Rate My Professor Tim Champion

Dr. Tim Champion is Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU), where he joined the faculty in 1988. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1983) and a Doctor of Arts in Chemistry from the University of Northern Colorado (1993). Throughout his career at JCSU, Champion served as Chair of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Department and as Director of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). He led the development and implementation of JCSU's 2017-2022 QEP, titled "Cultivating a Culture and Curriculum for Undergraduate Scholarship and Research," which integrated research skill development across the curriculum using the Research Skill Development Framework. His leadership fostered initiatives like the #ThisIsResearch campaign and faculty development for embedding undergraduate research in courses. Champion's research focuses on science education, instructional technology, undergraduate research, learning strategies, online learning, chemical instrumentation, and biophysical chemistry experiments. Key publications include "Instructional Technology" (2006, with A. Novicki), "Instructional Strategies and Learning Preferences at a Historically Black University" (2008, with D. Haskell), "Promoted Online Tutorial Use in General Chemistry: Effects on Student Performance" (2022, with J. Bannister), and presentations such as "Improvement in Student Research Skills through an Undergraduate Research-focused QEP" (Savannah, GA, 2020). He co-authored works on increasing student use of chemical instrumentation in research and developing research product rubrics. Champion contributed to reducing DFW rates in STEM courses through online tutorials and has been recognized for excellence by the JCSU community and in grantsmanship awards.

Champion's influence at JCSU includes promoting student success in entry-level STEM courses, enhancing research culture at a historically Black university, and aligning departmental assessments with QEP outcomes. He participated in the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Institute, facilitated faculty discussions on research integration, and supported student mentoring in multidisciplinary STEM education. His efforts have improved student research skills, assignment completion in online courses, and use of academic search technologies.