Experience and philosophy
I have taught more than 10 courses at the Murrow College, with classes both in person and online at the undergraduate and graduate level. I enjoy engaging with students and (hopefully) helping inspire future communicators. In my teaching, I aim to incorporate activities and assignments that encourage critical thinking and media literacy. I also try to tailor my teaching to the skills, motivations and experiences of my students and provide opportunities for students to apply concepts covered.
In 2019, I received a third place teaching award from the Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication after a review of a teaching packet, course materials, and letters of recommendation.
I primarily teach courses in strategic communication and health communication in both our undergraduate and graduate programs. We have an online MA in Strategic Communication and an online MA in Health Communication and Promotion. We also have a residential MA and PhD program in which I teach.
Classes I have recently taught include ComStrat 312: Principles of Public Relations, Com 478: Health Communication, ComHlth 571: Communicating Health in Practice, Com 580: Topics in Communication: Mixed Methods, and others.
I am also currently working on a teaching research project, funded by a WSU Smith Teaching and Learning Grant, that examines how strategic communication instructors incorporate research into teaching. Based on the findings, I will work to develop a plan to further engage undergraduate students in research in a large, introductory, strategic communication course.