David Voorhees, Professor of Earth Science and Geology
David Voorhees, Professor of Earth Science and Geology, has been selected as Waubonsee's 2021 Outstanding Faculty Member. Professor Voorhees has served as a full-time Earth Science and Geology instructor at Waubonsee since 2002.
Professor Voorhees' passion for teaching geoscience education is evident through ample opportunities to increase student learning and engagement in and outside of the classroom. Mr. Voorhees earned a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Rochester, and a Master's Degree in Geology from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
"He [Voorhees] has distinguished himself in all three categories used to select Waubonsee’s Outstanding Faculty Member: instructional effectiveness, contributions to the college, and commitment to ongoing professional development," said Dr. Diane Nyhammer, Vice President of Educational Affairs.
Most notably, Mr. Voorhees has researched effective pedagogies to bring the most effective teaching to his students. Mr. Voorhees began his research with his geology colleagues, which soon grew to his participation in the SAGE 2YC project (Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education at Two Year Colleges). This project has provided Mr. Voorhees with transformative pedagogies which has benefited his students.
Professor Voorhees has also brought real-time seismic data into geoscience classrooms and labs using a simple seismometer that was included in the Educational Affiliate membership of Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology (IRIS) that he obtained for Waubonsee. Since 2005, he has cataloged over 1,200 earthquakes that have formed an extensive database used in many Earth Science and Geology classes and two student Honors projects.
Professor Voorhees uses the observation wells in the wetlands adjacent to Waubonsee's Sugar Grove Campus in Geology labs as a "flipped" Earth Science class. Several students have completed Honors projects that included these data from the seismometer and the observation wells. Successful posters have also been made using samples from the Aurora Mastodont Project that Professor Voorhees participated in as a co-scientist.
A recent student who spoke about the struggles of being "quarantined" perhaps best summarizes how students benefit from their experience with Professor Voorhees. "Mr. Voorhees is what a college professor should be. Yes, he does challenge you, and there is quite a bit of work. But that's what college is. It requires work, time, and effort. He truly cares about students and wants everyone to succeed. He has helped me become a better student and develop better study habits that I honestly didn't have before. I feel better prepared for when I transfer to a university. As long as students take the time to talk to him and ask questions, he's 100% willing to help," one student expressed of Professor Voorhees.
Part of the SAGE 2YC work offered professional development opportunities to his Waubonsee faculty colleagues, as well as his 2YC geoscience colleagues in Illinois. Workshops covered how to implement high-impact, evidence-based instructional and co-curricular practices that lead to improved student learning and a more diverse workforce.
SAGE workshops have given Professor Voorhees resources and strategies he has been using for years to improve student engagement and retention in his classes. Workshop topics include: metacognition, self-regulated learning, active learning, flipped classrooms, setting clear and high expectations, enhancing the success of diverse students at two-year colleges, stereotype threat, implicit bias, science identity, effective transfer of geoscience majors to four-year colleges and universities, employment trends, and opportunities for geoscience majors.
This service to his fellow faculty continued in his recently completed role as one of the Full-Time Faculty Development Coordinators for the Faculty Development and Engagement office at Waubonsee. In this role, Mr. Voorhees developed and facilitated several workshops, such as the "Science of Learning Excellence" series, and helped to bring new pedagogies and improved support to his colleagues. Professor Voorhees provided best practices advice for online learning to his peers during the transition to online assignments in the 2020-2021 academic year. He wrote two "Waubonsee Musings" -- one on synchronous vs. asynchronous online modalities and the other on "un-googleable assessments."
His service to the 2YC geoscience community also includes election to the first President of GEO2YC, the only organization dedicated to networking Geoscience Instructors in 2YC’s across the country, and membership of the Advisory Committee of the Geosciences Directorate of the National Science Foundation. He was awarded a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for this prestigious service.
Professor Voorhees was recognized and presented with the Outstanding Faculty Member Award at the August board meeting. The Outstanding Faculty Member Award is presented to a full-time faculty member who has distinguished him or herself. The final selection is made by the college's Outstanding Faculty Member Selection Committee, which is comprised of previous recipients of the award, instructional deans, the Assistant Vice President of Workforce Education and Training, and the Dean for Student Success and Retention. The Vice President of Educational Affairs chairs the committee.
