Alex White

Excellence in Teaching Spotlight by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Virginia Tech

The Excellence in Teaching Spotlight, presented by the center to approximately nine Virginia Tech faculty members each academic year, recognizes a faculty member's effective, engaged, and dynamic approaches and achievements as an educator.

Among the goals of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning are advancing experiential learning at Virginia Tech and improving student learning through research-based instructional practices and student-centered design. According to White, his approach to teaching focuses on enhancing student wellbeing: “I want to help folks improve their lives by teaching them to make better decisions. I try to make my courses practical to help my students relate to the material and to prepare them for their life after college. I love to bring in guest speakers to reinforce the main principles, management tools, and life experiences that helped them be successful.”

White outlined two learning activities that he has found to be effective: “One of my most favorite & successful activities was asking my entire class to work as a group to develop a creative way to review the course material. They worked outside of class to develop an interactive Jeopardy-like game centered on the course principles. I was floored by their creativity, by the quality of the activity, and by the pride they showed in presenting that activity - they really took ownership. I also will give "group exams" on occasion. I had a group of 8 students who were going to miss my exam due to a trip to a professional conference. I told them to work on the exam on their trip to/from the conference and submit just one exam for the entire group. When they returned to campus, they told me that was the best test experience they ever had and that they learned a lot by discussing and debating their answers - what really impressed me was that each student was actively involved in the process.”

White’s former colleague and graduate advisor, David Kohl, praised White’s versatility in the classroom and his ability to connect theoretical concepts to real-world examples: “Dr. White is the “Swiss Army Knife” of educators which is unique in academics. He has taught with excellence in a wide array of subjects and class sizes at various academic levels. Unique in his teaching style is his emphasis on experiential learning, linking theory to practical everyday applications while reinforcing principles and concepts.”

Jesse Lineberry, a former student of White’s, highlighted his inspirational qualities and the significant impact he had on her during her time as a student: “Dr. White is a staple of the Virginia Tech academic community. He’s inspired thousands of students in the fields of personal finance, dairy science, and agricultural economics. In addition to being a world class speaker with endless stories, his empathic and often humorous nature has made him a favorite among students. At a personal level, Dr. White has been a trusted confidant who has encouraged me at every step of my academic and professional journey. He was integral in inspiring me to become a professor and I’m forever grateful for his mentorship.”

Katherine Knowlton co-advises Dairy Club with White and said this about him: “Alex has a real passion for students and devotes a great deal of time to activities focused on recruiting and, especially, retention.”

White provided the following advice for new college teachers: “Build your classes with the end goal of helping your students develop & grow rather than an end goal of simply covering the material on the syllabus. This will help you relate the material to situations they will encounter in the ‘working world’. It will help you come up with new ways to teach the material. It will keep you focused on the development of your students - and seeing that growth in your students is the best part of teaching!”