University Teaching Initiative Award

Saskia Beranek, Ph.D.

• Assistant Professor in the Wonsook Kim School of Art
• Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 2013

The resource or person that has been the most important influence in my teaching career is… 

My father.  He was deeply learned but also very idiosyncratic.  He attracted unusual students who didn't really fit 'normal' molds.  I grew up in a house where his students came and went all the time.  He was deeply invested in what he did and made an enormous impact on his students in and out of the classroom.  

I want to continue to improve my teaching in the following ways…

I'd like to find a format for assessment in big surveys that somehow balances accumulated knowledge and ability to articulate their thoughts that can be graded in a way which isn't punishingly time consuming.  rewarding assignments, both to do and to grade.  And also, diversity of voices and objects used in the classroom - this is something I've already been working on but continue to think of how to do better as the world changes.

The best moment/event in my teaching career is… 

I love hearing from students (sometimes years later) about how they finally went to some museum we'd discussed in class or that they'd gone on to take more classes.  it's a reminder that you can't know the impact you have now. we plant seeds, and only sometime do they grow while we're around.  It's a reminder to have faith in the significance of what we do.  

The one teaching technique or strategy that I would recommend to my colleagues to enhance student learning the most is…

Low stakes frequent writing prompts, and letting students take responsibility for the direction their work takes.  

“Everyone should have access to the rich shared human history of creation, and the systematic study of art makes everyone a better citizen of our modern world.”