#gccut

In my Capstone Project course for the Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching we are tasked with creating a Teaching Portfolio. One of the readings we engaged with early in the term was ‘Valuing and Evaluating Teaching in Academic Hiring: A Multidisciplinary, Cross-Institutional Study’ by Deborah Meizlish, Matthew Kaplan. This 2008 study looked at the importance of teaching in disciplines, institutional types and levels of education. It also addressed what search committees like to see in terms of proof of teaching abilities. What I took away from this article was that the humanities typically rank teaching of higher importance than other fields when it comes to new faculty. Research is a higher priority for most fields when it comes to faculty. Search Committees often do not explicitly ask for a teaching portfolio but can expect it to be included in materials even without asking.  I appreciated this reading because it shows me the kind of search process that Academic Affairs members go through. It also allows me to see how differing institutional types might label research of higher importance than teaching capability. Questions I have remaining are if the same research was done today what kind of improvements or trends would we anticipate seeing? Due to funding cuts, would research be an even higher priority, or due to student activism and demands would we see teaching importance on the rise?

As I continue to work on my capstone portfolio project for the Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching, I will update this blog with more artifacts of creation. As it stands I have developed a rough philosophy draft below:  My philosophy of behavior and teaching has evolved through my one classroom experience and the multitudes of ways I’ve seen student develop learning even outside of the classroom. Through my experiences with students in and out of the classroom in the college setting I have develop these guiding principles for my work. Promoting     trustworthy and helpful relationships between students and faculty Encouraging     self reflection to create value action alignment in learners Establishing     an accessible and approachable persona to facilitate student interaction     and communication. To make these principles happen I use my knowledge of learning theory, student development, and various instructor practices. Learning theory: Keller’s motivation model frames much of the work I do with students. To create a better more engaging learning experience, you must get buy in from the students. Especially when many traditionally aged first time college learners are not always sure that college is the right step for them, but rather the assumed next step. By framing my content in a way that directly links the material to their goals and self, I can facilitate true engagement and discussion where a student is welcomed to question the material and how it applies to their own life. Student development: By studying Student development I have come to recognize that cognitive, psycho-social, and self progress in different stages and rates for every learner. In order to create content in my classes that is sensitive to the differing needs of my learners I often have them do activities such as ‘pair-share’ as well as making multiple disclaimers about the nature of my course being subjective and only useful if applied to one’s own self exploration and values. Self-authorship is the process in which an individual disengages from what is expected of them and creates decisions and identity based on their own desires and determinations. I believe one of the key things I can do in my courses to encourage them to move along this spectrum is to validate the student as a ‘knower’ as some students might be early on in Perry’s Cognitive stages I have to encourage the students with guidance, and attempt to be as accessible and helpful as possible so they do not feel I am abandoning them or not giving clear direction on how to achieve success in the course. Instructor Practices: An important consideration to create the correct environment in the classroom is being aware of how I show up in the space. I manage my authority by often times creating an air of small talk and openness where I will ask my students how their day is going and be honest about my mindset as well. I take pride in the quick delivery and thoroughness of my feedback and attempt to create more buy-in in the relationship our class has with one another. I always make sure to thank students for contributions as well as being careful not to reprimand a ‘wrong’ or ‘exclusive answer’ by acknowledging their comments and offering an additional perspective to the one that they offered. In order to encourage accessibility and relationship building I make multiple announcements every course about my policy allowing students to make up work if only they communicate in some fashion why they are not going to turn it in on time.  Following these principles has allowed me to create space that feels safe, fun, and relevant for student learners. By considering their experience as a holistic person I am able to engage with students on a level that encourages relationship building and communication. Because of these considerations mentioned above, I have had multiple student reviews stating that my desire and attempt to create student success is clear and marked. I will continue to develop new ways to support students in and out of the classroom as they learn and develop throughout their experience in higher education.  

When I was waiting on my acceptance letter I decided to go ahead and enroll in Course Design with Dr. Devon Quick. This experience was a great entry into the program even it was a course taken out of order. Being able to restructure and analyze the ALS 114 course I had just taught and was continuing to teach gave me great moments of meta-cognition and allowed me to have a template of a syllabus going forward.  What I enjoyed most about this program was the way it put me in classrooms with future academic affairs professionals. Hearing the side of Higher Education that is outside of the student affairs bubble re-framed my perspectives on what college is for, how students are interacting with the institution, and most notably, how much I assume everyone knows when they work in college that they do not know. I had spent so much time around professionals who spoke about student development and holistic wellness and engagement and sense of belonging, that it was fascinating to see faculty members processing this at their own speed in their own contexts.  Throughout my time at Oregon State, I think the Graduate Teaching Certificate has been valuable for how it has humanized and given me time around future Academic Affairs Faculty and Professionals. I learned about teaching yet, but I almost feel as if the biggest takeaway for me is the perspectives and earnestness in my fellow GCCUT classmates. Because of my experience in this program I am going to make a concerted effort to make sure I always break out of my Student Affairs bubble more often. The passion of our teachers and faculty is great and reframing my work through their eyes allows me to create a mores sustainable and effective relationship with functional areas outside my own.