Among the many graduate students nominated for the 2014 Teaching Assistant of the Year by students and faculty, one stood out because of the strength and substance of support from both faculty and students. Based on his dedication to student learning and his contributions to new course development and innovative approaches to teaching, Ross Lagoy from the Biomedical Engineering Department is the unanimous selection as the 2014 Teaching Assistant of the Year.
Student nominations praised Ross for his generosity, his approachability, his technical knowledge as well as his ability to really engage students to help them learn. Students described Ross as helpful and understanding and many positive shades of awesome. One student pointed out that Ross answered almost every question with questions that helped him really understand where a student was stuck or confused. Several praised him for the clarity of his explanations, with one saying that when lost in class, Ross “would make me see the light.”
Faculty nominations described someone who gets all of the details right, who plans ahead and solves problems before they happen, who turns the faculty member’s vague ideas for assignments into effective quizzes. He was clearly a full partner in the development and delivery of the courses he supported. One nominator credited Ross with helping develop a new lab component of the course that became the overwhelming highlight for students.
Ross Lagoy is recognized for his engagement with students, his love for teaching, and his support for faculty and educational innovation with the 2014 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award.
