Vera Lee-Schoenfeld is one of three inspiring professors that was awarded the 2019 Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. This award is the university’s highest early career teaching honor.

Lee-Schoenfeld is an associate professor of linguistics with an emphasis in theoretical linguistics and a research focus on German syntax. Lee-Schoenfeld uses an inductive approach when teaching to guide students to collaboratively explore and analyze data. She utilized strategies learned through the Online Learning Fellows program to revise the online introductory course in linguistics to incorporate video lectures and interactive projects.

Her instructional designer, Jean-Pierre Niyikora, congratulated her on the achievement saying, “Dr. Lee-Schoenfeld deserves this award. She worked diligently to develop an exemplary course for her online students. It was an honor to collaborating with her.”

Lee-Schoenfeld revised the linguistics curricula for undergraduate and graduate students. Her research collaboration with a professor at the University of Hannover in Germany resulted in an exchange program offered to undergraduate students at both universities. Her leadership and forward-thinking teaching styles contributed to her receiving this honor.

Lee-Schoenfeld joined the faculty in 2010 also serves as an adjunct professor in the Germanic and Slavic department. In addition to the Russell award, she had also received the Franklin College’s Sandy Beaver Excellence in Education Award and has participated in the Center for Teaching and Learning’s Sarah Moss Fellowship and Lilly Teaching Fellowship.

Nominations for the Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching are submitted by deans and considered by a committee of senior faculty members and undergraduate students.
More information on the Russell Award recipients can be found at UGA Today.