Professor Gotch Awarded Outstanding Lecturer

Professor Gotch was surprised in class with news she won the 2019 Outstanding Lecturer Award for the university.In a letter to the president, the nominating committee wrote, “Our lecturers play an essential role in CSUSB’s mission to provide a high quality educational experience to our students. Ms. Gotch has demonstrated exemplary skill in teaching; her devotion to her students is indefatigable.”  They also singled out her “outstanding instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels.”Gotch has taught a wide array of courses at CSUSB. The nominating committee highlighted that “she has developed and taught fully online courses and courses in distance learning formats, reflecting her skills in adapting her courses to fit the mode of instruction.” They also singled out her mentoring of graduate students as a thesis committee member and as a supervisor in the Communication Studies Teaching Practicum.She has received positive student comments and high ratings in evaluations by her students. A graduate student who nominated her for this award summarized her contributions in this way:  “Donna’s passion for her students and for teaching shows in everything she does. She is always well-prepared for lectures, detailed in her assignments, accessible outside of class, and is always open to listening to student problems. She is one of a handful of professors that I have had in my college education that I can say I will always remember. She truly is one of a kind.”She has previously received the College of Arts and Letters Outstanding Lecturer Award (2016-17) and the CSUSB Panhellenic Council’s Faculty Recognition Award (in 2014 and 2016).Read more...