June 16, 2017

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MILWAUKEE — Dr. Martin St. Maurice, associate professor of biological sciences at Marquette University, recently received the university's highest teaching honor, the Teaching Excellence Award.

St. Maurice is constantly looking for new and more effective methods of teaching and assessment. He also believes developing students' critical thinking skills is more valuable than memorizing facts and concepts.

St. Maurice has also incorporated oral examinations to assess more than 60 students in his biochemistry class. Students continue to praise the effectiveness of this unconventional approach through letters, emails and MOCES scores.

"I continually assess what works and what doesn't for my students," St. Maurice says. "I study various methods of teaching and have incorporated various techniques into my classroom. For example, I've decreased the use of traditional lectures and increased the use of in-class activities that promote active learning. I've found this to be an extremely effective way to encourage students to draw meaningful connections between concepts."

Teaching Excellence Awards are the highest honor bestowed upon Marquette University faculty members. Recipients are nominated by their colleagues and students for demonstrating excellence as teacher-scholars.