Frechette Receives Distinguished Teaching Award
Content
Eliza Frechette, senior lecturer II in the Department of Kinesiology, has been named a 2024-25 Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA) winner by the UMass Amherst Center for Teaching and Learning. The honor has been presented for more than 60 years to instructors who demonstrate exemplary teaching at the highest level.
Frechette is a past recipient of the ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentoring Award, the School of Public Health and Health Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award and is the inaugural Dean’s Teaching Fellow.
She teaches a wide range of courses, including exercise physiology, anatomy and physiology, Junior Year Writing and Integrative Experience courses in kinesiology.
Frechette notes her courses are designed to help “students build confidence and emphasizes the importance of growth and mastery over time.” She does this through finding a balance between supportive structure, such as frequent check-ins and low stakes course activities, and offering flexibility, including the opportunity to co-develop her syllabus with her students. These practices create an inclusive course environment informed by students’ interests and perspectives.
As a student describes, “Her creative and engaging class activities, such as the identity mind maps, placing questions under chairs before class, and many other interactive games, helped create an environment where we felt comfortable participating, both in small groups and in front of the whole class.”
Frechette received her award at the faculty honors dinner held in April.
Learn more about all of the 2024-25 Distinguished Teaching Award recipients.