If there is one faculty member who epitomizes the persona of the teaching professor, it is Karen Cooley. She joined the faculty in 1997, and although she had prior employment experience in auditing in Dallas and as a tax manager here in the Panhandle, she has never looked back. Teaching, as it turned out, was her strong suit and passion.
And she has the awards to prove it, including winning the 2022 Engler COB Teaching Excellence Award. Loved by her students for her instructional abilities, fairness, and friendliness, Ms. Cooley motivates her students to go the extra mile. In fact, Ms. Cooley has gone those extra miles herself. An avid runner and former Boston Marathon participant, she knows the value of hard work and training. She has taken what she learned from running, and made it her work ethic as well.
INTERVIEW NOTES
00:00 – Introduction and Ms. Cooley’s favorite class to teach
01:04 – How to go from Intro courses to intermediate courses
02:09 – How Ms. Cooley has “perfected” her teaching style
03:42 – What is unique to Ms. Cooley’s classroom
04:41 – How Ms. Cooley motivates students
05:51 – Ms. Cooley’s best piece of advice for students
06:37 – Ms. Cooley’s hobbies and interests
07:12 – A person that impacted Ms. Cooley’s life the most
08:28 – General advice from Ms. Cooley