TEACHING
Teaching Statement
As junior faculty, I actively sought opportunities to learn more about teaching. In my second year, I was accepted to the Early Career Faculty Workshop sponsored by the Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs with the Association for the Study of Higher Education. I have also attended several workshops by the Center for Learning and Teaching. These opportunities, along with intentionality when planning courses, instill confidence in my teaching abilities. Below I describe my teaching philosophy, which includes aspects of inclusive pedagogy, self-assessment, the learning paradigm, applied learning, and use of technology.
Student Advisory Committee Report from Tenure Review
The student advisory committee(s), when extant, shall be asked to report on the teaching effectiveness and student-teacher relations of the individuals under consideration. The committee should gather student opinions as follows: 1) solicit the opinions of students in the academic unit; 2) verify that the opinions they have solicited do come from identifiable students in that academic unit; and 3) prepare a single report summarizing the range of viewpoints. The committee must ensure that in their report, no names of individual students appear. Student opinions may be collected in a number of ways, for example: through signed emails, signed letters, and surveys conducted in the faculty member’s classroom. Only the members of the student advisory committee(s) should sign the committee’s report.
Student Opinion of Teaching (SOOT) Survey Results
If you refer to the Student Opinion of Teaching (SOOT) survey visualization, which I created, you will notice two trends. First, the average response on the nine qualities of instruction is very good: all but two of the average scores exist between very high and high, and there are fourteen cases where students unanimously selected very high. Second, you will see evidence of improvement. For example, in my first semester, the lowest score I received (which was still quite positive) was the degree to which, “The instructor explains complex ideas clearly.” However, this score has improved overall, in part because I met with an Instructional Designer from the Center for Learning and Teaching. You will also notice that the average score for usefulness of texts has increased in repeated teachings of the research course (where I introduced a textbook to connect course concepts) and the introduction course (where I worked with our subject librarian to procure a multiple use electronic version of the text).
Course Policies
Every year, I update the course policies that govern my classes. Of course, these policies cover perfunctory information such as class absences, assignment grading, and campus resources. However, the document also provides a land acknowledgement, discusses student mental health, includes my personal diversity statement, and gives guidance on the ways Students of Color are described in higher education scholarship.
SAA 510 – Introduction to Student Personnel Services
The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with basic information regarding student affairs education, while enhancing skills related to written communication and goal setting
SAA 513 – Organization and Administration in Higher Education
This course will focus on the organization and administration of higher education. The course is designed to provide basic information about the organization and function of major administrative units and administrators in institutions of higher education.
SAA 515 – Research Methods in Higher Education
The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with research methods commonly employed in higher education, while providing skill development in survey item design and basic statistics, guiding future development in research skills and implementation of scholarship in practice.
SAA 527X – High-Impact Practices in Higher Education
High-Impact Practices (HIPs) in higher education include experiential learning opportunities
such as service-learning, internships, and research with faculty. These experiences have existed within the academy for some time; however, since 2006 they have been grouped under the HIPs moniker among educators and researchers alike (e.g., the high-impact learning experiences found in our university's roadmap). In this course, students will learn about what makes these opportunities High-Impact and for whom.
SAA 580c – Finance in Higher Education
The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with the budgetary skills and finance issues within higher education.
SAA 580g – New Student Affairs Professionals
The purpose of this course is to provide you with a structured opportunity to reflect on and synthesize your learning in the SAA master’s program and to prepare you for the transition to a professional role. Emphasis will be placed on reflection and synthesis, understanding your professional strengths and interests, the student affairs job search, and transition from a student role to a professional role.
SAA 580z – Critical Quantitative Research in Higher Education
Students will learn how to use critical quantitative skills, such as disaggregation and effect coding, to examine inequities within higher education. Laboratory time will include working with actual higher education data to learn about diverse, and often overlooked, student populations. Statistical techniques developed during these sessions will include descriptive statistics, T-tests, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple regression. Class conversations will include the lensing of research design through critical theoretical frameworks. As a course prerequisite students need to have completed SAA 515 - Research Methods in Higher Education or an equivalent course approved by instructor.
SAA 581c – Contemporary Challenges in Higher Education
We live in extraordinary times and higher education needs student affairs educators prepared for them. This course is focused on the intersection of student affairs with current higher education issues.
SAA 581d – Disability in Higher Education
The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with fundamental knowledge to understand disability in higher education. During the course, students will explore theory, legal issues, and educational practice related to this topic, while hearing from experts in the field about disability in higher education. Students will also use NSSE data to create a research poster on this topic.
Unsolicited feedback
John is the best professor I've ever had. He takes subjects that may not interest everyone (ie. research methods, finance) and makes them seem exciting. His passion is evident and it is obvious that he truly cares about his students. He also checks in frequently and will make adjustments to the course based on student feedback. Highly recommend.