Teaching Philosophy

Teaching is a fine art between facilitation and subject expertise. Learning takes place through collaboration, research, and experiential engagement. Learning styles research is essential in the varied ways teaching and learning occurs. Using technology is an important addition to learning today as whatever roles graduates play in the future, computers will be a significant part of their experiences. Distance education is a growing avenue for education and will only increase as time goes on.

When working with adults, it is important to present the big picture first, then work task by task to accomplish the objectives. In working with younger persons, the big picture does not play as significant a factor in learning settings. With adult learners, setting the stage with the end goal facilitates the step-by-step learning that takes place in the individual activities.

Passion for Teaching

Helping others find their own path to learning is my passionate goal for all persons. Learning is really a path of discovery. I believe that true assessment occurs in the achieved outcomes of individual learners. As students who participate in an engaged course, real learning occurs as a by-product and students discover learning in the end result. Learning for the most part is not memorization, but experience. Teaching is mostly an experience of facilitation and direction, particularly with adult learners. Real learning changes us for the better, making the world and culture a better place.

Learning Styles

When designing course material and experiences, an instructor or designer will naturally design from their own natural learning style. Learning styles theory is based in both personality theory and information theory. Visual, aural, reading/writing, and kinesthetic learners have different needs for a positive learning experience. Instructors need to design experiences to reach multiple styles whether in class or online.

Collaboration

Group projects, online and face-to-face collaboration, and other team activities prepare learners for their roles in the future. Younger students and teachers usually are comfortable with online collaboration and see little, if any, difference between email, instant messaging, and electronic discussion board engagement than with face-to-face collaboration. Older students and teachers tend to feel that there is less engagement in these electronic media.

Research

Much of today's research takes place via the internet and electronic databases. Many scholarly journal providers have made their full-text available through library-based electronic journals. Libraries support these journal through significant funding. In addition, many journal publishers will make select articles available in full-text at their websites. This availability requires more advanced searching skills. Boolean searching (and, or, and not) will further enable finding the targeted articles. While libraries may be less visited in person, the research shows increased use of libraries through these electronic resources.

Distance Education

Quality education should always be delivered regardless of the mode of delivery. Learning should be the primary motivator in designing educational experiences, not the technology. Technology needs to server as an enabler of great education. Distance education enables students from other worldwide geographic areas to access learning at institutions that otherwise would be unavailable to them. Updated skills and tutorials enabling instructors and learners will be more and more key in delivering education via the internet.

Writing Style

APA (American Psychological Association) and MLA (Modern Language Association) are two very common styles, depending on your academic discipline. You will need to find out which you are required to use. Also, when writing for publication, be sure to find out which style and other requirements are needed for publishing with the journal.

MLA Citing Information from UDM Libraries
APA Citing Information from UDM Libraries

This site also gives a lot of information regarding formulating topics for research and other guides in research.

KnightCite :: a sure fire way for formatting your citations, using established forms to fill in your data. Copy and paste to your document in either MLA or APA formats. This link points to the APA page, but you can switch to the MLA or Chicago Style page at the site.

APA Template Download for Word - this template will create styles in Word that match the requirements for APA. Styles for title, byline, headings, references, running head, long quote indent, and other required formatting for APA 5th Edition.

When downloading, make sure to follow the steps for the version of Word on your computer. You will find the download link in the section labelled "Download the APA Template". You can find the version of Word on your computer by launching Word then clicking on ABOUT from the HELP menu.

Teaching Practices Topics

Learning Styles

Neil Fleming developed the VARK system based on learning style and personality theory. You can take the VARK yourself by clicking here. Notice the Study Sheets which offer study tips for each style. These study sheets are the power of the VARK system over other learning styles models. Use of the VARK system can aid in the creation of effective content for your course sites to reach multiple learning styles. Keep in mind that you will normally design in your own learning style innately. Awareness of other learning styles is critical for achieving academic excellence.

Best Practice: Using PDF to post files in course sites

Using a common file format that does not require special software or software that is not readily available will make your course sites much more user friendly. Use of the PDF format allows you to preserve ownership of your content as well as retain the original format. In addition, persons accessing your content will not require any specialized software other than an Adobe Reader [download free here]. Most computers already have the Reader installed now.