Submitted by Dalton State College

Christy Price, professor of psychology at Dalton State College, received the 2008 Award for Excellence in Teaching from the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents.

Price was one of only three faculty members system-wide to receive a Regents’ Excellence in Teaching Award this year. She was honored for excellence in teaching in the access college sector, which includes the 16 USG institutions that make up the state’s public two-year and four-year state colleges.

“I feel extremely appreciative to have received this award,” said Price, who has taught at Dalton State for 17 years. “My goal is for students to feel that my classes have a transformative impact on them and their ability to think critically and to analyze situations.” She noted she uses strategic course planning along with motivational and engaging teaching and learning strategies to accommodate her students’ diverse learning styles.

Price, who teaches courses in Introduction to Psychology, Applications in Psychology, Human Development and The Psychology of Adjustment, engages learners in an active, as opposed to passive, learning approach, utilizing such teaching methods as Socratic questioning, discussion, digitized video clips, application exercises, case studies, group activities, demonstrations, role plays, and computer simulations.

“Dr. Price prepares for instruction more diligently than anyone else I can recall over the 34 years I have served at this institution,” said John Hutcheson, vice president for academic affairs at Dalton State. “She has an acute awareness that teaching is meaningless without reliable assurances of learning, and no one on our faculty is more sensitive to variations in students’ learning styles and the necessity for diverse modes of pedagogy.”

Hutcheson adds that the selection of Price as this year’s Regents’ Excellence in Teaching Award recipient for access colleges is even more gratifying since Dalton State professor of management Marilyn Helms received this same award in 2007.

“For two years in a row, Dalton State faculty members have been recognized state-wide as being among the best the University System of Georgia has to offer,” he said.

According to college officials, Price’s reputation for being an excellent teacher consistently results in extremely popular class offerings which are among the earliest to fill.

Recognized for having “near-perfect student evaluations,” Price “always uses class time to effectively help students learn the subject material,” according to one student. “On a scale from 1-10, I give her an 11+.”

“You always know when you’re in Dr. Price’s class what is expected in order to be successful, and this gives all styles of learners and personalities the tools to succeed,” said a former student. “You come out of her class and out of spending time with her feeling that you can succeed at anything you put your mind to.”

Price is likewise praised by faculty and staff for her commitment to the concept of the college as a community of learners.

“She has participated in successful interdisciplinary learning communities on campus, currently serves on the new Teaching and Learning Committee, and has served as the college’s Retention and Progression Task Force coordinator,” said Mary Nielsen, dean of the School of Liberal Arts.

Price credits her colleagues for having a major impact on the development of her own pedagogical style.