Impact on Student Learning

Statistical Summary

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Student Testimonials

NB: Emphasis mine. Complete end-of-term evaluations are available upon request (please contact me for access).

Engaging and Adaptable Teaching Style

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Eight semesters of teaching as Instructor of Record at Columbia University have made it clear that students appreciate my adaptable and engaging teaching style, noting the diversity of strategies I brought into the classroom to promote participation and meaningful engagement with the material in and outside of the classroom, which ultimately supports their success in the course. I also model intellectual and professional development for my students by requesting feedback from them (directly or anonymously through the Centre for Teaching and Learning) and implementing pertinent changes in my teaching and assessments to fit their needs. Students have noted and appreciated this concerted effort to grow as a pedagogue. 

SPAN3300: Advanced Language Through Content, Fall 2020

• “On various occasions, the syllabus was adapted to reflect current events, which helped me learn about how to connect class material to our lives outside school.”

SPAN3349: Hispanic Cultures I, Spring 2022

• “​​He sought out and was especially receptive to student feedback.”
• “He is VERY [sic] open and receptive to feedback, which is great.”

SPAN1102: Elementary Spanish II, Summer 2022

• “Daniel was an excellent instructor. He was very flexible with the class, and structured the class in a way which allowed us to engage often with him. Much of the class was engagement, which is something you do not see in a lot of Columbia classes. The classroom was open to questions and discussions about real-world application. I would recommend Daniel to anyone taking Spanish. After taking his class, I decided to declare a concentration in Hispanic Studies because the class affected me that much. I hope to have professors like him in the future.”

ARTH364: Studies in Renaissance Art and Architecture, Summer 2023

• “Fun, engaging, smart, motivating and a really fantastic professor. Knows his material well and is very open about areas of less expertise. Welcomes discussion.”
• “Thank you for taking the time to approach this old subject into a new decolonized one. I can tell the inclusion of diverse cultures creates a balance of power.”

HUMA1001: Literature Humanities I, Fall 2023

• “He welcomed feedback and was flexible, making adjustments where he saw they were needed” 
• “He evolved as a professor and elevated his communication and teaching skills throughout the semester.”

HUMA1002: Literature Humanities II, Spring 2024

• “Daniel’s approachability and teaching style foster close examination of the text. He enriches lectures by integrating various media such as art, visual aids, and literature. He provided geographical context alongside historical insights which helped in understanding the development of the texts. The assignments are thoughtfully crafted to ensure a deep engagement with each assigned book, leaving a lasting impact.”
• “Daniel is an amazing instructor and he made this class such a rewarding journey. Even though there were lots of readings it did not feel heavy and I was looking forward to each class because of his compelling teaching style. He creates a safe environment for everyone to share in discussions and you will learn a lot from it. I wish I could take other classes with him!”

HUMA1001: Literature Humanities I, Fall 2024

• “Daniel is great and fosters a very fun and encouraging environment for discussion and other forms of engagement in the class. I’m so glad I took his section of Lit Hum. He is able to make the experience fun and engaging as well as productive, impactful, and deeply educational.”

HUMA1002: Literature Humanities II, Spring 2025

• “Since high school, I’ve struggled a lot with paying attention to class, mainly because I get easily distracted, but Daniel really ties the class together and conducts it in a way that makes it engaging for everyone, which is why sometimes when we talk about the class with my peers we say it seems ‘easy’, but in the sense that we can retain most things that are tackled in class and that’s what he evaluates us on, which speaks well on his method of teaching.”
• “Their lectures were also extremely well made and made the perfect balance of guaranteeing that we understood everything that we were supposed to get out of the text while feeling like we were discovering it ourselves.”

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Empathy, Support, Inclusion, and Accessibility

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Although getting to know them is generally easier in language courses, I have continued to make concerted efforts to connect with them and engage them on an individual level in content courses. This allows me to gauge which students may need additional support from their instructor or their Advising Deans and to make sure their academic progress is not at the detriment of their overall well-being. I also implement principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in my classroom, both in the content and the way I teach, which increases student engagement and ultimately supports their success. 

SPAN3300: Advanced Language Through Content, Fall 2020

• “I think one of the course’s strengths was the inclusion of Indigenous and Black perspectives and art even though so much of the art and history we focused on had significant Spanish influence.”
• “ It is very admirable that he values building strong relations with his students, which allows him to accurately asses strengths/weaknesses and tailor the curriculum to the class’s needs.”

SPAN3349: Hispanic Cultures I, Spring 2021

• “He offered valuable feedback on assignments and demonstrated a level of patience and care I find uncommon. Given that Spanish is a second language, I was surprised at how well I was able to learn and retain information, as well as how comfortable I felt speaking up during class. I would greatly recommend his class to another student”

SPAN1102: Elementary Spanish II, Summer 2022

• “Daniel has been by far the best Spanish instructor I’ve had. He is deeply present, empathetic, and genuinely cares about students’ learning and comfort. He is a needed ally for students with disabilities; this is rare to find among Ivy League lecturers who traditionally disregard students with extra needs. Daniel is a creative strategist and ensures students like me have access to the material in a way I can process and understand. This does not mean dumbing down material; Daniel regularly meets with students who have struggles in office hours and provides assistive materials in class. […] I have always felt uncomfortable in Spanish classes due to hearing loss; this is the first language course where I have actually been able to learn.” 

ARTH364: Studies in Renaissance Art and Architecture, Summer 2023

• “[…] my professor did a great job. I really appreciate his patience and help. Don’t know how to express my gratitude.”
• “Honestly, I really enjoyed this course and found the professor to be one of my favourites. No complaints. I learned a lot and felt extremely comfortable.”

HUMA1001: Literature Humanities I, Fall 2023

• “He is thoughtful, caring, and strives for us to do the best we can do. I had a situation arise at the start of the semester and he helped me navigate through that alongside helping me keep up in class by making office hours readily available.”

HUMA1002: Literature Humanities II, Spring 2024

• “Daniel made my literature humanities experience wonderful. He established an inviting atmosphere in our classroom where we could discuss our readings in a way that helped us learn and communicate with one another without judgment. I always looked forward to class and felt motivated to spend both my spare time and outside of my regular study time exploring the various topics we covered. I needed guidance halfway through the semester, and I really appreciate Daniel for going above and beyond to help and point me in the right direction.”

HUMA1001: Literature Humanities I, Fall 2024

• “My instructor is very strong in understanding his students, taking the time to get to know everyone and provide very strong, tailored feedback that way.” 
• “As a first semester freshman, I found that this instructor was easily one of the most approachable ones that I have interacted with.”
• “He is patient and respects what everyone has to say. He also is lenient with homework and receptive to our mental health.”

HUMA1002: Literature Humanities II, Spring 2025

• “Daniel is a great professor! He is incredibly caring and always strives to create an inclusive environment, welcoming and understanding of students from different backgrounds.”

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Passion, Student Success, and Engagement

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Students appreciate the enthusiasm and passion I bring into the classroom, both for the subject matter and for their learning experience, which they find motivating. In addition to discouraging absenteeism by making the lessons more engaging and enjoyable, the diversity of pedagogical strategies I implement in the classroom leads students to delve further into the subject matter. They also note that alongside my care for them and their learning, these strategies help them feel well-prepared to complete the assessments. 

SPAN1102: Elementary Spanish II, Fall 2019

• “He truly cares about the success of each student and will work with you to get there.”

SPAN3300: Advanced Language Through Content, Fall 2020

• “I have chosen to enroll in Daniel Saenz’s Spanish classes for the last two years because he is one of the best language instructors I have ever learned from. It is very clear that he has a lot of passion and dedication in planning meaningful course material for us to learn. This can be seen from the creative PowerPoint presentations he creates and his innovative approach to teaching by using outside programs, like Jamboard and Kahoot. […] It is always a privilege to be a student in his class, and I hope that all Spanish students at Columbia have the opportunity to take a class with him. I am confident that many former and current students agree with my sentiments […].”
• “Daniel Saenz is an excellent teacher. He is thorough and has a deep knowledge of the topics. […]. He will make you look forward to going to class everyday and will make you want to take more classes in Hispanic subjects in the future. He is one of the best teachers I’ve had at Columbia honestly.”

SPAN3349: Hispanic Cultures I, Fall 2021

• “He is very good. He loves what he does and transmits that feeling to the students.”
• “Daniel is articulate, passionate, and knowledgeable about what we learned about.”

SPAN1102: Elementary Spanish II, Summer 2022

• “​​Daniel is a passionate instructor who cares a great deal about his students! […] He is always happily available to meet with students and I felt well prepared for all quizzes and assignments.”

ARTH364: Studies in Renaissance Art and Architecture, Summer 2023

• “Highly engaging way of teaching. I actually am learning and thinking more critically. […] Overall, 1000/10 professor. Really changed my learning experience!”
• “The instructor is amazing! Very passionate, knowledgeable (like an ocean), and caring. He truly cares about the meaningful learning of his students and works very hard.”

HUMA1001: Literature Humanities I, Fall 2023

HUMA1002: Literature Humanities II, Spring 2024

• “Daniel is an amazing instructor with great potential to be a top educator. He cares for students’ success and tries to make challenging discussions more welcoming. He always comes to class prepared. Daniel has improved drastically from the Fall semester and become more confident with his arguments. Additionally, Daniel tries to make fun activities that are aimed at warming up the students before serious discussions. These activities were always fun but at the same time meaningful. He returns all assignments on time with proper feedback and can extend a deadline if you have some personal issues. Overall, Daniel’s enthusiasm and dedication inspired me to read more.”
• “Daniel is a passionate instructor and it is obvious to me that he enjoys teaching. His enthusiasm is charismatic and creates a positive atmosphere around the classroom and with students. He is creative and no class is like the last, they are all catered to the work at hand. He makes sure to give context to each of the texts before we dive into the first words.”

HUMA1001: Literature Humanities I, Fall 2024

• “I feel that Professor Daniel does a wonderful job of describing what the objectives of the course are and meeting all of them. He was very clear with us since the beginning that he wanted us to develop interpretative lenses […] — and his classroom discussions and assignments give us room to explore while also receiving constructive, objective feedback on how to improve our analyses. I feel that his appreciation for scholarly ethics, love for the arts, and curiosity is really evident in his role as a professor.”
• “The instructor created an open environment that promoted rich discussion, with a clear enthusiasm for the work that he presented.”
• “Daniel was really really great- I haven’t seen a teacher that cares so much about the efficacy of his lessons in a while.” 

HUMA1002: Literature Humanities II, Spring 2025

• “Professor Saenz is a that type of teacher you will never forget. He truly cares about the students’ development. I transferred sections, his section and the other section were light and day. He has lesson plans and teaches us how to approach texts. He incorporates what we learned throughout the other texts we read, so everything resonates. It is truly a shame that he will be leaving Columbia.”
• “He is enthusiastic and full of passion—creating an engaging environment where I am eager to learn more about the works we read. His lesson plans are always easy to follow and full of in-depth, insightful connections that I would have otherwise missed! Overall, he is one of the best instructors I have had! Definitely recommend!”
• “Daniel was by far the best teacher I’ve had in my time at Columbia. He was always enthusiastic and listened carefully to everyone’s contributions. He’s encouraging but not overbearing and doesn’t force people to participate if they tend to be more quiet in class.”
• “My instructor in this course was excellent. Their greatest was the way that they were able to connect to me and my peers because their enthusiasm became contagious and made me invested in the course and its material.”

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Meaningful Feedback, Productive Discussions, and Transferrable Skills

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One of the ways I engage with students and support their learning is by providing meaningful feedback in the form of formative assessment throughout the semester, whether on written assignments or on their contributions in class. Students have appreciated my feedback and my availability to promote and moderate meaningful discussions, both of which contribute to their learning and to developing a number of skills in connection to the course content and beyond, particularly those of critical thinking, persuasive writing, visual and textual analysis, and language acquisition.  

SPAN3300: Advanced Language Through Content, Fall 2020

• “As someone who comes from a STEM background, this class encouraged me to engage in the arts/humanities and allowed me to develop stronger critical thinking and writing skills. I learned how to connect artworks to their historical background and in relation to academic articles written by experts. The writing exercises were well designed to allow me to practice synthesizing complex ideas and communicating them in another language.” 

SPAN3349: Hispanic Cultures I, Spring 2022

• “​​He made sure to create a class bond by facilitating a calm, comfortable environment at all times. He praised good answers and kindly redirected those that may not have been what he was looking for. All of his feedback on written work began and ended on a positive note and mixed in any suggestions or critiques. He was never too harsh, but always made sure we learned from our mistakes.”
• “I learned how to analyze art, enhance my Spanish writing skills, and establish cultural connections to art.” 

SPAN1102: Elementary Spanish II, Summer 2022

• “My Spanish has vastly improved in these six weeks. I can string together basic sentences and communicate if I need to, and I pick up phrases from people walking by now.”

ARTH364: Studies in Renaissance Art and Architecture, Summer 2023

• “Excellent course. I really love the wealth of information and how we are looking at the Renaissance and time periods around the world. […] Digestible information and lectures are thought-provoking and engaging. Class discussions are always interesting. I love the way you connect different elements together.”

HUMA1001: Literature Humanities I, Fall 2023

• “Class discussions were welcoming and productive. Feedback was helpful and the instructor was available.” 
• “Sing to me oh muses of that man, unmatched in ability to generate enthusiasm and facilitate discussion! One of the best instructors I’ve ever had.”

HUMA1002: Literature Humanities II, Spring 2024

• “The most enjoyable class I have taken so far. The format is engaging and leaves a lot of space for productive discussions.”
• “My instructor was excellent in terms of clarity for topics regarding texts, gave excellent background info on the time periods of the texts and authors, and provided excellent discussion in regards to the passages while keeping the entire class engaged. He also gave excellent feedback which helped me with my writing.”
• “He is available and responsive, his feedback is timely and helpful.”

HUMA1001: Literature Humanities I, Fall 2024

• “Feedback was given in prompt fashion, and it was both given in terms of what my goals were for the assignment as well as what the assignments specific approach was (that is, general feedback in regards to the assignment, and specific feedback in regards to the submitted content).”
• “I think Professor Saenz did a really good job with leading discussions and allowing us to think on the spot about the texts. We were also able to discuss a lot in smaller group setting with each other, allowing us to build off what others thought and collaborate as we unpacked the texts. There were many office hours we could go to and the feedback was very helpful.” 
• “He is great with leading discussions in class, guiding our interpretation and also posing questions that require critical thinking.” 

HUMA1002: Literature Humanities II, Spring 2025

• “His feedback has been instrumental in developing my critical thinking skills throughout the school year—allowing me to connect ideas and themes between texts and expand on my analysis on specific authorial choices!”
• “The best part of this course was the class discussion because students were invited to fully explore and push the boundaries of the texts and the understandings of them. At the same time, the instructor guided the discussions so that we independently came to the certain discoveries (for the purpose of thoroughly understanding the texts).”
• “This class made me a much better reader by which I mean I learned to read more quickly but also more deeply. This class also taught me to apply those analysis skills to other areas such as art as well.”
• “In this class, I learned how to analyze both the stylistic and thematic elements of texts. I developed the skills to better understand the relation between art and literature.”