2016 Employee Performance Award - Supporting Documentation

(J. Salazar, BIOLOGY)

Please find below comments from my students (taken from varies sources).
Thanks for considering me as your FAVORITE candidate
1. Helps students/others grow personally and intellectually by assisting
and encouraging them to achieve goals (provides attentive direction in
the classroom and available outside of the classroom).
I had the privilege of earning my Biology I & II and Anatomy & Physiology I credits with
Dr. Salazar as my professor. Dr. Salazar really goes above and beyond if a student will
work with him. He helped me develop better study habits and has even given me
excellent advice on my degree plan. I am proud to call him my mentor.
Always cared about every person in the class, and always made sure he was doing
whatever he could to make sure everyone in the class understood.
Dr. James Salazar shows such enthusiasm teaching his courses, and sets a standard of
excellence upon entering the classroom.
This is my second semester with Dr. Salazar and since the first day of class he's been
motivating us to finish out the semester strong. He is genuinely interested in the
success of his s students by raising the standards in his classroom. Although the
subject is tough, he is always encouraging us to push through and not fall into
mediocrity.
Dr. Salazar instructed our class with a student-centered approach. He wanted everyone
to achieve their goals. Salazar was committed, organized, and gave quality explanation
of information. He taught me good study methods, research techniques and the
importance of reading thoroughly in order to be able to explain the material to others in
the future.
Dr. Salazar created a well-structured and informative classroom culture designed
specifically to teach the material I needed to know by the end of Anatomy and
Physiology I. Specifically, I felt eager to be part of every class to learn the material that
he made intriguing on a daily basis.
He is constantly encouraging his students to be consistent in their studies, he provides
extra material to motivate and to help them understand. He is also always available to
answer questions outside the classroom
Professor James showed an incredible professionalism and passion for teaching his
course of Anatomy and Physiology.
Besides his personalized dedication to the students, Professor Salazar did not hesitate
to mentor me to focus my efforts, showing me the multiple career pathways that could
take based on my academic background
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2. The instructor is knowledgeable in their discipline and able to clearly

communicate their knowledge to others (Follows through on assigned
tasks, gives feedback and assistance when needed, and performs
thorough/complete work).
Dr. Salazar has an extensive knowledge in his field which allows him to teach students
in different ways until everyone understand. He performs his classes with important
details, and he always provides important feedback on time allowing students improve
their tasks each3 time.
Very professional and stuck with everything he wrote on the syllabus.
I'm extremely impressed with his knowledge in Biology, and the interesting facts that Dr.
Salazar provides his classes.
One of the best things about Dr. Salazar is the way he conducts his lectures. Instead of
just reciting off of the screen for 2 hours he makes the classes very interactive. He is
always challenging us to think deeper. Whenever he asks a question it almost always
turns into a class discussion, kind of like a conversation, which in my opinion helps us
retain the information a whole lot better.
Also, the way he is able to break down such hard topics making them so easy to
understand by comparing it to real world applications.
Dr. Salazar brings more to the table than the average professor. He has in-depth study
and knowledge due to his experience. During lectures he used videos, experimentation
and other research to explain material well.
Dr. Salazar was, as far as I could tell, always prepared to answer any on-topic or offtopic questions students had during class. Anyone who can help me understand DNA,
RNA, and their differences as easily as he did must be a good teacher.
He always explain the material and even provide different examples so that everyone
can understand. You can tell he knows everything he is explaining and he enjoys it too.
Professor Salazar demonstrated an exceptional ability to transmit knowledge and to
generate enthusiasm in the class and in the topics to be learned. These were
ingredients required to be successful achieving my academic goals

3. Approachable, available, and helpful (Always presents a pleasant

demeanor, open minded, creates an atmosphere of caring, and positive
problem solving).
Every time Dr. Salazar walks into his classroom, he never fails to greet us and ask
about our day or how our weekend was. He always has a smile on his face and looks
genuinely excited to be teaching us the subject at hand, which makes the overall
learning atmosphere great.
Dr. Salazar is always smiling and really seems to enjoy life in general. He has very
convenient office hours and is always open to taking questions.
Always available during office hours and was very easy to approach.
Dr. Salazar is a welcoming person. The lectures were very informative and helpful. I felt
comfortable asking questions during lecture. He always gave a kind response. He wants
his students to truly learn the material. After class, several office hours were available. I
took advantage of these opportunities as well. He helped me bridge information
together in my mind. I feel like I gained a lot from taking Dr. Salazar's A&P I course. I
will recommend to others.
Dr. Salazar is excellent at advising you on how you can improve, if you choose. Leading
by example, he continually adds to his knowledge and methods so he may better deliver
these things to his students. He is focused on helping those students who need and
want the help. He is professional, yet light hearted and uplifting. He is always willing to
stop what he is doing to listen to you or explain something to you. Dr. Salazar has most
certainly earned my respect and admiration.
Even though he is a busy person, he always has time to help students with an
agreeable attitude, and this shows that he cares about students' succeed.
Several times during my semester with Dr. Salazar, I had issues with the online
program, the material in the book, and obligations outside of class that interfered with
my attendance. Every time I spoke to Dr. Salazar, I felt comfortable and I felt like he
was only solution oriented for every issue I had.
He motivates his students, answer questions no matter what it is. He really cares about
his students and if they are learning.
Professor Salazar was always available and offer me the support needed to be
successful in learning and to approve the courses.
Thanks to professor Salazar and Galveston College for this fantastic experience.