Human nutrition faculty awarded for distinguished teaching

Faculty member offers undergrads insights into health through nutrition

“Angela has been highly celebrated for student engagement,” said Richard Bruno, professor and chair of the Human Nutrition program. “Whether she is teaching via distance learning or in person, her goal is identical — to ensure engagement and inclusivity.”

“Angela’s work is impressive,” said Patrick Louchouarn, vice provost for Academic Policy and Faculty Resources. “Every year, she reaches hundreds of students and creates a personal and welcoming environment for each. Knowing that she is often the first instructor students encounter (at Ohio State), she consistently goes above and beyond to provide mentorship, guidance and support, empowering students to thrive both academically and personally.”

These were just two of the accolades shared about Senior Lecturer Angela L. Collene when she was recently awarded the Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer.

She was introducing a new unit on vitamins and minerals to undergraduates in Mendenhall Lab when a delegation of four university leaders entered the classroom unannounced. Her surprise was compounded by the presence of her husband and daughter.

“You are one of only four chosen for this award from a university-wide pool of approximately 3,000 lecturers,” said Helen Malone, vice provost for Academic Policy and Faculty Resources, in announcing the award. “It’s a very selective and prestigious award.”

Bruno, who is Collene’s supervisor, pointed out a few of her teaching strengths. “As a registered dietitian, her exceptional command of applied nutrition to support health and well-being makes her well suited to teach our foundational nutrition courses,” he said to the listening class. “We deliberately assign her to them to ensure that students’ earliest exposures to the discipline are extraordinary.”

“She teaches these courses to upwards of 1,700 students per year across multiple campuses. Many students report choosing our nutrition major or adding our minor, after taking a course from her.”

Dean Don Pope-Davis added his praise of Collene’s teaching dedication. “Her passion for education is palpable, and her impact resonates far beyond the confines of the syllabus, shaping the minds and futures of her students,” he said. “Angela’s unwavering commitment to the betterment of her students and the field of education makes her a truly outstanding recipient of this award.”

In Collene’s award nomination, Bruno and colleagues in the Human Nutrition Program, as well as the program’s Department of Human Sciences Chair Erik Porfeli, listed how she is innovative and collaborative. Among them:

• She collaborated with faculty on all the Ohio State campuses to build an innovative virtual lab component for HN 2410: Science of Human Nutrition. 
  • Now undergraduates on all Ohio State campuses may choose this popular, all-virtual course to fulfill a General Education requirement in the Foundations of Natural Sciences area.
• She developed a new course, HN 2200: Nutrition for Health Professionals, now required for all nursing majors, that has already reached 200 students. This collaboration with the College of Nursing ensures the next generation of nurses understands nutrition-related disorders encountered in the clinic, such as diabetes and eating disorders.

Her nomination also praised Collene for her approach to teaching:

• When teaching virtually, Collene creatively supplements her lectures with warm welcome videos and external links for multimedia learning. She creates podcasts to supplement lectures and printed notes to ensure students can master the content. She encourages students to attend her virtual office hours.
• If teaching in person, she arrives early to answer questions and make small talk with students to enhance rapport. She answers course-related and professional development questions.

Her Students’ Evaluations of Instruction reveal how she is appreciated. “They are consistently higher than those from similar courses across the University,” her nomination said, “regardless of course size (37-647 students), mode of instruction, campus or course level.”

What students learn in foundational human nutrition courses   

“My courses are an opportunity not only to cultivate a love for science, but also to influence the health of a generation of young adults,” Collene said. “One of my goals is to help students sort fact from fiction. In a world where nutrition misinformation abounds, I point them to the science and provide credible resources to continue learning, even after they leave my courses.”

In the popular HN 2410: Science of Human Nutrition, Collene teaches students how nutrients provide fuel for everyday activities. She explains how what we consume builds each cell of the body and influences physical and mental health. Students explore the evidence behind public health nutrition recommendations and, through the new lab component, experience that science for themselves.

She also teaches Human Nutrition 2310: Fundamentals of Nutrition, Human Nutrition 3506: Nutrition Across the Lifespan, and Human Nutrition 2200 Nutrition for Health Professionals.

With deep expertise gained as a registered dietitian, Collene is co-author with Colleen Spees, associate professor of medical dietetics, and Professor Emeritus Anne Smith, of two highly regarded nutrition textbooks: Wardlaw’s Contemporary Nutrition: A Functional Approach and Wardlaw’s Contemporary Nutrition. This second book is widely adopted for introductory-level nutrition courses.

Collene works to carry on the legacy of the texts’ original author, the late Gordon Wardlaw, PhD and a beloved lecturer in the Human Nutrition Program.

Collene earned a master’s degree from Ohio State in allied health, then completed the Dietetic Internship with the college in 2003. She began her career as a research dietitian in Professor Martha Belury’s lab in the Human Nutrition Program. 

After teaching for other universities, she began teaching as a lecturer in the program in 2016. Her colleagues unanimously supported her promotion to senior lecturer in 2021.

Collene was honored on April 30 at the university’s annual Faculty Awards Celebration in the company of fellow award recipients. 

She and the other three recipients of the award will also be recognized on the Ohio Stadium field during an autumn football game.