Michael Turner, associate professor of kinesiology, is the fifth finalist for the 2012 Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence to be profiled in Inside UNC Charlotte. The recipient of the award will be named at a special reception Friday, Oct. 19.
Teaching, according to Turner, is a great honor and creates possibilities to make a difference in the lives of students. Because of this, teaching also comes with tremendous responsibility. In his 14 years as a UNC Charlotte faculty member in the College of Health and Human Services Kinesiology Department, Turner has taught 15 of the department’s didactic and laboratory courses in exercise science and clinical exercise physiology. He also is director of the Functional Health Laboratory and program director of the Master of Science in Clinical Exercise Physiology, a program he proposed and implemented in 2003-04 with colleague Timothy Lightfoot.
Turner’s success in the classroom is a result of his engagement with Transformative Learning Theory. He helps students become more reflective and more accepting of different perspectives by cultivating a caring relationship with students and creating a collegial environment where they feel comfortable asking questions and receiving feedback. In this environment, he encourages his students to take responsibility for their own learning opportunities and to appreciate their own capacities for success.
Students and faculty of the College of Health and Human Services acknowledged Turner’s excellence in teaching by awarding him the Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2003 and the Graduate Teaching Award in 2007. A supportive mentor for junior faculty in kinesiology, Turner was praised by one of his colleagues for having the ability to “inject humor and fun into his lectures to help keep the students attentive and engaged. He is extremely passionate about his courses and has the ability to bring his course content to life with real-world examples and personal anecdotes.”
Turner has often inspired his undergraduate students to pursue graduate degrees in kinesiology. During his time at UNC Charlotte, he has successfully chaired 13 master’s committees. For many of Turner’s students, the data produced while conducting supervised research has resulted in presentations at prestigious national meetings, as well as publications in peer-reviewed research journals. One of his former undergraduate students, now completing a Ph.D. in exercise science, wrote, “Dr. Turner was my advisor, mentor and scientific role model. He took a chance on an undergraduate student that wanted to learn how to do research, and it has developed into the completion of a bachelor's, master’s and nearly a Ph.D. for me. He taught me patience and helped me develop raw general questions about physiology and turn them into a dissertation in the field of genetics. I would not be in the position that I am in had it not been for Dr. Turner's love and passion of science and education. He is a true asset for UNC Charlotte and for any student that is willing to listen to his message. He is a role model for students and colleagues. I am proud to have studied under him and am eternally grateful for his mentorship.”