My Philosophy of Teaching:

I find that most students do not like to be taught, but most love to learn. Accordingly, my goal is not to teach, but to inspire students to teach themselves. I believe that people learn best when they work intimately with course material, testing and applying theories and examples to their own lives. My job is to provide the space and opportunity for this to happen by utilizing a large variety of active learning techniques and assignments both in and out of the classroom. I encourage my students to “play” with ideas (sometimes literally), and decide for themselves how they fit in to the context of their lives.   

My classes are highly interactive, more like conversations than lectures. We discuss how individuals create meaning within a variety of institutional, organizational, and social settings. I act as a facilitator in the classroom, encouraging students to focus less on the “right answer” and more on asking better questions. When it is necessary to present material in a more traditional lecture format, I draw inductively from students’ diverse examples and then tie them to the conceptual arguments, effectively encouraging students to participate in building “lectures.”

I believe it is my responsibility to model the behavior I expect from my students; to respect all points of view, and to approach each student and subject with appreciation and openness. This is also reflected in the way I structure most of my syllabi, allowing students to create individualized contracts where they personally select assignments that appeal to their interests and strengths.        

Courses I Teach:

COMM 326: Introduction to Organizational Communication

COMM 332: Business Communication

COMM 380: Communicating Leadership

COMM 380: Research in Health Communication

COMM 295: Special Topics: Fundamentals of Health Communication