Raymond McCord teaches MED 290 Fundamentals of Multimedia Design for the Department of Media, Journalism and Film. He brings his professional experience into the classroom teaching students coding skills that are necessary for the design and creation of interactive web media. His teaching style is very experiential and the course is structured around a workflow that mimics a real-world experience. By the end of the semester, students have a completed project for their portfolio. Professor McCord is always available to his students, often creating multiple examples to ensure students know how to accomplish or overcome an issue. One student shared that they didn’t think they could “learn to code being a media student, but I now feel I am on the right path with a great skill that makes me more hire-able.”
Dr. Carrisa Hoelscher’s approach in teaching COM 332 Small Group Communication student teams about growth mindset, challenges them with one overarching goal: Do Good. Students work in teams to develop a community project with a real-world application that engages them in the group communication learning process. Student’s work in these “Do Good” projects with community partners, perform volunteer work, and provide support through the donation of goods and raising contribution dollars. Dr. Hoelscher shared that “seeing their growth mindsets come to life . . . is inspiring as they connect their personal growth to making their corner of the world a better place.” While students work toward these broad goals, Carrisa works to assess their ever-growing group communication competence and provides them with detailed feedback in the process. Students are then asked to reflect on their experiences toward the end of the semester. This project is a great example of real-world application and immersion in the processes within the course learning objectives. Student feedback indicates that they appreciate these aspects of the course and it also provides an excellent example of the Public Affairs Mission in action.
Professor Federica Gentile has been teaching classes on Gender Studies and Italian for MSU for the past three years. Her Introduction to Gender Studies is an example of excellence in the area of diversity and inclusion, as it allows students to confront contemporary issues regarding class, race, and gender that are close and deeply felt by students of all kinds. Students are able to share personal stories and feel accepted for who they are yet, contextualize their experience within a much broader theoretical framework and global system. Students often comment that Professor Gentile’s course is life changing and should be a mandatory Gen Ed class. With Professor Gentile’s Introductory Italian course, she has pioneered the adoption of the TPRS (teaching proficiency through storytelling) and CI (Comprehensible Input) teaching methods, which focus on the way our brains naturally acquire language. This happens when teachers intentionally employ a body of techniques and strategies using specific principles that prioritizes the delivery of understandable, personalized and relevant messages. By prioritizing holistic, communicative principles that lead to student interest-centered, responsive teaching practices, Professor Gentile has been able to bring students with no prior Italian language skills to engage in basic yet genuine conversation in Italian in less than 8 weeks. This is an excellent example of introducing high impact teaching practices with great success.
Dr. Lyle Foster, Assistant Professor in Sociology and Anthropology, earns a FCTL Faculty Teaching Award for Inclusive Teaching Practices. Dr. Foster has a passion for inclusive teaching practices that engages and inspires all students to embrace diverse groups, including those that do not share the same opinions. He rigorously teaches courses that focus on diversity, inclusion and equity in our university community. He initiated development of a new Diversity in the US certificate and been a leading figure with the Tough Talk series. The Tough Talk series allows participants to discuss difficult topics related to areas of inclusiveness and diversity. One of his students said that he “has empowered students to think about things in a very different light” and is “improving inclusion each and every day he is on campus.”