“A confirmation that I am on the right track”

The students have once again, like always this time of year, spoken. They have appointed the teacher of the year 2022! Meet Simon Reese, Associate senior lecturer in Economics.

Every year our students get to nominate their favorite teacher, The Teacher of the Year. This year Simon Reese, Associate senior lecturer in Economics, is the winner. 

Congratulations, Simon! How does it feel to receive this award?

“Oh, it's great! I am currently teaching a pretty technical course in the MSc Data Analytics and Business Economics which has only been running for two years, so getting this kind of affirmation feels fantastic!“

Why do you think the students voted for you? 

“It might have to do with how I handle my course, or at least I hope that's the case. I do listen to the students and I have taken previous course evaluations very seriously when developing my course further. In addition to that, the basic idea behind my pedagogy is to handle the course meetings more like a discussion. Instead of standing in front of the students, giving a monologue, I'd rather have an interaction, giving the students a chance to contribute and to show engagement. I believe that experiencing the dynamics this can create makes it more fun for everyone involved,“ Simon explains.

Quote from one of the “Teacher of the year“-nominations for Simon Reese.

According to the students you take “a positive, uplifting approach“. What is your secret?

“So far, I've been very lucky to get teaching responsibilities in econometrics, statistics and data science which is what I am most excited about. This certainly has an impact on how I pitch course material to students. Perhaps my background as a trained economist, rather than a statistician or a mathematician, has an impact as well. I know from experience how hard it can be to focus on mathematically more demanding material with this particular starting point. Maybe this allows me to be more encouraging and to provide better support.“

Veronica Larsson, Saga Mossberg and Rosanna Dellwik from LundaEkonomerna presented the Teacher of the year Simon Reese with flowers, the award and an invitation to the Winter ball. Photo: LundaEkonomerna

What is the best part about teaching?

“It just means working in a very dynamic environment where I meet people with lots of ambition and where I can constantly see them evolve professionally. Interacting with students in this context and seeing how much hard work they are putting into their studies is very inspiring for my own motivation.“ 

And the hardest?

“Realizing that there is a substantial gap between the quality of teaching that I would like to achieve and the level that is feasible in reality. My past students have made really excellent suggestions about how to develop my teaching material and how to shape the format of course activities. Of course, I do my very best to respond to this input, but then everything has to fit into a streamlined course concept and to be delivered with limited resources. Accepting that this requires me to make lots of trade-offs is sometimes really tough.“

At last, how will the Teacher of the year award inspire you in your forthcoming teaching?

“It will definitely give me extra energy. I haven't been teaching that long, so I see the award as a confirmation that I am on the right track. This makes me more confident about continuing to test which kind of concepts could work well in class, especially when it comes to methods beyond the traditional lecture model."

The “Teacher of the year“ motivation by Lundaekonomerna:

This teacher have, through his way of teaching, provided students a full and thorough understanding of his subjects. His assignments in the course have helped students put their developed knowledge into practice. Moreover, his great commitment and uplifting approach to questions asked in class is the reason Simon Reese is awarded Teacher of the Year 2022.