Background:

I’ve worked with technology and words most of my adult life. The two just always seemed a natural fit for me. I completed my associate’s degree from a community college and fell in love with the environment, making me all the more grateful for the opportunity to teach at SPC. My bachelor’s and master’s degrees were completed through non-traditional distance learning programs, so I’m familiar with the needs of online students.

Over the years, my employment has taken me from caring for bunnies and chicks at a petting zoo to taking emergency messages for on-call doctors, to creating electronic and print training materials for a large non-profit organization,  to supervising the writing lab and teaching developmental writing and computer/information literacy at SPC.  I'm now an instructional designer and developer as well as an adjunct instructor. 

Certificates:

Effective Online Teaching Practices (In progress)  |  ACUE

ELearning Instructional Design  |  University of California, Irvine

Applying the Quality Matters Rubric  |  Quality Matters

Web Development  |  St. Petersburg College


Education:

MLS  |  University of Denver  |   Liberal Studies 

BIS   |  Old Dominion University  |  Interdisciplinary Studies, Professional Communications

AAS  |  Northern Virginia Community College  |  Liberal Studies


Philosophy of Teaching:

Learning is in the struggle. Crossing that gap between inexperience and knowledge can be frightening proposition for many students. Thus, my job as an instructor is to provide the tools needed, stoke the fire of motivation, believe the gap can be crossed, and guide learners through the struggle. They will still struggle, but in an open, encouraging environment where even tiny steps are celebrated. For example, as a teacher of developmental writing, my objectives of course included providing assignments that facilitate the learning of the fundamental concepts of standard American English grammar, mechanics, and punctuation as well as organizational and structural expectations of the academic modes of writing. But, I also hoped to encourage students to embrace the writing process as way of thinking through an issue and providing sound, logical, credible supports for the solutions they come to. Moreover, in any course I teach, I strive to provide examples of how solid writing skills can improve students' chances of success in their endeavors and to expose students to such varied topics as effective time management, critical thinking, interpersonal communication, self-exploration, and diversity.

I have taught in three formats—online, in class, and blended/hybrid—and have come to the conclusion that certain pedagogical best practices are a necessity for learning no matter what the delivery method. For example, in any learning environment instructors must clearly state expectations to students and follow a consistent, well-organized plan for achieving the learning objectives. Whether online, face-to-face, or blended students must feel comfortable expressing themselves, asking questions, and, especially, making mistakes; this also means the instructor must not only be readily available to the students but also be perceived as readily available. All three modalities should include interactive assignments, learner-directed exploration, a continuous feedback loop, and opportunities to revisit and reflect upon content. Although I cannot do the assignments for my students, nor force them do the assignments for themselves, I can give them ample opportunities to explore new concepts in a variety of ways and provide encouragement for the steps they do take to improve.

In evaluating my effectiveness as an instructor, I look closely at student progress in the content/skills, assessing where they stand compared to where they began and encouraging them to keep progressing. More important, I ask the students how I can improve and then incorporate their suggestions.

Working with others to achieve their own goals and seeing their transformations in progress provides learning opportunities of immeasurable personal value. I can only try to approach repayment by making meaningful, mutually respectful, connections with students as people and by offering support and encouragement as they struggle toward self-discovery and development.