Teaching & Learning

To encourage faculty exploration and adoption of good pedagogy, I created or chaired teaching award committees at many of the institutions at which I worked. I also facilitated formation of many faculty learning communities, provided funding to support them, and participated where possible.

Promoting Student Learning Opportunities

To infuse more experiential learning within the curriculum at FHSU, I created an Experiential Learning Committee to coordinate and promote the concept of experiential learning throughout the university’s on- and off-campus educational environment, including Internships / Practicums, Service Learning, and Cooperative Education.

To encourage students’ engagement with their community and application of their growing knowledge to local and World problems, I provided support and funding for the Scholar-Citizen initiative at Radford. In fact, this was the focus of our Quality Enhancement Program for SACs accreditation.

My Teaching Philosophy

Half the job of a teacher is in the definition of clear and appropriate learning objectives for a course of study, and design the of the learning experience for the students. The other half is in guiding the students through their own learning experiences by exposing what they already know or can do (or think they do), integrating new information or acquired techniques, and exposing the resultant new knowledge and skills to scrutiny and criticism.

I believe that people learn by doing, that understanding is far more important than memorization, and that the knowledge, skills, and most importantly changes in thinking patterns, that remain a year after the course has ended are the true measure of success. For students, preparation prior to the course is as important as the work done during it, and should contribute to the grade awarded for the course. Reflecting on learning and the learning process is critical for consolidation of knowledge and skills. Teaching should be informed by our growing understanding of how people learn (cognitive neuroscience) and be the subject of a constant quality improvement process (assessment).

Teaching Experience