2012 Outstanding University Teacher Award Winner Category I

Denise D. Wilson, Ph.D.

• Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Foundations from Illinois State University (1992)
• Associate Professor and Family Nurse Practitioner Sequence Leader, Mennonite College of Nursing

Teaching philosophy

This centers around three key concepts: mutual respect for and caring about my students, facilitating student learning through storytelling, and striving for excellence in my teaching, regardless of the time and effort needed to reach this goal.

Teaching technique I recommend

Give students as many opportunities as possible to actively process what they are learning—to articulate, apply, and practice it. The more they do, the more they will learn.

Three most valuable approaches that I bring to my teaching practice

First, my caring attitude toward students and understanding that they are graduate students with families, jobs, and responsibilities above and beyond what they are doing in school; second, my sharing of clinical experiences through storytelling to help students remember content; and third, demonstrating my love of teaching and nursing through the time and effort I put into the classes I teach and the clinical experiences I provide.

Best compliment from a student

A former student nominated me for a state-level nursing award and said of my impact on her: “She left a mark on my life and my professional career, and I am a better person and nurse for it.”

Teaching technique to recommend

Be willing to admit it if you do not know something. Follow up by researching the question and sharing the information in the next class or through email.

Most rewarding aspects of teaching

First, seeing students as they are in that moment when they REALLY understand a difficult concept and can relate it to their nursing practice; second, hearing from former students about how my teaching and role modeling have helped them in their practice as nurse practitioners.