President's Excellence in Teaching Award

Scott Monfort

Montana State University has named Scott Monfort as the recipient of the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. 

Monfort is an associate professor of musculoskeletal biomechanics in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department of the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering. 

The criteria for this award include superior student mentoring, creative course program and exemplary contributions to the teaching profession that include activities that transcend the classroom. 

“My decision to have a career in academia is largely because of my passion for teaching,” Monfort said. “I genuinely care about my students’ success in my courses and in their careers that follow, which provides a central focus to the approach I take in the classroom. My classroom focuses on actively engaging students in the learning process. I continually look for ways to incorporate a range of active learning strategies, which has led to an evolution of my classroom.”

As an example of his innovative approach to student success in the classroom, Monfort described how he structures the 300-level class Advanced Mechanics of Materials. 

“I have shifted to using a more involved active learning strategy of a flipped classroom ” he said. A flipped classroom is a teaching method in which the students study the material to be discussed prior to class, allowing class time to be devoted to group discussion and answering student questions. “This shift has continued to increase student energy in the classroom, maintain high attendance, prompt students to identify and ask question on the content and allow collaborative problem solving.”

The award carries a $2,500 honorarium.