Teaching Philosophy

Whether teaching learning sciences, education policy, research methods, or statistics courses, class activities provide opportunities for students to engage in meaningful conversations and link theory to practice. Throughout the semester and culminating in a final assessment of knowledge, I encourage students to apply course content to a research topic or policy issue of their choosing. Within the classroom, I use the discussion of case studies, current events, and examples from research to encourage and develop critical thinking and reflection within my students. Technical as well as content courses focus on application by running code and working with data, assignments to critique academic articles employing the methods learned, and opportunities to practice communicating research methods and findings to a range of policy-relevant audiences. Outside the classroom, I extend classroom experiences as a mentor and adviser to emerging researchers, including providing interested students the opportunity to assist and collaborate on ongoing projects.

As a researcher who studies the equity implication of cultural norms in the classroom, I proactively integrate varied learning strategies, goals, and accommodations to meet the needs of diverse learners. I make research written by individuals belonging to minoritized groups a core component of class content and provide written and in-class opportunities for students to apply life experiences to course topics. To help all students succeed, I clearly communicate classroom norms and expectations, as well as my willingness to adapt content and instructional strategies to students’ needs and goals. I further empower students to take ownership of their own learning by teaching their peers, presenting research findings, and conducting their own research.

 

Teaching Experience

LT 8100 Theoretical and Cognitive Foundations of Learning Sciences, Georgia State University

Instructor (Fall 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023). This course exposes students to key topics in the learning sciences and equips them with the research skills necessary to begin engaging with and contributing to the field. Tor most of the course, we discuss learning theories and current debates in the field. At the end of the course, we will discuss applications of learning theories to technology-supported learning environments. Throughout the course, students will learn how to read, discuss, apply, present, and write a research proposal in alignment with field norms using the theories covered.

EPRS 8850 Introduction to Mixed Methods Research. Georgia State University

Instructor (Spring 2023). Introduction to Mixed Methods research (EPRS 8850) introduces students to a methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative approaches. Students explore conceptualization, design, data collection and analysis within a mixed methods framework. The study of this methodology is be contextualized within the broad field of educational research.

EPRS 8860 Advanced Mixed Methods Research. Georgia State University

Instructor (Summer 2023). Advanced Mixed Methods research (EPRS 8860) deepens students’ understanding and exposure to a methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative approaches with an emphasis on hands-on application.

LT 9850 Doctoral Seminar for Instructional Technology Ph.D. Students, Georgia State University

Instructor (Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Summer 2022). Participating in LT 9850 in general, should help the learner be able to, (1) Navigate academic and career options available to PhD students in the LT field. (2) Process the knowledge to understand, reflect critically on, and (where applicable) work to change field norms. (3) Exhibit emerging oral and written knowledge of current research and theory in the field, and more specifically related to one’s research topic. (4) Exhibit a basic understanding of how to design questions for research, how to design research proposals, and how to present research proposals, and (5) Present scholarly work to peers.

LT 3000 Technology, Society, and Education

This course examines new and emerging technologies, how they have impacted education and society, and how they are likely to impact them in the future. The course will prepare students to think critically and creatively about the technologies shaping their studies today, and their lives to come. In addition, the course will explore a wide variety of current technologies.

LT 8300 Design Research in Practice, Georgia State University

Instructor (Spring 2021). This course is an introductory graduate course. This course aims to enrich students’ understanding of and capacity to conduct educational research with particular emphasis on the field of Instructional Design and Technology (IDT). The course will cover the overview of how researchers conceptualize research problems and collect research data (e.g., how to develop a research question, search the relevant literature, construct appropriate methodology, to name a few). Along the way, the particular interest of the course is to facilitate the skills needed to conduct new approaches to educational research known by a variety of names such as ” design experiments” and “design-based research,” etc.

LPO 7870 Research Design and Data Analysis II, Vanderbilt University

Instructor (Spring 2020), Teaching Assistant (Spring 2019). The central objective of this course is to instruct master’s students in “state of the art” methods for the core tasks involved in research design and policy and program evaluation and to provide an understanding of when and how these methods can be most usefully applied to produce knowledge and evidence of program and policy effectiveness. By the end of the semester, students are able to:

• Design a study using appropriate data collection and analysis methods.
• Tell a story with data for diverse audiences and using different statistical techniques.
• Connect course content to your daily lives by seeing how research methods and statistics are used to describe world events and understand social behavior.

Topics covered include: research design; causal attribution and validity; theory of measurement; basic descriptive and inferential statistics; sampling; survey/instrumentation design; missing data and survey non-response; statistical power; treatment implementation and measurement; multiple regression, and experimental and quasi-experimental methods of analysis. These course topics are explored with actual survey/study data.  Students work with data and analyze them with a statistical program (e.g., learning methods for data analysis, imputation of missing data, understanding non-response, etc.).