James A. Rappold, an assistant professor in the Department of Operations and Information Management, was one of 10 “classroom masters” honored for distinguished teaching this spring. Rappold was given the Chancellor’s Award for his teaching prowess.

Theory and practice fuse seamlessly in Rappold’s classroom. He cut his teaching chops on business leaders at Briggs and Stratton, General Motors and Philip Morris. Using his corporate experiences to motivate students, he is a devout practitioner of active learning and teaching. “I focus on creating a learning environment where students experience material for themselves and are able to see where their intuition is helpful, and where it may get them into trouble.”

Rappold says activities outside the classroom facilitate learning. “I regularly take a number of students each year on field trips to manufacturing sites in the United States as well as in Europe. It’s important to expose students to these environments as often as possible so that they can witness for themselves how difficult it is to solve the complex problems that plague manufacturers.”