NEXUS NEWS
Pat Hammett, PhD Recognized for Teaching Excellence
March 19, 2021
by Tom Lemoine
Pat Hammett, PhD has received this year’s Jon R. and Beverly S. Holt Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award was announced by the College of Engineering on March 12, honoring Dr. Hammett for his extensive achievements as an instructor and educational leader.
Dr. Hammett is a Lecturer for the Department of Industrial & Operations Engineering (IOE) and the Division of Integrative Systems + Design (ISD), teaching quality and statistical analysis method courses to both undergraduate and graduate students. In addition to his role as Lecturer, Dr. Hammett serves as the lead faculty for the U-M Six Sigma program, which includes a comprehensive portfolio of industry-focused certifications ranging from Design for Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt to Master Black Belt in Operational Excellence. Collectively, Dr. Hammett has taught over 18,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students throughout his career and mentored hundreds of continuous improvement and student research projects.
In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Hammett has served as the Director of Faculty Innovation for Nexus since the unit was established in 2019. His role includes new program development, faculty guidance and support, and expanding the College’s online learning capacity. Dr. Hammett has been instrumental in the College’s continued success during the pandemic, helping to develop best practices, quality standards, and innovative strategies for online teaching and learning — including new ways to foster student engagement.
“Although I have been teaching online for over 20 years, this past year provided a new set of challenges,” Dr. Hammett said. “The vast majority of my past online students preferred the modality to meet their personal situation, whereas this past year online learning was necessary for all students. I have been challenged to develop new ways to engage traditionally live classroom students.”
Dr. Hammett’s efforts have also included new assessments strategies for fully online courses, ensuring students are administered fair and challenging tests to assess learning in a remote environment.
“The receipt of this award is much appreciated recognition of my efforts to provide my University of Michigan students with a great learning experience.”