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Statement on Teaching, Research, and Service
Summary of Teaching Effectiveness
Creation and Dissemination of New Knowledge
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Statement on Teaching, Research, and Service
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Introduction
| Teaching Statement
| Research Statement
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| Service Statement
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Teaching,
Research, Service—the trilogy of academe. For me, they all work together
to provide a framework for everything I do. Just as the builder begins
with the foundation, my education and training have provided a firm
foundation in teaching and learning theory. Through the years, I have
begun to shape the walls and
decorate the rooms by building my own inquiry into effective teaching and
learning. And through leadership and service, I am able to apply the
practical knowledge with the theory to begin to complete “the house.” I am
reminded of a story shared by Jerold W. Apps in Mastering the Teaching of
Adults. A tourist visiting a large city saw several bricklayers working on
a church. She could see that it was a very large church and she was
curious. Coming up to a bricklayer she asked, “What are you doing?”
Without looking up the bricklayer growled, “You can plainly see that I’m
laying bricks.” The tourist watched for a while, observing how the
bricklayer placed a layer of mortar, and carefully positioned each brick
making sure it was straight and true. The tourist moved around the
building and met a second bricklayer. “What are you doing?” “I’m building
a cathedral,” the second bricklayer said proudly and with a smile.
Both bricklayers and university faculty can do
acceptable work. But, the second bricklayer had an attitude that (s)he was
contributing to something that was important and that made a difference. I
personally want to be like the second bricklayer.
My personal definition of a great teacher is one who demonstrates passion for his/her subject and uses innovative approaches to provide the learner opportunities to apply, synthesize, and evaluate course products and processes--A CEO of the classroom:
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A class climate that encompasses care, compassion and creativity while also challenging learners to be critical thinkers;
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A teacher who exudes energy and enthusiasm, engaging the learners as active participants; and
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One who is organized and optimizes opportunities for learning success.
I emulate these characteristics in my own teaching. I not only research the most effective strategies for teaching, but I incorporate these components in my courses (ALEC 611, ALEC 696, ALED 442, & ALED 426). I use active approaches and act as a facilitator of learning rather than a provider of knowledge. Through interaction, discussion, and reflection, learners can further develop their ideas. I think it is important to recognize different learner characteristics and use multiple strategies and techniques to stimulate motivation and meaningful learning.
My philosophy matches most closely with constructivist theory which states that 1) types of learning cannot be identified independent of the content and the context of learning; 2) learning outcomes should focus on the process of knowledge construction and the development of reflexive awareness of that process; 3) learning goals should be determined from authentic tasks with more specific objectives resulting from the process of solving the real-world task; 4) the processes of learning should be modeled and coached for students with unscripted teacher responses; and 5) learners should be able to construct multiple perspectives on an issue (based upon Duffy & Jonassen, 1992, p. 7). This philosophy is reflective of the approaches I use in course construction, delivery, and evaluation.
My passion for teaching was rewarded in 2005 with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Agriculture Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award for the Southern Region. My graduate course Advanced Methods in Distance Education (ALEC 611) also received an Assessing Student Learning in Technology Assisted Teaching Award in 2005 for the use of self-assessment and authentic assessment techniques. A USDA funded project in which I was Co-PI, Roadmap to Effective Distance Education Instructional Design won 2 awards from the Association for Communication Excellence in 2005, the Outstanding Professional Skill Award, and Gold Award for Educational Project. This funded project also received the ADEC Excellence in College and University Distance Education Award in 2005.
Within the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications, we have identified the working knowledge bases that help to frame our profession. Those include 1) Change Theory and Processes, 2) Learning and Cognition, 3) Planning and Needs Assessment, 4) Communication Theory and Practice, 5) Leadership Education Theory and Applications, 6) Instructional Design and Delivery, 7) Evaluation and Performance Measures, and 7) Research, Measurement, and Analysis. I believe that it is important for agricultural educators to be proficient (breath of understanding) in all these knowledge base areas. Likewise, a specialization within these knowledge bases is also necessary to guide lines of inquiry for theory building and generation of new knowledge. My specialization is Learning and Cognition and Instructional Design and Delivery. These two knowledge base areas are interrelated. One must understand learning theory to design and deliver effective instruction. In particular, my line of inquiry has focused on developing instrumentation to measure actual and perceived learning competence (knowledge, skills, and abilities) with behaviorally-anchored benchmarks and expert authentication. The stair-step model has been replicated in a variety of educational settings (graduate courses, corporate training in an international setting, and continuing education) and content areas (distance education, eLearning, executive leadership, and agricultural education). I am also called upon for qualitative research expertise on research projects, graduate committees, and for teaching a graduate course in our Research, Measurement, and Analysis knowledge base.
In addition to the foundational knowledge bases, agricultural educators work in particular environs or contextual applications. These include: 1) Agricultural Communications – Agricultural Journalism, 2) eLearning and Professional Development, 3) Extension Education, 4) Organization and Community Leadership, 5) Teacher Education, and 6) International Agricultural Development Education. My primary area of expertise is within the context of eLearning and Professional Development and my secondary area is International Agricultural Development Education. As an Associate Professor and qualitative researcher, another important function is mentoring junior faculty and graduate students in their research. Therefore, I often serve as a methodologist in other contextual areas within agricultural education.
Since being promoted and tenured at the Associate professor level, I have consistently published refereed journal articles. I also co-authored a book, Advanced Methods in Distance Education: Applications and Practices for Educators, Trainers, and Learners based upon my research and teaching. Additionally, I have collaborated or served as principal investigator on projects totaling over one million dollars.
My research quality has been recognized with the receipt of 1st and 2nd runner-up for the outstanding journal article of the year for the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education in 2003 and 2004 and the Outstanding Paper Presentation for AAAE at the national and regional levels.
My research is reflective of my philosophy of teaching in that I strive to determine the most efficient and effective methods to deliver instruction and promote learning. In Ernest Boyer’s view of Scholarship Reconsidered, this would be called “the scholarship of teaching.”
I believe that part of my professional mission should be to serve others. I am currently serving as the Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs and Research in the department (2005-present). I also served as Chair of the Agriculture Faculty Advisory Committee (2005) and President of Phi Beta Delta International Honors society (2003-2005) when our chapter was awarded the Outstanding Chapter for the SW Region.
I am involved in the delivery of two degree programs offered at a distance. The Master of Agriculture (MAg) degree (http://mag.tamu.edu) was created to meet the needs of working professionals who could not come to campus for an advanced degree. Additionally, a Joint Doctor of Education Degree with students from around the nation is currently in its third cohort. Numerous hours of videoconferences and face-to-face meetings with our Joint Faculty at Texas Tech University has afforded ample opportunity to apply distance learning and teaching principles into the development and delivery of this degree program (http://doc-at-a-distance.tamu.edu). This program was recognized with and Honorable Mention for the National Excellence in College and University Distance Education Awards given by the American Distance Education Consortium in 2002.
I am committed to Texas A&M University and serve on various university and university system committees, primarily in the selection of teaching awards and ways to improve instruction. I am involved in the Women’s Faculty Network and am currently serving as a mentor. I have also served on the editorial boards for two journals.
I am a life member of the American Association of Agricultural Educators (AAAE). My current service within this organization includes the membership services committee and reviewing manuscripts for proceedings and discussant roles. I am also a member of the International Agricultural and Extension Association (serving as Membership Chair), the Academy of Human Resource Development, and ASTD (formerly known as the American Society for Training and Development) where I consistently present research.
As Thomas Friedman’s book The World is Flat attests, I believe that through education and technology transfer we can improve the human condition worldwide. I often present workshops in international settings and host international visitors to campus. I love to broaden my own international perspective with travel and dialogue with colleagues around the world. I received the International Excellence Award for Faculty from Texas A&M University in 2002 primarily because of this commitment to international education.