RIKKI A. ROSCOE, Ph.d.

Teaching Philosophy

I am passionate about communication and its ability to make a difference in our world. Through teaching and mentoring, I aspire to show students that the way they communicate matters. Further, I want to give students the communicative knowledge they need to reach their goals and be the best they can be as a student, a professional, and as a person. Consistent with self-determination theory (Brooks & Young, 2011; Niemiec & Ryan, 2009), creating an inclusive and welcoming classroom culture, focusing on student-centered learning, and continued professional development will help me to achieve this goal.

INCLUSIVE & WELCOMING CLASSROOM CULTURE
It is my goal as an instructor that all students feel comfortable and welcome in my classroom. This means creating a learning environment that is respectful, inclusive, accessible, and engaging. First and foremost, I am committed to creating a respectful and inclusive learning environment where diverse perspectives are recognized, respected, and considered a strength. Indeed, communication courses allow for the discussion of diverse experiences and perspectives. I implement many community-building activities in hopes that students of all identities feel comfortable sharing and simply being themselves. Our intellectual community is enriched by diversity, and we all have so much to learn from one another.

Further, I seek to make my courses accessible, organized, and flexible. I am committed to supporting everyone’s ability to participate fully across learning styles. Indeed, each learner is distinct and unique, thus, they learn at different rates with different styles, and have varying abilities and talents. That’s why it’s important to provide students with a variety of assignments to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding. I continually look for ways to implement universal design for learning strategies in my classes – many of which overlap with student-centered learning – and encourage students to work with me to mitigate barriers related to the format or requirements of each course.

Finally, I use my passion for teaching to create a fun and energetic atmosphere for learning. From personal experience, I have learned the difference between having an instructor who lectures at you versus a teacher who goes the extra mile to make class fun and engaging. Ultimately, I strive to come to class with energy and excitement for the topic that radiates through the classroom.

STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING
To me, student-centered learning means students are directly involved and invested in the discovery of their own knowledge. This is not possible without opportunities for both collaborative and independent learning and intentional assessment and feedback. For instance, I seek to create an engaging and collaborative space in which students look forward to coming to class and are actively involved in their learning as opposed to being passive recipients of information. Students should not only learn course concepts but be able to connect and apply concepts to their own lives. Indeed, students find the learning process more meaningful when topics are relevant to their interests and needs. Therefore, I incorporate real-life examples as well as collaborative activities to get them involved in each lesson. This may include skills development activities, classroom assessment techniques (CATs), and ‘think, pair, share’ discussions.

I also challenge students to be independent learners and allow opportunities for personalization. For example, I ask students to set personalized goals at the beginning of the semester, provide opportunities for personalized reflection throughout the course, and have students assess their goals and growth at the end of the semester. Independent learning also involves providing students with a voice and a choice when possible. Students are able to choose from various assignment options and choose their own topics to explore. I believe this promotes creativity and intellectual curiosity and helps to accommodate individual differences in learners’ experiences, interests, and abilities.

Finally, clear expectations, rubrics, and feedback are important for student improvement and success. Therefore, for each assignment, students are given a detailed assignment description and rubric. Students know what is expected from them, and examples are provided. I provide a quick turnaround of grades (no more than two weeks) and provide detailed feedback. Feedback is vital for informing students what they are doing well and what can be improved. If my students have points taken off an assignment, my feedback will outline exactly why. Ultimately, feedback is a gift that shows students you care and want them to succeed.

CONTINUED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Teaching is a process in which you grow infinitely. Our society is always changing, and therefore, our approach to teaching must continually change and improve. This is why I have sought out a graduate minor in college teaching, an online teaching certification that involved a six-week seminar, and additional pedagogical training and development. While I will never be perfect, I strive to put forth my best effort and accept that there will be difficult days as an instructor of college students. The important thing is to learn from the hard days, do my best to improve as an instructor, and keep my focus on student-centered learning.

As a first-generation college student, I am someone who benefited greatly from teachers and mentors taking a genuine interest in my ability and, more importantly, my humanity. I strive to have this same impact on my students’ lives. I recognize that I hold immense responsibility for helping students reach their personal and professional goals. Ultimately, I want students to leave my classroom not only knowing that communication matters but simply that they matter.

Student Testimonials

“The thing I enjoyed most about Rikki’s teaching style was the environment she created in her classroom. Going into this class, I hated public speaking and was dreading the thought of going to this class every day. Rikki ensured this class provided a comfortable and judgment-free atmosphere that allowed her students to thrive. She facilitated positive feedback from other students after we gave our speeches which always made me feel better and more confident about my speech.

Rikki significantly impacted my future career; she is actually the whole reason I realized I want to pursue a career in law. For our informative speech, she gave us a flexible topic with certain parameters. I struggled with picking my topic for a while, but eventually landed on Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Learning about her empowering story, combined with my new confidence in public speaking, allowed me to realize that I wanted to become a lawyer. 

In the classroom, Rikki made me feel comfortable and valued. I was extremely intimidated going into this classroom, as I did not know anyone and was scared of public speaking. Rikki created a sense of community that lessened my fear and empowered me to do my best in her class. When the pandemic hit, we all struggled. Rikki was so kind and understanding to all of us, and gave us the opportunity to keep a sense of normalcy through the class. It is obvious to me and everyone she has taught that she genuinely cares about her students and wants us to feel valued and seen.”

Maggie, Spring 2020

“Rikki Roscoe is a devoted instructor and researcher. She is an attentive, intriguing, and efficient instructor who can construct a prosperous learning environment for her students. I had the privilege of taking Comm 1200 Public Speaking under Rikki in the Fall of 2019. She presented the material in a captivating and organized manner. Additionally, Rikki provided our class with the option to request to present our speeches towards the beginning of the arranged order. As an introverted freshman, I appreciated the inclusive notion. That gesture provided me the opportunity to present the best version of my work. Rikki helped me become a strong voice in a subject that I originally felt anxiety towards. We have since maintained a solid relationship throughout my undergraduate career. After expressing my interest in gaining research experience, Rikki presented me with the opportunity to code social scientific research in the Spring of 2021. As a current scholar in the McNair Scholars Program here at Mizzou, it is evident that Rikki invests in high potential students in and out of the classroom. I’m confident that future students will be pleased to have received instruction from Rikki Roscoe.”

Kyra, Fall 2019

“I had the privilege of taking Public Speaking during the Spring semester of 2020 with Rikki. From the very first to the very last day of class, Rikki was extremely approachable, welcoming, and caring. Rikki recognized that lots of my classmates, including myself, were not very familiar with public speaking and had a lot of nerves coming into her class. Rikki went above and beyond to make the classroom a safe, comfortable space by being encouraging, easy-going, and positive. I could tell Rikki clearly wanted all of us to succeed and would do absolutely everything in her power to help her students do so. Rikki was always well-prepared and anytime I emailed her about a question, she responded very quickly and provided great feedback. It can be hard reaching out for help, but Rikki was so approachable that I never hesitated to ask for assistance. After taking Public Speaking with Rikki, I gained a sense of confidence that I never had before and it’s all thanks to her. If Rikki taught my other classes, I would immediately sign up for them. As a student, it’s reassuring knowing there are people like Rikki who put her student’s academic successes and well-being all first.”

Courtney, Spring 2020