Teaching

COURSES TAUGHT

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

COMS 930: Health Communication (Graduate)

Whether we realize it or not, we engage in health communication every day – whether navigating a doctor’s visit, searching online for medical advice, evaluating a content creator’s wellness recommendations, or supporting a loved one through an illness. Students interested in understanding how communication shapes health behaviors, decisions, and systems will benefit from taking this course, which offers an introduction to health communication theory, research, and practice. Specifically, this course examines communication across a range of contexts, including interpersonal (e.g., patient-provider communication and social support), organizational (e.g., communication within healthcare systems), intercultural (e.g., diverse health beliefs and practices), technological (e.g., eHealth and artificial intelligence), mediated (e.g., health messages in media), and societal (e.g., public health campaigns and structural inequities). Through a combination of scholarly readings, course discussions, and applied activities, students will develop the skills to critically analyze and evaluate strategies, challenges, and outcomes of health communication in today’s increasingly complex world.

COMS 855: Qualitative Research Methods in Communication Studies
This course is designed to introduce students to qualitative research methods. Specifically, through the presentation of scholarly readings and the proposal of an original research project, this course will explore the goals and methods of qualitative research while interrogating issues of epistemology (ways of knowing), methodology (ways of examining), axiology (the role of values in the research process), and representation (ways of writing and reporting). This course will take a survey approach by delving into diverse exemplars of qualitative research that illustrate key theoretical traditions and territories and illuminate the practice of developing a qualitative study. Classroom sessions will include a mixture of short lectures, discussions, and applied exercises.

COMS 441: Health Communication (Undergraduate)
This course explores communication within various health contexts, equipping students with a comprehensive understanding of its impact and importance at the interpersonal, organizational, and societal levels. Students will delve into patient-provider interactions, communication within and between health organizations, evolving health technology, cultural conceptions of health, health crisis and public health campaigns, politicized public health issues and corresponding disinformation/misinformation, and how health is discussed and represented in mediated contexts. Students will develop the skills needed to navigate and improve health communication across these varied settings by engaging with key concepts, theories, and application exercises.

COMS 210: Introduction to Organizational & Professional Communication
This course introduces foundational concepts in organizational communication to develop students understanding of the pivotal role of communication in workplace and professional contexts. Key topics include organizational socialization, decision-making processes, conflict management, fostering diverse and inclusive workplaces, and navigating advances in communication technology. This course emphasizes individual communication practices and responsibilities to equip students with the skills and awareness necessary to contribute effectively to organizational success and personal career growth.

ADDITIONAL COURSES

SPCM 441/541: Current Issues in Health Communication
South Dakota State University (Adjunt)

SPCM 440/540: Health Communication
South Dakota State University (Adjunct)

COMM 4412: Gender, Language, & Communication
University of Missouri (Graduate Instructor of Record)

COMM 1200: Public Speaking
University of Missouri (Graduate Instructor of Record)

SPCM 215: Public Speaking (Civic Engagement)
South Dakota State University (Graduate Instructor of Record)

SPCM 101: Fundamentals of Speech
South Dakota State University (Graduate Instructor of Record)

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 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.