On March 3, 2017, Kim Lopez was awarded the 2017 Provost's Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer. The Provost's Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer annually recognizes a maximum of six lecturers, senior lecturers, or other auxiliary faculty members for their teaching excellence. Kim was surprised in her classroom by Bruce McPheron, Provost & Exec. VP, Kay Wolf, Vice Provost for Academic Policy & Faculty Resources, David Manderscheid, Exec. Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, Jan Box-Steffensmeier, Div. Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Claudia Buchmann, Department Chair of Sociology and Kim's husband Steve Lopez. Recipients are recognized with an honorarium made possible by the Office of Academic Affairs.

Lopez describes teaching at Ohio State as a "calling," not a job. She believes that studentc come from different places in their learning; some are exceptional students and some are challenged by academic work. Lopez also believes that all course content should be understandable by students, regardless of their intellectual abilities and backgrounds, so she takes an approach that challenges students who excel without leaving behind those who may need additional support. This means addressing different topics in a way that helps students understand their place in the world and how theories and course content relates to them and their lives. Specifically, Lopez describes a Vygostkyian approach to teaching in which learners of different abilities share a single educational space. In Lopez's classes, students work together to bring everyone up to their own potential.

Lopez develops a trusting atmosphere; she and her students do a lot of talking back and forth in which they share experiences and ideas that illustrate theoretical and conceptual material. She creates an environment conducive to open, two-way communication, which she believes begins the process of empowering students to actively participate in their learning.

Lopez's availability to students outside of the classroom also extends to field trips and experiential service-learning opportunities. For example, to support the service-learning component of her Child and Society course at the Columbus YMCA, Lopez meets with YMCA officials throughout the semester to make sure things are going smoothly, and, if there are any problems, she meets with students outside of class or at the YMCA itself to ensure learning goals are being met. Another dimension of her availability outside of the classroom can be seen in her work with student athletes; Lopez makes a special effort to encourage the student athletes in her classes to take full advantage of her office hours to gain clarity on material.

Congratulations again to our very own Kim Lopez, recipient of the 2017 Provost's Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer!