WILL SEBERGER/Arizona Daily Wildcat John Kemeny, mining and geological engineering professor, stands in his research workshop last week. Kemeny was selected as an Outstanding General Education faculty member.

General education teacher recognized for innovation

On an average day in one of John Kemeny's classes, students do anything from creating Web pages to cracking open rocks.

And while his lessons interest his students, it was Kemeny's "friendly and open" teaching style and innovative ideas that caught the attention of the University-Wide General Education Committee.

Last month, the committee selected Kemeny, a mining and geological engineering professor, as one of six Outstanding General Education Faculty.

"I really enjoy teaching. I've been here a long time and learned some things over the years. I try to be organized and make classes interesting," Kemeny said.

Kemeny, who has been teaching at UA for 13 years, said he works to make his classes more appealing by "bringing technology to the classroom," teaching students Web skills and varying classroom activities to suppress the boredom levels.

In his general education class, Earth Resources and the Environment (NATS 101), Kemeny's 250 students participate in lectures on Mondays, experiments on Wednesdays and computer labs on Fridays.

Experiments include breaking rocks, looking at minerals and learning about energy conservation.

The computer lab time is used for creating Web pages on which students tell about themselves and store their homework assignments and papers.

"All their work is on there. It's nice because their friends and parents can see it. It's not like the usual homework and papers, which only the student and the teacher see," Kemeny said.

The class also has its own in-depth Web page, designed by Bryan Zietler, one of Kemeny's former students.

The Internet has also played an instrumental role in Kemeny's other classes.

In a geomechanics class he, with Zietler's help, delivered lectures via web through streaming audio and chalkboard-type graphics. Kemeny then used the class time to help students with their homework.

"Engineering course lectures are usually kind of dry," Kemeny said.

Teaching assistants and preceptors are also trained in Kemeny's teaching style to assist him in large classes.

"In a lecture class it's hard to go one-on-one; having TAs and preceptors gives students more availability to ask questions. Or if they need help they can get it throughout the week because there's someone available to fit everyone's schedule," said Jennifer Doehnert, one of 20 preceptors in Kemeny's NATS 101 class.

Jamie Monte, one of Kemeny's two TAs, agreed.

"Having preceptors really improves communication. We get great feedback from the preceptors on how students are doing because many are actually taking the class," she said.

However, Kemeny said he hopes more than anything that students leave his classes with skills applicable to their futures.

"Before this class, I didn't know how to create a Web page," said Toni Abeyta, a Spanish freshman in Kemeny's NATS 101 class.

President Pete Likins has challenged UA to become the premier learner-centered research university in the country, according to Dr. Glenda Wilkes, assessment coordinator at the University Teaching Center.

Likins is encouraging faculty to create learner-centered environments in their classrooms through learning and implementing new techniques, said Wilkes.

"He (Kemeny) is really caring and wants to make sure students are learning and he's really friendly; easy to approach," added Monte.

To visit Kemeny's class's Web site, go to www.fcii.arizona.edu/poulton/nats101.