Jacoba Rock, clinical associate professor in the School of Social Work, received the 2025-2026 College of Health Sciences Teacher of the Year Award.
The College of Health Sciences Teacher of the Year Award is a prestigious recognition given to an outstanding educator in the college who demonstrates exceptional commitment to teaching excellence, student engagement, and educational innovation. Recipients are typically selected based on their ability to inspire students, employ effective pedagogical methods, contribute to curriculum development, and make a lasting impact on their academic community.
Several social work faculty noted how Rock’s wealth of teaching skills, values, and expertise has benefited students and faculty alike. Her students routinely praise her and thank her for their experience in her classes. Rock has led the design and redesign of many classes across programs and has supported adjunct instructors when teaching new classes or requiring new resources. Her work with eCampus, such as through recorded course introductions and design of class resources such as glossaries, has served as a model for other courses, in and out of Social Work. Students have responded with enthusiasm to course materials that Rock has helped develop within the School of Social Work.
“Most importantly, throughout her teaching career, Dr. Rock has exemplified inclusivity,
innovation, and collaboration with her students,” Susan Esp, associate professor in the School of Social Work, said. “Dr. Rock finds a way to balance accountability with flexibility, ensuring that students are both challenged and supported – this leads to student retention and success, of importance to Boise State University. As demonstrated in her course evaluations and student letters, those in her classes consistently report that Dr. Rock is present, communicative, a safe space to share challenges and concerns with, and that she finds ways to make all students feel that they belong and that her courses are places where they can take risks and grow.”
In conjunction with two faculty from different disciplines, Rock developed and offers an ongoing interdisciplinary Vertically Integrated Project course called the Boise State Brain Bridge, which focuses on the translation of neuroscience into communities and social service settings where understanding neurological issues, such as those related to trauma, substance use, stress response, neurodivergence, and aging, can help vulnerable people and communities.