Great teaching: Kelly Jensen

November 07, 2025

Throughout her three years of teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County, Kelly Jensen, assistant professor of communication, has felt the positive effects of a tight-knit academic community on a daily basis.

From getting to connect one-on-one with her students in her public speaking courses to watching them overcome their own individual challenges as they walk across the commencement stage, Jensen finds herself continuously grateful for the connections that her work fosters.

“One of my strengths is my ability to connect with people,” says Jensen. “I get to know students to the extent that they want to open themselves up, while also understanding that students need different things from me and from the course.”

 

 

Jensen’s path to becoming the exceptional educator she is today brought her to multiple different states and allowed her many hands-on experiences. The Walker, Minnesota, native left her home state after earning her bachelor’s degree to work toward a master’s in curriculum and instruction from the University of Colorado-Denver, where she was exposed to a variety of opportunities. Jensen taught in a bilingual fifth grade classroom and spent two years as a research analyst for a foundation dedicated to helping low-income children and families.

By the time Jensen — who earned her Ph.D. in communication arts from UW-Madison — began her work on the Rock County campus, her teaching style had a natural emphasis on the ways in which cultural awareness allows communication gaps to be bridged. Through this focus, Jensen’s courses take a self-reflective approach that leads to the development of stronger, more confident communicators.

“My goal is to hone my students’ critical awareness of how their identity and the perspectives of others inform the ways they analyze and interpret communication,” Jensen said. “I remain cognizant of the varying positionalities in my classroom and I attend to difference and identity when I provide student feedback.”

 

 

While Jensen recognizes the many reasons that her students may have for pursuing higher education, she feels as though their deepest, most individual reasons are what can become powerful driving forces for perseverance.

“Whether it is navigating college for the first time, returning to school, considering a professional track, or applying to graduate school, uncover your personal why,” Jensen said. “That way, when you encounter a difficult day — and you will — you can ground yourself back in your why. That motivation can fuel you to preserve.”

Jensen is well aware of her own personal reason for teaching at URock, recalling her own student experience at a smaller, more intimate campus setting. During her undergraduate experience at Gustavus Adolphus College, she saw first-hand how the closeness between faculty and students can allow for many unique opportunities.

“The ways my instructors in college took the time to invest in me as a student really impacted my educational trajectory. I was drawn to UWW at Rock County because I wanted to translate that experience and work with students in a similar capacity,” she said. “What keeps me here is Rock County’s shared sense of community and the down-to-earth demeanor of our students and my colleagues.”

 

 

Jensen’s students notice the great attention and care that she invests into making sure they succeed; when course evaluations are completed at the end of each semester, the responses are reflective of this.

“Kelly Jensen is a superb professor whose patience and communication help ease students into the subject matter without feeling like anything is being forced upon them,” said one student on a year-end course evaluation. “She always makes sure to go above and beyond with her students, making her a key figure in URock’s community.”

Jensen’s pride in her students is never stronger than when she sees them stepping off the stage at commencement and into the next chapter of their lives.

“I am motivated by this work because I am passionate about emphasizing transferable communication skills that will prepare URock students for the next stage of educational journeys. All of that hard work pays off when I see our students walk into the commencement ceremony in their caps and gowns with proud smiles beaming off their faces.”