EXEMPLARY PROFESSORS

The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of the various factors which lead professors to develop into exemplary teachers. To achieve this goal, interviews were conducted with faculty members who received the State University of New York s prestigious Chancellor s Award for Excellence in Teaching. This study begins to shed light on a new focus within college teaching moving beyond what exemplary teachers do in the classroom, toward focusing on what the best college teachers have experienced and what they describe as important factors regarding their own development that led to award-winning teaching. Analysis of the interviews revealed 10 key factors in the participants process of becoming exemplary: love for teaching and learning, love and respect for students, student-centered philosophy of teaching and learning, self-motivation, knowledge and passion for subject area, organization and preparation, role models and mentors, related teaching experiences, eagerness to challenge comfort zones,work ethic. Unquestionably, the process of becoming an exemplary teacher was found to be both an active and introspective one.