I am reposting my teaching philosophy here from my tenure dossier narrative.
Encouraging students to think in both creative and critical ways is the major tenet of my teaching. In skill-oriented design classes, I put more emphasis on creative thinking while in courses such as Stereotypes in U.S. Television and Films, I focus more on critical thinking. In a critical thinking class, instead of making students memorizing course content for quizzes and exams, I create assignments in a way that allows students to internalize and reflect on what they read, watch, listen and discuss for the course in relation to contemporary societal issues and media phenomena.
I make my course assignments application-oriented. Either it is a theory or a software application, students are expected to utilize theory to analyze media text in projects in “Stereotypes in U.S. Television and Films” class. Students are also expected to utilize software applications in creating a professional-quality website or communication design. Therefore, their learning of a software application or a theory is not only restricted to class activities or lectures, but students also get a chance to apply them to analyze real media content or create a website with professional standards.
Keeping the course content relevant and contemporary is my another teaching philosophy in a new media or a digital design class. I try my best to keep up with the latest software and applications used in web development. A couple of years ago, when I was teaching web design at Shippensburg University couple the responsive web design framework – BootStrap – was not widely used. Since this design framework is gaining popularity among web developers, I have included it in Web II, an advanced-level web development class. Since the use of BootStrap requires some prior knowledge of HTML5, CSS, and CSS3, it is a useful tool to learn for the students who have learned basic web development languages in Web I class. Gaining knowledge on contemporary design practices and having skills in the applications of the latest digital tools are important for a student to get a job offer in a related field.
I follow a systematic assessment approach while maintaining the rigor of the assessment standard. I share detailed rubrics for all course projects/assignments with my students. When I give a grade back to students, I wrote my comments throughout a paper. In the assignments, I also want to be very thorough about my expectations. When I write a project prospectus, it is usually very descriptive. I also go over the details during a class session.
Knowing the students and their issues with the course in progress are important in effective teaching. After the fifth week, I usually conduct an anonymous survey among the students to get their initial feedback about the course and learning outcomes. From the student response pattern, I can identify what is working and what is not working in a course. If I think students have some genuine concerns or suggestions, I modify my content planning and teaching approach. For example, in fall 2014, a Web I student wrote that it would be helpful if I could “clearly” explain homework assignments in class. I accepted that suggestion and spent more time explaining upcoming homework at the beginning of a class session.
I also offer additional office hours to students who struggle with learning in a course. In my web development classes, I require students to share their draft of a major project with me much before the deadline. In that way, they get my feedback on a work-in-progress. Since students encounter new types of situations when they work on a website project independently, they also learn from my comments/feedback on how to troubleshoot or address certain layout issues. A student from fall 2015 Web I class finds my flexible office hours and project meetings helpful:
Relevance to Loyola Learning Aims
In conclusion, my teaching approaches and course content accommodate and reflect Loyola’s learning aims as well as some important tenets of Jesuit education – critical understanding, aesthetics, intellectual excellence, diversity, justice, and eloquentia perfecta.
Web and graphic design class assignments and activities reflect aesthetics and critical understanding aspects of the learning aims. Learning outcomes in “Stereotypes in U.S. Television and Films” focused on critical understanding, diversity and justice since students critically analyze media content to assess the representation of different social identities, particularly the underrepresented groups, in entertainment media content.
Since “stereotypes” class requires students to write critical, evidence-based essays and make an oral presentation of course topics, it serves the learning aim of eloquentia perfecta.
Web, Graphics, and Stereotypes in U.S. Television and Films classes also focus on intellectual excellence since students understand that the knowledge of web/graphic design is interconnected with knowledge and goals of other fields of study – marketing, fine arts, public relations, advertising, and journalism among others. Likewise, in “Stereotypes in U.S. Television and Films,” students learn to analyze stereotypical representation in media content in historical and sociological contexts.