Every year, the award for most outstanding pedagogical achievements is presented to a faculty member whose teaching is making a significant impact.

How do you feel, getting this award? 

It feels great! In our work, we usually ask our students and colleagues to indicate points for improvement, focusing thus on the weaker aspects of our performance. It is therefore extremely gratifying to stop for a second and to recognize that our classes work really well! 

Why do you think you were chosen for this award? 

I work at a department with strong teaching competencies and a tradition for excellent teaching performance. That means that I have had the opportunity to learn from the best. As I took on the development of 3305 – Current Issues in Financial Reporting, I have used these insights and combined them with student preferences for various learning styles, as well as my own personal interest in the subject. This seems to be a winning combination.   

What made you choose this area of study? 

Many years ago, before my academic career, I worked as an Investment Analyst. In this work, understanding the financial statements is extremely important, but the true competitive advantage comes from understanding not only what the financial statements say, but also what they do not say, and why they look the way that they do. These are essentially detective questions that have fascinated me ever since. I do this detective work in my research, and I also aim to teach my students to appreciate these nuances in financial reporting.    

What do you think makes a great teacher? 

I am convinced that being a great teacher requires embracing and leveraging one’s style and personality rather than imitating someone else. This really is a never-ending process, but I find self-discovery to be a very rewarding endeavor.   

This award gives you the chance to develop your pedagogical skills. What would you like to delve into and why? 

Right now, I am fascinated by case teaching and case writing. This is not yet a teaching method widely used in financial reporting classes, and I am curious to learn how we can best leverage this method in our classes at various levels.