Innovation and student-centered learning are at the heart of the Pavlis Honors College, and two of its faculty leaders have recently been recognized for embodying those values. Dr. Shane Oberloier, director of the Alley Makerspace, and Dr. Laura Kasson Fiss, faculty fellow in the Pavlis Honors College, have each been honored with 2025 CTL Instructional Awards.
Dr. Laura Kasson Fiss received the Curriculum Development and Assessment Award. In addition to teaching Pavlis Seminar II: Tell Your Story, she serves as Chair of the Curriculum and Assessment Committee for the Pavlis Honors College and is an Associate Teaching Professor in Humanities. She is also a researcher and author, with her most recent book, The Idler’s Club: Humour and Mass Readership from Jerome K. Jerome to P. G. Wodehouse.
For Dr. Laura Kasson Fiss, the most rewarding part of teaching is watching students gain confidence and ability, especially in those moments of discovery. Some of her fondest memories come from the lasting relationships she builds with students — “where you meet a student later in life and they tell you something that you told them or they learned in class.” She also enjoys when a student’s question challenges her to articulate her own assumptions.
Her approach to building strong connections with students centers on respect and empathy. She believes in taking students seriously and recognizing that they may have complex lives outside the classroom.
“A lot of students have things in their personal lives that faculty may not know about. It is important to be willing to help, but accept that you do not have complete control over a student’s situation.”
Dr. Shane Oberloier received the Large Class Teaching Award. In addition to serving as an assistant teaching professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, he is the director of the Alley Makerspace and the advisor of the Open Source Hardware Enterprise. Beyond campus, he is a co-founder of Keweenaw Ecological Innovations and also shares his work through his personal website, oberloier.com, and his podcast Locked in My Office @ MTU.
For Dr. Shane, the most rewarding part of teaching is what he calls “the cascading effect of knowledge.” As he explains, “I teach a class of 80, and that class of 80 goes out and carries on this information and knowledge. It’s exciting to see the effect—and the uncertainty—of where this will take students and what will result from that.”
One of his fondest teaching memories dates back to very early in his career and reflects his commitment to openness and vulnerability with students. “Early on, when I was teaching—still a grad student, with a class of maybe 100—I asked students what they were most nervous about before an exam, and in return I shared what I was most nervous about. I told them I was most nervous about becoming a dad. This was before I told my parents, and the students thought it was interesting that I shared that part of my life with them.”
His approach to building relationships with students centers on authenticity. He strives to embody the ideas he teaches, particularly in the areas of creativity and making.
“I live my life around making things—it’s part of my appearance and personality—and that helps get my students more interested in making. Any idea you want to share with students, you have to embody yourself. They’ll immediately see if you’re just trying to sell them something.”
At the Pavlis Honors College, teaching is about more than sharing knowledge — it’s about inspiring curiosity, fostering growth, and building lasting connections. Dr. Shane Oberloier and Dr. Laura Kasson Fiss embody these values in everything they do. From empowering students to explore, create, and take risks to designing thoughtful curriculum that sparks discovery, their dedication makes a lasting impact on the Pavlis community. We celebrate their achievements and the difference they make in students’ lives every day.