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Eric Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor of economics in the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship, says the most rewarding part of the job is knowing that he has impacted his students in some way.  

His inclusive and welcoming class environment and thought-provoking course designs are only a few of the reasons he was honored with the Distinguished Teaching Award. 

The recognition, sponsored by the �鶹��Ƶ Alumni Association, has been awarded to distinguished educators since 1967 and is the highest honor a tenured or tenure-track professor can receive.  

Johnson, who instructs Principles of Microeconomics and Econometrics courses for the school, spoke with �鶹��Ƶ Today about the importance of his students being comfortable in his classroom and his commitment to tying lessons back to the real world.  

Johnson says that in a subject like economics that involves mathematics, it is important for him to make the curriculum feel like more than just problem-solving. His approach to teaching is to keep students as involved as possible by asking engaging questions and using a conversational style of learning.  

“What I am trying to create is an atmosphere of low-pressure engagement with students,” he said.  

He feels he has accomplished that goal when even his less engaged students feel comfortable speaking up. He also highlighted his goal of making students feel that they can ask questions without fear of judgment.

Johnson says he does this by utilizing a minimum amount of PowerPoint slides and instead implementing a more conversational, whiteboard style of teaching.  

“I make them talk to me, even in the large lecture sections,” he said. “I ask a lot of leading questions, and I try to make these as low consequence as possible. Sometimes we vote, rather than ask for an individual answer.”

Johnson's teaching style is appreciated by his students who shared their love for his commitment to their education.

“With Dr. Johnson, it’s very clear that he has a personal mission of ensuring that each student walks away from his course as a smarter, more capable person,” a student nominator wrote.  

“I would say that I do not underestimate the students,” he said. “I find that our students do not shy away from difficult classes, but rather welcome challenge.”

Johnson creates an inclusive environment in his classroom through things such as an empirical project in his Econometrics courses, which requires students to work together to test a set of hypotheses that they develop through a set of data.

“While the level of interaction would not be feasible in large class settings, these projects occasion a great deal of learning and are frequently valuable to the students in their jobs and graduate school interviews,” Johnson said.  

Students also commend him for his ability to thoroughly explain complex concepts.  

“His teaching style is my favorite of all my professors, thus far,” another student wrote. “He takes a concept, defines it, makes an example on a graph and/or talks about a real-world example, then redefines it more in-depth. To me, his process makes it incredibly easy to learn even difficult topics.”  

Johnson is also acknowledged by his coworkers who recognize his ability to connect with his students.  

“Every semester his office hours were well attended by students, and it was easy to see why this would be the case,” a colleague wrote. “I observed that he interacted with the students with respect, patience and a caring attitude.”  

During class when the committee came in to surprise him with the award, Johnson recalls the faces of his students in that course.  

“I looked at my students watching it, that was really cool. There was a feeling I hadn’t anticipated: I was really proud,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and it’s really nice to be recognized for it.”

Johnson and all the Distinguished Teaching and Outstanding Teaching awards were honored on Oct. 18 at the University Teaching Council Meeting.  

Learn More About the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship.