Gil DePaula, assistant professor in economics, is the recipient of the faculty 2024 Early Achievement in Teaching Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. He has taught freshman and sophomore level classes, advanced undergraduate required and elective classes, and graduate elective classes on a broad array of topics, including econometrics, agricultural markets and commodity marketing, as well as his primary specialization in environmental economics.
DePaula’s teaching style is best characterized as one of challenging and engaging students. He pushes students to attain a higher level of understanding and to become better learners. He also individualizes his teaching to help students overcome challenges and to appreciate the rewards of learning. “Central to his ability to both challenge and engage his students is his focus on finding ways to make his teaching interactive and emphasize the real world applications of technical topics,” states a colleague. “Perhaps most importantly, he conveys his passion for the material and commitment to student learning, both of which have inspired students taking one of his classes to seek out other opportunities to learn from him.”
DePaula uses three techniques to challenge and engage students. First, he strives to make the classes interactive and prompts students throughout the lectures. Second, he has learned to balance the level of difficulty and the workload of his courses with the readiness of the students. He has also redesigned his advanced undergraduate courses to better integrate hands-on and applied coursework. Finally, he adds a creative assignment to every course. He believes the ultimate benefit of education is to empower students to come up with new ideas and new solutions to the problems they care about the most.
“Since coming to Iowa State, Professor DePaula has demonstrated that he is a skillful and devoted teacher who is making an impact on his students’ learning experience,” states a colleague. “By challenging his students while providing the support they need to meet the challenge, he has provided them the opportunity to grow.”