Keith Stolzenbach

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Why not leave them laughing?

It works for Professor Keith Stolzenbach, coordinator of the Global Environment GE Cluster course and winner of a Distinguished Teaching Award. On the last day of class, the lights dim in Dodd 121 and a techno beat thumps over the sound system. Then comes … the rap.

Standing side by side on stage, Stolzenbach and his generally buttoned-up co-instructors recite a rhyming rap that touches on global warming, sustainable development and the final-exam review from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. It’s feeble and ridiculous, and the students love it, responding with hoots, hollers and whistles.

A dedicated environmentalist, Stolzenbach was instrumental in the creation of the Global Environment cluster course. His rather eclectic teaching style makes use of multimedia presentations, debates, skits, newsletters and field trips, to which he often devotes a Saturday afternoon.

Students award Stolzenbach consistently high marks. One of the things they like is his use of a contract that spells out what is expected of them and when. Once students are clear about expectations, they feel freer to explore new ideas and concepts, Stolzenbach said.

To keep himself from getting bored, Stolzenbach from time to time teaches something he has never taught before. Right now, he is preparing to teach an upper-division statistics course. “I awaken in the middle of the night to worry about it,” he concedes, “but I like to take on new challenges.”

— Anne Burke, UCLA Today