Education is a process that goes beyond studying and memorizing, according to James Redfearn, Ph.D., assistant professor of biological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at Թ.
"Learning,” he wrote in a statement about his teaching, “best takes place in an environment where the whole student sees development, and care is demonstrated for them.”
Redfearn's attitude, approach and creation of this supporting space led him to be awarded the Glenn Frank Distinguished Teaching Award.
“I don’t want to just teach information, I want to teach how to study, how to be a college student and how to be successful,” Redfearn told Թ State Today.
Redfearn is one of four educators honored with the 2025 Glenn Frank Distinguished Teaching Award.
The Glenn Frank Distinguished Teaching Award is sponsored by the Թ State Alumni Association and the University Teaching Council. This new award, combining the former Distinguished and Outstanding Teaching Awards, honors all full-time and part-time faculty and is presented to four individuals who demonstrate extraordinary teaching in the classroom and a commitment to impacting the lives of students.
Students are able to nominate faculty through an anonymous application process.
“Not many professors even allow students class time to get caught up, but he goes out of his way to,” a student nominator wrote. “I feel as though in him I have a partner on my learning journey. I am so grateful to have this special professor and mentor in my life.”
A student from Թ at Salem detailed the compassion Redfearn brings to the classroom.
“I remember going through a tough time academically in the ultrasound program at Թ State Salem and seeking out his guidance,” wrote a student nominator. “I felt like a failure, but he assured me that the challenges I was facing weren't because I wasn't worthy of being there or capable of learning the material. Even though I left the Salem campus, his words inspired me to keep searching for something that helped me shine, because I now knew it was possible.”
Redfearn has consistently focused his teaching style on supporting students, mostly teaching introductory courses for first-years that require covering a large amount of material.
“I would rather students know all of some of the information rather than all of only some information,” Redfearn said. “People don’t walk out of freshman-level class as an expert in something. You have to see it over and over and over again.”
Not only does Redfearn foster a community of support in his classrooms, but he also feels the same sense of support from the people around him.
“We have great leadership, and we have wonderful faculty,” Redfearn said. “I enjoy the environment because I feel like I am supported here.”
Redfearn believes that staff can continually grow to better support students' needs.
“Always look to improve, but those improvements don’t have to be huge or total redesigns or complete changes in philosophy,” Redfearn said.
Every semester, he tries to do one thing differently; sometimes the changes work and sometimes they do not. Teaching is a trial-and-error process, Redfearn noted.
Redfearn said that while he was excited to have won the award, he is bad at taking compliments and was not sure how to react.
“It really was an honor to just be nominated. You think that is a cliche, but it’s meaningful to have somebody think highly enough of what you do to suggest you for something of this nature,” Redfearn said.
Redfearn and the other honorees and finalists were acknowledged at the University Teaching Council’s Fall Celebration of Teaching Conference on Friday, Oct. 24.
Read more about the Glenn Frank Distinguished Teaching Award.
Learn more about the biological sciences program at Թ State.
Glenn W. Frank was a Թ State professor in the Department of Geology from 1953 to 1984. He was widely known as a strong teacher, a Թ alumnus, and an early winner of the Alumni Association's Distinguished Teaching Award in 1969, as well as a recipient of the Թ President’s Medal in 1986. Frank was widely thought of as a hero, having convinced the students to leave the Commons after the May 4, 1970, shootings.