University of Texas at Dallas faculty member Joanna Kain Gentsch MS’96, PhD’06 has been selected as one of four new fellows of the UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers, which recognizes outstanding educators throughout its academic institutions.
Gentsch is the director of student and community engagement in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and also serves as the director of community-engaged learning with the Office of Undergraduate Education. She has been teaching at UT Dallas for 20 years.
“This is very exciting,” Gentsch said. “It’s not just a recognition of teaching, but it’s an opportunity to collaborate and work with an esteemed group of professionals who focus on teaching in their careers.”
The academy was created in 2012 to foster classroom innovation, promote interdisciplinary educational perspectives and catalyze the sharing of best practices. It is one of the nation’s few university system-level advisory and advocacy groups dedicated to improving teaching.
Fellows are selected through a campus-based nomination process. Nominees must have received a Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, which Gentsch received last fall.
With the support of grants from the UT System, Gentsch has led the growth of the University’s community-based service-learning program, which gives students the opportunity to explore new topics while serving as teachers and mentors in the community.
“Joanna has deeply impacted UT Dallas students for a number of years by encouraging real-world connections and demonstrating student-focused compassion. I have no doubt she will have just as much impact on the other academy members.”
Dr. Inga Musselman, vice president for academic affairs and provost at UT Dallas
The undergraduates in the program have served the community in a number of ways, such as helping immigrant high schoolers adjust in their new community, talking to fifth- and sixth-grade girls about social media and bullying, and working with homeless teens.
“Why does it matter what you’re learning in the classroom if you can’t take those things out into the world and put them into practice?” Gentsch asked. “Making those connections is important.”
Dr. Inga Musselman, vice president for academic affairs and provost at UT Dallas, said Gentsch brings innovation, strategic thinking and compassion to the academy.
“Joanna has deeply impacted UT Dallas students for a number of years by encouraging real-world connections and demonstrating student-focused compassion,” said Musselman, who is the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Chair of Academic Leadership. “I have no doubt she will have just as much impact on the other academy members.”
Gentsch’s most recent teaching initiative is called the Last Writer’s Project, a class in which students are paired with elderly hospice patients. The students interview the patients via Teams and eventually write a memoir and publish it.
“The family gets a memoir that helps them deal with the grief of the situation, and the students appreciate getting to know this person and being part of an important moment,” she said.
The academy, which has more than 30 fellows, is known for its publication of The Little Orange Book, which features teaching tips and reflections on classroom learning. The group recently released a new book, The Little Orange Book II: Student Voices on Excellent Teaching, which features UT System students’ perspectives on what makes a teacher great.
Other academy projects include teaching conferences on each of the academic campuses and a blog that includes teaching ideas and information.