Students all over campus have that one class they would retake in a heartbeat. There are countless classes and professors at Ohio University many consider to be “the best.” For some students, it is hard to pick just one.
OU’s Athens campus offers nearly eight thousand courses as of the 2023-24 Fall Semester. Additionally, the faculty members and professors are key contributors to the environment, content and overall enjoyment of the courses.
However, what exactly makes a course "the best”? In a study done by Inside Higher Ed, students were asked what characteristics make a good professor. The most common answers included being knowledgeable, approachable and passionate about the subject. Similarly, the same students were asked about the qualities of a good course. Top answers for this included organization and engaging activities.
Andrew Pueschel is the assistant professor of marketing, the director of the Center for International Business Education and Development and the director of the OU dance team. Pueschel has taught classes big and small and was named one of the best professors for the fourth time by the university last spring.
Pueschel talked about his teaching philosophy and how he prepares his students to learn to the best of their ability.
“I start every one of my classes with just a, ‘Let’s breathe in, breathe out. Let’s sit up in our seats, let’s get ready for what we’re about to experience,’” he said. “Then I always start with some kind of quote to get everyone in the same mindset for where we’re trying to go.”
Pueschel originally began a career as a professional ballroom dancer, but after 15 years, returned to school to finish his Ph.D. and pursue education, which had been his original passion. He is focused on the journey of each classroom and having students committed to learning and preparing for the future.
“Your energy is your currency,” said Pueschel. “If you can commit, or if I can get my students to commit to staying alert and engaged for the remainder of that class and I’m committed to the classroom, then it’s going to be a win-win.”
Pueschel preaches mindfulness and leadership development in the classroom and helps students become better, well-rounded human beings.
In addition to Pueschel, there are several other highly recommended professors and courses that students insist on taking during their time at OU.
Erin Brennan, a senior studying psychology, has thoroughly enjoyed her experience as a student at OU. Along the way, she has had the privilege to take many classes she considers to be superior.
Her favorite class she has taken was her social psychology class with professor Sean Bogart. She believes the best class is a mix of an enjoyable environment, interesting content and an engaging professor.
“The content has to be interesting enough so the professor can make it engaging,” said Brennan. “If it’s not interesting content, at least for me, I find it really difficult to stay engaged, even if my professor is extremely upbeat and encouraging.”
Brennan additionally promoted her African American Literature class with professor Gary Holcomb as one of her favorites.
“I loved that class,” she said. “The literature that we read was super interesting and the class discussions that we had were really engaging and really eye-opening. (Holcomb) was also super educated on the topic.”
Taylor Hauser, a senior studying geographic information science and environmental science, has taken a lot of interesting courses throughout her time at OU. Through studying geographic information science, or GIS, she was able to create close connections with professors in a smaller, more personal classroom environment.
Hauser explained through her close relationship with her professor and adviser, Yogesh Sinha, she was able to experience some of the most important steps and opportunities for her future endeavors.
“He’s … the reason I got my internship, so he’s been very helpful to me,” she said. “I think that all his classes are super challenging, but in the best ways. Very hands-on, very at-your-own-pace kind of stuff. I've always loved his classes.”
A class Hauser said she would take all over again was Timothy Henderson’s historical geography class.
“There were so many examples that were right here that he used and I thought that was so cool to see stuff that I recognize,” she said. “Like old barns that I recognize that he loves to talk about.”
Having a great professor coupled with an engaging and high-energy classroom can make the learning process much smoother and a lot more fun for many students. For many, the best class can be several different things and at OU, there appears to be too many to award that title.
There is a lot that can come out of a class, but nothing is better than a newfound appreciation for knowledge and a good relationship with a great professor.
“Talk to your professors and try and impress them, because it's very much worth it,” Hauser said.
