With 25 years of teaching under his belt and years spent as a DVM and PhD student, Dr. John Collister has plenty of classroom experience to inform his approach to teaching.

“I think a great teacher has clear expectations of their students, making the expectations known without being overbearing and anxiety-producing,” Collister explains. Aware of the many pressures students face, he does what he can to reduce stress and keep students engaged.

That approach is one that students at the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) connect with and enjoy. Earlier this year, Collister received the 2023 Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award. Every year, CVM students nominate their favorite instructors for the award, which honors outstanding teachers who demonstrate excellent character and leadership qualities. Student voting determines the winner, and this year marks the second time Collister has won the award. 

Collister hones his teaching skills through continual self-reflection. Before class starts, he takes time to review his syllabus and notes and to envision himself in the audience from the student's perspective. 

“Would I like this at all or appreciate this style of teaching and be able to learn?” Collister asks himself.  “If the answer is ‘No, I would hate this syllabus and this guy speaking.’ I slow it down, remove something, or adjust the material.” 

Known for his personable approach, Collister’s lecture slides for his "Agents of Infectious Disease" course include a photo from a family camping trip in the Boundary Waters. To introduce a lesson on bacteria, he uses the picture and a story about how a group of Boy Scouts paddling by in a canoe shared water tablets that helped keep his family’s drinking water safe after their filter broke. Using storytelling as a teaching tool, he keeps students interested.  

Second-year DVM student Douglas Chamroeun describes Collister as “amazingly funny, engaging, and non-traditional with lectures free from boring slides a student could just as well stay home and read.” He gives Collister’s teaching an A+ for engaging students. 

Big energy

Before class officially begins, Collister like to pump up his students. He arrives early to class and plays music well into the opening minutes, with a playlist often featuring bouncy tracks by artists like Lizzo. He strategically brings big energy before and during class, making it more enjoyable for both the students and himself.

“From the minute I walked into his classroom and heard the music change as he started off the day with a fun, exuberant story, I knew his class was going to be a good time,” second-year DVM student Nicole Szajner says. 

While highly enthusiastic, Collister’s teaching also gets results. 

“I never knew learning about layers of epithelium could be so entertaining,” Szajner adds.

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Easing the pace, using repetition, and incorporating brain breaks, Collister creates a relaxed classroom atmosphere. He gives students time to reflect on what they’ve learned, ask questions, or relax as he shares an anecdote. 

Collister also makes a point to end class on time or even a bit early.  He knows that little things like giving the class an extra minute or two of downtime go a long way toward reducing stress and anxiety.

Teach humbly 

Good teachers often mirror the qualities of their teaching mentors. When asked whose teaching style he admires, Collister named Al Beitz, CVM emeritus professor and classroom legend, whose compassionate approach integrated collaborative learning to reduce stress while improving learning outcomes. 

Adapting a similar mantra of “teach humbly,” Collister likes to be visible to students, stopping to say hello and ask them how they are when he sees them in the hallway. 

“I got over myself years ago.” Collister says with a laugh, “I know that what I am teaching that particular moment may be important in the grand scheme of things, but might not be the actual most important thing happening to any given student.”

Collister understands that students have many demands on their time—in the classroom and in their personal lives. When life gets in the way, he is willing to bend a little for them, going the extra distance to help them understand course material and do what it takes to earn a passing grade.

While students appreciate Collister’s approachable and jovial attitude, they are equally grateful that he makes them feel seen and heard.

“I know my struggles as a vet student are understood,” Szajner says.

Balancing his own family life with the demands of running a research lab, seeing clients in the clinic, and teaching and advising students, Collister knows the challenge and importance of helping students maintain balance. 

“The day is only so long,” he notes, “yet we keep adding new ways to learn, new ways to get more clinical experience, and new ways to get professional development.” 

Keeping a reasonable volume of content in courses lowers student anxiety and helps them manage their workload. Collister is mindful of not incorporating too many new things that have the opposite effect by adding hours to the students’ days with more “to-do” items in their already busy schedules.

When asked how he juggles his responsibilities in the lab with developing lectures and grading tests, Collister quips, “I get out on my boat and go fishing or hang out with my kids.”