From his official citation:
“Dietmar Kennepohl’s innovative approach to education, his willingness to continually assess and reassess his own performance, and his passion for undergraduate teaching and lifelong learning help him to bring out the best in all his students.
The four principles of his educational philosophy—openness, persistence, seeking evidence, and celebrating differences—resonate with his students. As one of them observed, “He is aware that all students learn differently, and he definitely makes sure everyone benefits from knowledge transfer that needs to occur.”
As an educator at an online university, an innovative approach is essential—and in this area Dietmar shines. The rigour of the home-based laboratory kits he designed is widely recognized. One colleague said, “His work…dispelled the myth that home labs are just kitchen chemistry.” For lab equipment too heavy to ship to students, remote labs provide students anywhere in the world with the opportunity to do quantitative experiments.
Dietmar’s award-winning Wiki textbook saves his students money and empowers them to use their own knowledge and written contributions to help improve the learning experience of others.
His drive to provide open access educational resources for students within and outside his university to increase accessibility is notable. His leadership and outreach extend beyond his discipline and Athabasca University to work with national non-profit organizations promoting teaching undergraduate chemistry at the college and university level and to collaborations and impact in countries around the world.
Dietmar is an internationally recognized leader in STEM teaching, a builder of relationships, and a strong advocate for effective, accessible online learning.”