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Outstanding Teacher -- Samantha Hens

Samantha Hens isn’t above imitating a primate to make a point.

Samantha Hens isn’t above imitating a primate to make a point.

“With a large classroom of students, it’s difficult to have a real group discussion. But you can make it fun,” says the anthropology professor. “I don’t mind walking around like a chimpanzee if it will help students learn and keep them engaged.”

That willingness to do what it takes to engage students is one of the reasons Hens thinks she was selected to receive this year’s Outstanding Teaching Award for the College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies. She thinks her students also appreciate her organizational skills and that she holds students to well-defined standards.

“I’m really organized. And my expectations of what is required of them are very clear,” she says. “Students tell me that the course requirements are spelled out. They know what they need to do to achieve the grade they want. I lay the groundwork for their success, but ultimately it is up to them to achieve.”

Hens extends those high standards to her own teaching. “When I look at my teaching evaluations, I read all the comments and make adjustments,” she says. “Most of the student comments are very favorable. I don’t get many negatives but I respond and adapt to the ones I do get,” she says. “I refine my courses each and every time I teach them. I seldom rest on my laurels. There is always something new or innovative going on in the field that I can bring to the class lecture and discussion. I value student feedback.

“I’m also very approachable. I have a constant open door policy. The students sense that I care about their academic experience. And I am compassionate about their personal lives.”

Though her teaching gets great reviews from students, it wasn’t in her original career plans. “When I was getting my Ph.D. I wanted to do research. And I envisioned doing that for the rest of my life,” she says. “Then I realized I wanted more of a balance. Teaching is a nice complement.”

Hens teaches graduate and upper-division courses as well as larger general education classes.

Outside the classroom, she has been involved with research on the growth and development of orangutans. She also spent last summer at the University of Bologna examining age-related changes on human remains from a local cemetery. A lab manual she wrote for introductory anthropology courses is expected to be released in January.

Hens feels that her research outside the classroom is a benefit to her students. “If you have a regular research career you are in a better position to guide the students. Stories about your field work make it real for the students and engages them,” she says. “You need to be current about what’s going on in the field. And the only way to be current is if you’re involved.”

She says maintaining a current research schedule also helps with networking opportunities for her students, whom she encourages to attend conferences and present papers.

But of all the roles she plays as a professor—researcher, mentor—there’s one that she values most. “Teaching is by far, the most important aspect of my position,” she says. “I never mind walking into a classroom. It’s always a positive experience.”