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David Domke
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David Domke, Communications

Distinguished Teaching Award

The Distinguished Teaching Awards are given to University faculty who show a mastery of their subject matter, intellectual rigor and a passion for teaching

With “guest lecturers” like George Stephanopoulos and Jesse Ventura, how could David Domke go wrong?

Well, actually he could and that’s the point. One of the riskier teaching techniques the assistant professor of communications regularly uses is to become the Clinton administration aide turned journalist on one day and the Minnesota governor on another day. It’s a risk, one of many he takes while teaching communications undergraduates and graduate students.

“I have to stretch myself,” Domke said, explaining his motivation for shifting personalities for a day. “If I’m asking my students to stretch, to challenge themselves, I have to be willing to do the same thing.”

So Domke, a 2002 Distinguished Teaching Award winner, becomes Stephanopoulos for a day. He prefaces the guest appearance with a series of lectures about how political elites influence the press — a subject Stephanopoulos is uniquely qualified to tackle. Ventura’s appearance fits in with curriculum about the Internet’s role as a communication medium.

But neither of the impersonations is done with whimsy. They are, he says, relevant and valuable parts of his American Press and Politics class.

“It isn’t just Stephanopoulos showing up and talking about something he wouldn’t already be prepared to talk about. This is something from his area of expertise. And when I do Ventura I don’t come in as this comical figure of a wrestler. I come in as the substantive politician who used the Internet effectively to become governor.”

He’s found the forays into acting to be among the most effective teaching methods he uses. Students remember those lectures more than most and they appreciate the fact he tried something different, Domke says.

Another unorthodox approach that has worked is “Stump the Professor” — a classroom game of wits that pits students against their teacher. A student poses a question to Domke, who has 90 seconds to answer. Then the student gives her prepared answer, which can be bolstered by other students. A teaching assistant chooses the winner and often it’s the students.

“They don’t always win, but they regularly win,” Domke said. No matter who gets to enjoy the victory, Domke says the method is an effective part of his class. He likes what it does to the traditional teacher-student relationship and how it gets students actively engaged.

“It allows the students to be the experts,” he said. “If that’s the only outcome, if somebody feels like, ‘Hey, I contributed. I’m the one who knew something about this.’ Well, that’s good enough for me.”

In fact, Domke believes that learning from students is a crucial part of his teaching. It’s an idea, he says, that is supported by many of his UW colleagues, including Jerry Baldasty in communications, Dean of Undergraduate Education George Bridges, and Robin Wright in zoology.

“I really respect those faculty and I try to learn from them,” Domke said. “I pay attention when they talk about teaching.”

Students say he’s learned well. In one letter supporting Domke for the award a student called him the “best teacher I’ve ever had.” Another claimed “there is no professor that deserves this award more than David Domke does.”

And as well as his methods work with students, administrators and faculty on campus have also taken notice of Domke’s effectiveness, according to Frederick Campbell, the dean emeritus of undergraduate education. Campbell noted how quickly and profoundly Domke made an impact at the UW.

“Professor Domke joined the School of Communications faculty in autumn quarter 1998 and since that time has established a record of teaching excellence that will be regarded as a benchmark for assistant professors in our school for many years to come.”

– Steve Hill
University Week