As students continue to choose classes and create schedules for the fall semester, they may want to pay attention to this piece of information: Three of Iowa State’s very own faculty members were recently recognized on a national level for their excellence in teaching.

Douglas Gentile, associate professor of psychology; John Monroe, associate professor of history; and Anne Clem, senior lecturer of accounting, were recently named by the Princeton Review in the book “The Best 300 Professors.”

The Princeton Review worked with RateMyProfessors.com in order to create a book containing profiles of top undergraduate professors in the United States.

“[The book] shows potential incoming students that the quality of education is great here,” Gentile said.

Douglas Gentile

Gentile, one of the three award-winning faculty members, teaches Intro to Psychology, Focus Group Methodology and Media Psychology.

Gentile explained the importance of keeping students’ attention throughout the lecture. In order to accomplish this, Gentile believes he must cater to all types of students.

“I work hard every class to have something for everyone,” Gentile said.

Gentile expresses his concern that the Intro to Psychology textbook is packed with information that students may or may not need to study. He considers it his job to sort through the textbook and point students in the right direction.

“I want to help students manage a great deal of information with much less effort,” Gentile said.

Aside from catering to students’ needs, Gentile aims to present the course content on a personal level that is relatable to his students.

“I want to show what [the information] means for them and their lives,” Gentile said.

Although baffled by the recent award, Gentile said he values the feedback, especially because he claims that feedback is often difficult to obtain.

“It’s hard for faculty to really know how well their efforts are working for students,” Gentile said. “We don’t often get a lot of feedback from students.

“This type of recognition shows me that my efforts are appreciated by students. I’m doing something right.”

Gentile has won other teaching awards in the past, including “exceptional teaching in a large enrollment course” from the ISU department of psychology in 2006 and “outstanding service to the public and profession” in 2007 from the ISU department of psychology.

Also, in 2009, he won “excellence in undergraduate introductory teaching” from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Shakeshaft Master Teacher from the university.

John Monroe

Monroe, another award-winner, suggested that high-quality teaching comes with a genuine regard and an effort to make class captivating.

“I feel like the first thing you have to do is care about what you’re teaching. The second thing is making it interesting,” Monroe said.

In order to achieve these standards, Monroe chooses to incorporate storytelling into his lectures.

“The first thing I like to do is start with stories,” Monroe said. “Using stories is a way for students to understand complex material easily.”

Monroe teaches courses within the history department, including European History, 1517-Present, France 1715-Present and Modern European Intellectual and Cultural History.

After receiving the award, Monroe expressed his feelings of thankfulness toward his students.

“The main thing I feel with this award is gratitude toward my students,” Monroe said. “One of the things that gets a teacher up in the morning is praise from their students.”

Although pleased with the award, Monroe said he believes his teaching can still use plenty of improvement.

“I take this as a sign that I’m on the right track, but [teaching] is something that really takes a whole life to be really good at it,” Monroe said.

Monroe’s past teaching awards include the Cassling Family Faculty Award for Teaching for 2007-2008 and the ISU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Early Achievement in Teaching Award in 2007.

Anne Clem

Due to a family emergency, Clem has taken a leave of absence for the semester and therefore could not be reached for comment.

Rick Dark, chairman of accounting and finance and associate professor of finance, was able to comment on Clem’s popularity among students.

“Students have a very good learning experience in her classes,” Dark said. “They like her teaching style, and she makes sure to encourage and motivate her students to do well. She makes the learning experience more enjoyable.”

When questioned about his response to Clem’s recent recognition, Dark did not seem shocked.

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” Dark said. “I think she is very deserving. She is an outstanding teacher. There is no doubt about that.”

A colleague of Clem’s in the accounting department also gave Clem praise.

“I know the students absolutely love her, and I know the students miss her this semester. They’ll be glad when she’s back in the fall,” Clem’s colleague said.

Clem’s courses include Financial Accounting and Advanced Accounting Problems.

The results were based on quantitative and qualitative data from surveys and ratings that were collected by both the Princeton review and RateMyProfessor.com. Roughly 1.8 million undergraduate teachers exist in the U.S. Of the 1.8 million, less than 0.02 percent were represented in the book as America’s top professors.