Teaching Philosophy

Using the Taxonomy of Significant Learning (1) approach to integrated course design, I systematically design courses to achieve six types of learning: foundational knowledge, application, integration, caring, the human dimension, and learning how to learn (Figure 1). This approach employs backward design starting with what you hope for your students five years out, long after they leave your classroom. It asks you to think about what you would like them to be able to do and the people you would like them to be. Starting with this ‘big dream’, you establish learning objectives, then build teaching and learning activities that work towards those goals, and finally build assessments to measure if learning is achieved.

Figure 1. Taxonomy of Significant Learning (Fink, 2013)

Diversity and inclusion are priorities in my pedagogy. To create inclusive learning environments, course design must intentionally create space for all students to learn. Some of the strategies I employ are  (1) soliciting feedback regularly from students through an early and late-term assessment to monitor classroom climate, (2) setting explicit expectations and providing feedback to create a clear path for students to efficiently direct their energy and help students develop the skills to give themselves corrective feedback, (3) designing for multiple types of learning so students are likely to connect with the course material, and (4) developing course content that reflects diversity and barriers to inclusion so students have greater exposure to diversity and are more likely to recognize or see something they relate to.

My complete Teaching Philosophy with examples of how I apply this philosophy to a global health and research methods course is available here. 

Courses Taught

Research Methods
Global Health (writing intensive, study abroad)
Epidemiology and Global Health
Introduction to Public Health/Principles of Public Health
Environmental Health
Principles of Epidemiology
Public Health Emergency Preparedness
Thesis Seminar
Special Topics in Health Analytics and Visualization
Health Behavior Theory
Internship Seminar


Reference
Fink LD. Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. John Wiley & Sons; 2013.