Teaching
Teaching Experience
University of Notre Dame- Assistant Professor
CSE 60747: Designing Interactive Systems for Users and Populations
Fall 2022
Harrisburg University- Corporate Faculty
HCID 520: Users & Population
Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Summer 2021
National Center for Simulation- Resource Teacher
AEOP GEMS Summer program
Summer 2021
University of Central Florida- Teaching Assistant for Karin Whiting
CAP 3104: Foundations of Human-Computer Interaction
Fall 2017, Spring 2018
CSE 60747: Designing Interactive Systems for Users and Populations
Fall 2022
- Taught as instructor of record at the graduate level (MS, PhD)
- Designed and developed curriculum for Canvas source course
Harrisburg University- Corporate Faculty
HCID 520: Users & Population
Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Summer 2021
- Taught as instructor of record at the graduate level (MS)
- Designed and developed curriculum for Canvas source course
National Center for Simulation- Resource Teacher
AEOP GEMS Summer program
Summer 2021
- Developed summer camp curriculum focused on exposure to the Modeling & Simulation workforce
- Taught curriculum as lead camp counselor
University of Central Florida- Teaching Assistant for Karin Whiting
CAP 3104: Foundations of Human-Computer Interaction
Fall 2017, Spring 2018
- Developed online exams and study guides
- Graded individual assignments and team projects
Teaching Philosophy
I believe that a great professor is one who motivates their students to reach their full potential. My goal as an educator is to foster an inclusive and interactive environment in which students are encouraged to think deeply, reflect, and customize their learning experience. I uphold these values by maintaining three core principles of my teaching philosophy.
Active Learning Experience. Upon entering my physical or virtual classroom, students instantly feel a welcoming atmosphere that fosters creative thinking and free thought. I empower my students to express themselves and ask questions by implementing a variety of teaching methods that actively engage them in the lesson. These methods include classroom discussions, team projects, TED talks, concept demonstrations, critical reading, and more. One of my favorite TED talks to share with my students is Chimamanda Adichie’s “The Danger of a Single Story.” I use this talk to enlighten my students about how a person’s different identities bring context into how they view the world. I also use the boardgame “Codenames” to teach qualitative, thematic analyses. The game helps my students identify themes within different unrelated pieces of data. I know my students are actively learning when, rather than packing up 15 minutes before class ends, they are still engaged in their writing or discussion long after the class has been dismissed. My goal is to have students feel that my classroom is dynamic, hands-on, and a place where it is okay to make mistakes as long as you are learning.
Community-engaged Learning. Throughout my years in higher education, I have heard students (including myself) complain about the lack of connection there is between the classroom and the real world. For this reason, I enjoy bringing in guest speakers from different areas of academia, government, industry, and non-profit sectors for students to connect the content they are learning to real world perspectives. Yet, as a scholar for social change at heart, I also ensure learning moves beyond the classroom into the community. Challenging my students by thinking outside of the academic box is crucial for their professional development. Therefore, I ensure that all my courses incorporate a community-engaged activity, in which learning happens within the community. For example, in my U&P course students worked in teams on a formative evaluation in which they are tasked with going into the community and observing (following social distance practices) a scenario of their choosing to gather data about their chosen target population. The data they collected informs their semester research project. For example, one team observed a bus station and used the information collected later in the semester to inform their transportation app design. Further, I encourage my students to apply what they learn in my class to their specific disciplines by giving industry-focused concept demonstrations and writing research-driven papers.
Diversity of Perspectives. My students come from a broad array of disciplines and experience levels, as well as distinct ethnic backgrounds and unique life experiences that makes the classroom a mosaic of cultures. While this can be a challenge, I, as a Latina in STEM, celebrate diversity every chance I get. Success is uniquely defined for every student, so I meet them where they are. For instance, I divide my class into different groups and have each student assign themselves a role (e.g., project manager, designer, research lead, etc.) related to a research development project. By engaging in their respective project roles, my students are allowed to play to their strengths and are introduced to fundamental principles and techniques that can be applied to all aspects of life. This helps students align their course work to potential career goals, regardless of their chosen career path.
Active Learning Experience. Upon entering my physical or virtual classroom, students instantly feel a welcoming atmosphere that fosters creative thinking and free thought. I empower my students to express themselves and ask questions by implementing a variety of teaching methods that actively engage them in the lesson. These methods include classroom discussions, team projects, TED talks, concept demonstrations, critical reading, and more. One of my favorite TED talks to share with my students is Chimamanda Adichie’s “The Danger of a Single Story.” I use this talk to enlighten my students about how a person’s different identities bring context into how they view the world. I also use the boardgame “Codenames” to teach qualitative, thematic analyses. The game helps my students identify themes within different unrelated pieces of data. I know my students are actively learning when, rather than packing up 15 minutes before class ends, they are still engaged in their writing or discussion long after the class has been dismissed. My goal is to have students feel that my classroom is dynamic, hands-on, and a place where it is okay to make mistakes as long as you are learning.
Community-engaged Learning. Throughout my years in higher education, I have heard students (including myself) complain about the lack of connection there is between the classroom and the real world. For this reason, I enjoy bringing in guest speakers from different areas of academia, government, industry, and non-profit sectors for students to connect the content they are learning to real world perspectives. Yet, as a scholar for social change at heart, I also ensure learning moves beyond the classroom into the community. Challenging my students by thinking outside of the academic box is crucial for their professional development. Therefore, I ensure that all my courses incorporate a community-engaged activity, in which learning happens within the community. For example, in my U&P course students worked in teams on a formative evaluation in which they are tasked with going into the community and observing (following social distance practices) a scenario of their choosing to gather data about their chosen target population. The data they collected informs their semester research project. For example, one team observed a bus station and used the information collected later in the semester to inform their transportation app design. Further, I encourage my students to apply what they learn in my class to their specific disciplines by giving industry-focused concept demonstrations and writing research-driven papers.
Diversity of Perspectives. My students come from a broad array of disciplines and experience levels, as well as distinct ethnic backgrounds and unique life experiences that makes the classroom a mosaic of cultures. While this can be a challenge, I, as a Latina in STEM, celebrate diversity every chance I get. Success is uniquely defined for every student, so I meet them where they are. For instance, I divide my class into different groups and have each student assign themselves a role (e.g., project manager, designer, research lead, etc.) related to a research development project. By engaging in their respective project roles, my students are allowed to play to their strengths and are introduced to fundamental principles and techniques that can be applied to all aspects of life. This helps students align their course work to potential career goals, regardless of their chosen career path.