Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Information Technology

Capella University- Minneapolis, MN

Master of Science in Information Technology

Capella University – Minneapolis, MN

Bachelor of Arts in English

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts – North Adams, MA

My Teaching Philosophy

I consider teaching as my way of enlightening and motivating.  As a teacher my humble hope is to help students transform through positive learning experiences into confident, empowered individuals who contribute positively to society.  One way I want to encourage students is to help them view situations in new ways and look for creative solutions to their problems.  I want my students to see the possibilities and employ their own critical thinking skills to look past the current situation and see into the deeper meanings behind the problem.
I define successful learning as a situation where the student is able to express and demonstrate mastery of the concepts presented by applying them in real world situations. I believe learning is the successful transfer of knowledge gained through experience.  I desire to help students realize the goal of personal ownership of their future and to see the possibilities beyond their own perceived limitations.  My concept of teaching is both encouraging mastery of the topic and instilling a desire to learn throughout their lives.  I wish to instill a passion for learning.

A perfect teaching situation is a classroom full of motivated students who truly want to be present and learn the topic and demonstrate this desire through completion of the assigned tasks and full, active and conscious participation in the sessions.  I consider this perfect because the students are fully engaged in the learning process and are not passive spectators but connected participants.  I consider my role as the educator is closest to an evangelist who instills the passion to learn and to transfer the knowledge in such a way that it is useful and applicable to their daily lives or jobs.

When a student successfully completes my class they should be able to understand how to communicate effectively, both in written and verbal form and apply the skills learned to be an effective and creative problem solver as it applies to the core skills presented in the class.  To teach my classes, I will employ lectures, individual learning activities and group projects that employ real world situations that students might encounter in their work.  My primary objective in mentoring students would be to instill a sense of personal accountability.  An observer would find me calm, kind and patient but firm in my convictions.  My attitude towards mentoring is connected to my primary objective of instilling a sense of personal responsibility.  I want to work with students because I want to instill in them a passion for their vocation and to help shape them as contributing members of society.

The teaching materials I use will focus on using real world examples that students will encounter in their work life.  The responsibility to complete these assignments according to a scheduled deadline will help simulate the real world experience of completing tasks on a deadline in their job.  Each activity will include a grading rubric and a scoring guide so they know what is expected for each assignment.  The grading rubric and a scoring guide will offer a demonstration of performance levels of completion from basic through exemplary for each criteria so the students knows what to expect. 

I recognize that to be a teacher I must never stop learning.   I must keep myself abreast of trends in my field of expertise and in education. My goal is to contribute to the body of knowledge by publishing research and educating eager young minds.  To reach these goals I need to focus on continuous improvement of my own skills through feedback upon and refinement of the teaching process.  I will learn new skills by reviewing the journals devoted to my discipline and through networking with my peers. 

Being a teacher, one who shapes the minds of another, is an incredible privilege.  With such power must come a deep sense of humility and a constant vigilance about my attitude.  I must often reflect upon the image I present to my students and peers and recognize that I am a role model.  I must be the change that I want to see by setting impeccable standards for myself and those I am entrusted to teach.