The College of Coastal Georgia’s Dr. Holly Nance, assistant professor of biology, has been selected for the 2018 Governor’s Teaching Fellows program hosted by the University of Georgia this May.
The Governor’s Teaching Fellows program was established by former Georgia Governor Zell Miller to provide Georgia’s higher education faculty with expanded opportunities for developing important teaching skills. The program is offered through the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia.
Nance will join 12 to 15 other University System of Georgia educators at a two-week symposium on the UGA campus. Participants were selected because of their commitment to excellence in teaching, an interest in professional development, and a desire to share what they will learn at their institutions.
“We have so many dedicated faculty members at the College of Coastal Georgia—like Dr. Holly Nance—who have shown great commitment to their students and department,” Interim President Meg Amstutz said. “The Governor’s Teaching Fellows program is a unique opportunity for Dr. Nance to explore new instruction strategies and techniques, and then bring best practices back to the College to benefit her colleagues and, ultimately, our students.”
Nance has been at the College since 2015. In her first year of teaching, she earned the CCGA Golden Key Honor Society’s Professor of the Year Award. She has also been recognized for her work with Service-Learning and has mentored numerous students as they conduct undergraduate research projects. Her academic background is in genetics and biology. As an instructor, Nance believes the way best way for students to learn is by teaching others what they are learning. As a result, she assigns students to work in groups and teach complex topics to the class. She has also had students in a Service-Learning course develop lessons to present to local middle and high school students about ocean conservation. Nance finds this method very effective among her students.
She is very eager for the chance to incorporate what she will learn at the Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program into her classroom.
“I hope to learn how to get more active learning into the classroom, how to get students more engaged in the lesson, and step away from a traditional lecture format,” Nance said. “I’m very enthusiastic about what I teach and I love it, so I’m hoping to learn more ways to get my students as enthused as I am.”
Dr. Colleen Knight, assistant professor of chemistry and the department chair for natural sciences, was selected for the Governor’s Teaching Fellow program in 2017, preceded by Dr. Patrizia Stahle, associate professor of history, in 2016.