WCSU’s Dr. Antonia Giannakakos receives Provost’s Teaching Award

Press release

DANBURY, Connecticut — The start of a new academic year at Western Connecticut State University brings with it a number of ceremonies and celebrations. Among them are the Entering the Gates Ceremony, which welcomes new students to campus, and the Opening Faculty Meeting, at which the university president lays out the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Also at the Opening Meeting is the announcement of the annual Provost’s Award for Teaching. This year, Provost Dr. Stephen Hegedus bestowed that honor upon Professor of Educational Psychology Dr. Antonia Giannakakos.

“I believe that teaching is always a process of reflection, growth, and improvement … and I recognize that my own growth and improvement have been shaped by the incredible people I work alongside,” Giannakakos said when receiving her award. “My Ph.D. advisor, Jason Vladescu, is the reason I became a professor. He gave me opportunities to teach some of his classes while he observed and recommended me for adjunct opportunities. My colleagues Stephanie Kuhn and Adam Brewer regularly provide me with examples of how I can be a better professor. They are incredibly collaborative, and they are always willing to brainstorm and work together to improve our program. Finally, I would like to thank the Provost for giving me this award. It is an honor to be counted among the colleagues who have received it before me.”

Giannakakos, who teaches in WCSU’s Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) graduate program, was nominated by the Provost’s Teaching Award Committee, which, in its nomination letter stated,
“Students have consistently rated her teaching and courses positively. In their comments, they highlight her dedication to, and investment in, their learning, and describe her teaching style as engaging and helpful in ensuring they learn the concepts covered in the course. In addition, Dr. Giannakakos is highly praised by students for her clear and effective teaching style. Many students appreciate her ability to present complex material in an understandable way, such as through helpful graphing videos and concise lectures with relevant examples. Her availability for support and feedback is frequently highlighted, and students value her expertise, which enhances their understanding of the course content. Overall, students consistently recommend her for her thoroughness, clarity, and commitment to student success.”

Finally, the committee added, “Dr. Giannakakos is deeply committed to fostering collegial, interdisciplinary collaborations and disseminating pedagogical innovations through various academic, clinical, and professional activities. She actively engages with colleagues from multiple institutions, serving on thesis committees, co-editing scholarly works, and participating in research collaborations, such as the ongoing review of statistical practices in behavior analysis journals.”

At the award ceremony, Giannakakos, a Greek American, shared her story. “I was born and raised here in Danbury. My father came to America is 1969 when he was 16. On my mother’s side, the first to arrive from Greece was my great-grandmother, who came at just 17 years old as a mail-order bride and never had the chance to learn to read or write. My parents were both the first in their families to attend college. My mother completed her freshman year and her master’s here at Western Connecticut State University, and my father graduated with his bachelor’s degree. When it came time to apply for university, I came to WCSU as well. My parents said it was a good school; I would get a good education and because it was affordable and, in our community, they could help me pay for school and minimize the size of my student loans.”

Giannakakos continued, “WCSU gave me the foundation for what became my career in education. After earning a degree in Elementary Education and Educational Psychology, I went on to receive a master’s and Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis from Caldwell University.”

Giannakakos taught for four years at Manhattanville University and when a position opened at WCSU, she saw it as “a chance not only to collaborate with a team of faculty in my field, but also to be a part of shaping students in the same community that shaped me,” she said. “My academic journey, built on the foundation my family and WCSU laid, has also shaped the perspective I bring to my teaching. We all have ways of looking at the world that help it make sense to us. A lens we see things through. For me, that lens is behavioral. I am a radical behaviorist. I look at my own behaviors and the behaviors of others, including thoughts and feelings, as something shaped, by the environment … by the different and varied experiences, we have during our lifetimes.

“When I began to teach university courses and learned about different course development strategies, I found my behavior analytic approach aligned well with backward design and reflective teaching practices, but I couldn’t help but bring a scientific approach to my teaching. I am forever thinking about experimental control, even with my courses. I see each class I give in a course as a sort of data point, made up of the students I have, the lectures I give, and the activities and quizzes my students complete. Their performance on those activities or quizzes are my measure of how well my lectures and chosen readings changed their learning behavior. When I see my students achieve the learning outcomes I’ve set for them, I am, of course, happy. But in those instances when they don’t, I think it makes me a better professor. It makes me figure out how I can explain a concept more clearly or identify a better reading to support my lectures. When the next group of students reach that class, I am excited to see how my changes have improved their grasp of the material.”