Ball State's best teachers plan to cover personal finances, ideas on education and the impact of psychology in future courses. There will even be time for a train excursion.

The opportunity to present a specially designed "dream course" is part of the Excellence in Teaching Award sponsored by the Office of Teaching and Learning Advancement and the Office of the Provost. Students make initial nominations, then a panel of students and professors selects the winners after a classroom visit and a course presentation.

Recipients honored at the fall faculty meeting were John Ledbetter, assistant professor of accounting; Thalia Mulvihill, associate professor of educational studies; and Kristin Ritchey, assistant professor of psychological science.

Ledbetter plans to lead students in "Using Financial Information for Life." Students will learn basic skills in structuring financial information, keeping track of their finances, understanding and analyzing financial reports, making realistic financial decisions and analyzing financial issues.

Ledbetter believes the course will provide students outside the Miller College of Business with an opportunity to obtain practical financial education. He said that despite receiving outstanding training within their professional disciplines, many students lack guidance in how to manage the financial aspects of their lives and jobs.

"This omission requires students to choose between seeking training in financial matters elsewhere and making uninformed financial choices," Ledbetter said. "I think that offering and promoting this course is another way in which Ball State can distinguish itself from other institutions and really give a student 'Everything You Need.'"

Mulvihill's dream course, "Educational Journeys: Composing an Educator's Life," will investigate the meaning of education in a democratic society by examining the lives and ideas of representative thinkers.

"This seminar will help students explore their own development as educators within the larger public debates about education," Mulvihill said. "Through their investigations, students will write themselves 'into' the history of ideas about education and write themselves 'out' by crafting new visions and new pathways for the future."

A special feature of the course will be a 7- to 10-day train excursion to sites of historical significance to chart ideas about education within a democracy. Travel time on the train will be used as a "classroom in motion" for extended conversations related to the course themes. Students will produce a documentary to share their learning experiences with a broader audience.

Ritchey's dream course is "How Does Psychology SHAPE Your World?" The acronym  represents the disciplines of sociology, history, anthropology, political science and economics.  The class will explore how psychology influences the other social sciences and how those fields influence theory and practices in psychology.

"One theme I emphasize in my courses is that psychology develops in a socio-historical context," Ritchey said. "I want students to understand how their courses fit together, and my dream course will be a chance to focus on that theme."

Ritchey said she considers her Excellence in Teaching award to be a joint effort.

"I have witnessed some excellent teaching in my own department, as well as by colleagues across campus, and I believe this award is a reflection of how much support and mentoring I have received," she said.