Top 10 teachers at ETSU named

For the past two weeks I have been on a mission. I searched high and low, asked as many students as possible, and compiled a list of our favorite ETSU professors. The first criterion of my search was figuring out just what we as students think it takes to be a good professor.

The answer to this inquiry actually surprised me a little bit. Students seem to unanimously enjoy teachers who are very knowledgeable and helpful — no surprise here. The surprising characteristics come in the form of technology usage, preparation, and opinions of other students through websites like www.ratemyprofessor.com.

While I was under the impression that most students would enjoy the teachers who utilized D2L the most, this turned out to be the opposite. I also had the idea that students would favor those teachers who used PowerPoint and other teaching resources; when on the contrary, students preferred the teacher who encouraged active learning through critical analysis, guided discussion, and provided real-life examples of subject application.

Most of my fellow students seem to utilize RateMyProfessor.com, but few actually use the resource as a clear-cut guide to class section choice.

As a matter of fact, a lot of the students on campus seem to enjoy the challenge posed by the professors that others claim impossible on the website. Following is a list of your favorite teachers in no particular order and the class that each student had the teacher for:
1.) Robin Leonard — Intro to Psychology — for her personality and the way she utilizes her personality to enforce her teaching methods.

2.) Mark Giroux — Technical Physics and Atomic and Nuclear Physics — for his clear explanation and knowledge of a complex field of study.

3.) Steve Cockerham — Intro to Human Services and Counseling Theory—for his laid-back attitude and the real-life examples he gives throughout his lectures.

4.) John Hounshell — Desktop Publishing — for his patience with students and his desire for his students to learn the material at his/her pace.

5.) Lee Bidgood — Ethnomusicology and Appalachia — for his extensive knowledge in the field of musicology and his research done abroad.

6.) Bert Lampson — Microbiology — for his elaborate teaching method of building knowledge piece by piece.

7.) Prasun Bhattacharjee — Micro Economics — for his use of technology, intellect, and knowledge of Economics.  Dr. Bhattacharjee is an award winning professor.

8.) David Harker — Science and Modern World—for his symbolic logic utilization and his active discussions throughout his lectures.

9.) Susan Hossler — Probability and Statistics — for her preparedness, extensive amount of supplement material, and willingness to provide assistance to students in need.

10.) Mary “Betsie” Cole — Marriage and Family — for her sense of humor, relatable career stories, and classroom management abilities.