administration of the University of North Carolina system calling for a review of mission statements, tenure policies and criteria for making personnel decisions at its campus institutions. The review asked that each institution recognize "teaching as a core function" on each campus. Awards are granted each year by a selection committee.
Related story: Dr. Caroline Smith named App State winner of 2021 UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award
Patrick O'Shea
