Perspective
My approach to teaching is exemplified through concepts introduced in the work of Schön (1983), including the complementary processes of reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action. I believe much of modern education is characterized by what Rittel & Webber (1973) term “wicked,” ill-defined problems—where multiple endpoints may be equally valid, where problems are essentially unique, and where problem formation is highly difficult, if not impossible. While characterizing much of higher education learning as a potential “wicked” problem may seem like an insurmountable hurdle, the thrust of Schön’s pedagogy—and my own—works to embrace this indeterminacy, focusing the student’s attention on how the instructor models inquiry-in-action to begin their own process of reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action.
I seek to model this behavior in the online and face-to-face classroom, emphasizing the need for individual engagement and the application of learning tasks to real-world contexts and problems. Learning isolated facts in the classroom is easy, but engaging in real-world problems with no easy solution (or any solution at all!) is challenging, and brings the student to a space where they are co-problem solvers along with their peers and the instructor. Technology—in the broadest sense—plays a significant role in both expanding and contracting this notion of reflection. While technology provides more efficient availability of knowledge and additional tools with which to interact with content—the contraction of reflection (or reappropriation to reflection-on-action techniques) as more examples are readily available outside the classroom—technology also tends to complicate the real-world scenarios presented, especially as ubiquitous computing becomes reality and technology application becomes more complex. This latter example represents an expansion of reflection, as more variables are introduced into the existing “wicked” problem.
I have engaged in a variety of teaching—in formal and informal settings, and in online and face-to-face modalities. I have taught online courses for University of Phoenix for the last three years, teaching courses in web development and strategy. In addition to this online experience, I have taught as a volunteer Associate Instructor or mentor for two courses during the Fall 2011 semester, and served as a mentor in one course in the Fall 2012 semester. These experiences serve to build my face-to-face teaching experience, focused on developing teaching skills within a design studio context. I have also designed a wide variety of course components, including customization of online course materials for the courses I teach through University of Phoenix, course support materials for a variety of client projects while at Think Up Consulting, and in the development of supportive job aids for R341 during the Fall 2011 semester.
To further my teaching abilities, and provide an opportunity for individual reflection and formal evaluation, one of the course sessions of R341 that I taught during the Fall 2011 semester was video recorded. This recording was evaluated by the Instructional Consulting office, and the resulting report allowed me to reflect more directly on opportunities for improvement in the future.
Teaching Competencies
- Acquire content knowledge in subjects I intend to teach
- Teach and mentor students in a face-to-face environment
- Teaching students in an online environment
- Design and develop course components
Evidence for Teaching Competencies
- Acquire content knowledge in subjects I intend to teach
- Coursework completed in the fields of graphic design, web design and development, instructional design, human-computer interaction design, visual semiotics, art criticism, educational foundations, and research methodology.
B.S. Transcript, M.A. Transcript, M.Ed. transcript, Ph.D. transcript (as of 1/12/2013)
ongoing
- Self-directed learning in information architecture, visual semiotics, and semantic web technologiesongoing
- Coursework completed in the fields of graphic design, web design and development, instructional design, human-computer interaction design, visual semiotics, art criticism, educational foundations, and research methodology.
- Teach and mentor students in a face-to-face environment
- A volunteer associate instructor (AI) for R341: Multimedia in Instructional Technology during the Fall 2011 semester. Responsibilities included managing lab activities and providing individual support to students during lecture portions of the course, and occasionally presenting lectures on relevant topics in relation to visual design or development techniques. I assisted in grading student assignments and provided formative feedback on submitted projects.
Midterm Student Evaluation (Questions 3, 8, 9), Official End of Semester Student Evaluation (Questions 22, 23), Instructional Consulting Classroom Observation Report
completed
- A volunteer mentor/AI for I541: Interaction Design Practice during the Fall 2011 and Fall 2012 semesters. Responsibilities include: working as a mentor for project teams, attending group meetings, and providing individual and team support as students learn to become competent design practitioners. I assisted in grading team projects and attended all course sessions.
Documentation of Responsibilities from Dr. Marty Siegel
completed
- A volunteer associate instructor (AI) for R341: Multimedia in Instructional Technology during the Fall 2011 semester. Responsibilities included managing lab activities and providing individual support to students during lecture portions of the course, and occasionally presenting lectures on relevant topics in relation to visual design or development techniques. I assisted in grading student assignments and provided formative feedback on submitted projects.
- Teaching students in an online environment
- I teach students courses in web development, marketing, and strategy through the University of Phoenix. As of January 2013, I have taught 5 sections of WEB/404 and 18 sections of WEB/435 (see my Vita for course descriptions). Each section consists of a five-week course, containing a variety of organized discussions, individual papers, authentic projects, and group papers or projects. No required evaluations are available for these courses, but I am including results from my available annual peer course reviews.
2009 Peer Review, 2010 Peer Review
ongoing
- I teach students courses in web development, marketing, and strategy through the University of Phoenix. As of January 2013, I have taught 5 sections of WEB/404 and 18 sections of WEB/435 (see my Vita for course descriptions). Each section consists of a five-week course, containing a variety of organized discussions, individual papers, authentic projects, and group papers or projects. No required evaluations are available for these courses, but I am including results from my available annual peer course reviews.
- Design and develop course components
- I designed a wide variety of courseware and course components for online and traditional face-to-face courses in my experience as an art director at Think Up Consulting from 2007-2010. My role in creating any documented artifacts varies widely, but generally, these artifacts represent my involvement in visual strategy, information design, instructional design of courseware and environments, and creation of visual components to support instructional objectives.
Social Media Response Chart, Coach’s Guide, Evaluation Dashboard
completed
- I designed job aids to support students in R341: Multimedia in Instructional Technology during the Fall 2011 semester, with the intention of these aids providing resources for additional learning, and visual depictions of processes or development models used in that week’s instruction.
Week 2 Job Aid, Week 3 Job Aid, Week 9 Job Aid, Week 14 Job Aid
completed
- I designed a wide variety of courseware and course components for online and traditional face-to-face courses in my experience as an art director at Think Up Consulting from 2007-2010. My role in creating any documented artifacts varies widely, but generally, these artifacts represent my involvement in visual strategy, information design, instructional design of courseware and environments, and creation of visual components to support instructional objectives.