My Teaching Philosophy
Introduction
My professional life has been divided between administrative positions and teaching, but being creative in the classroom has truly given me great joy. (This may be genetic: my mother and my grandmother were both teachers).
Student letters speak of my impact on students. I have been told by individual students (at Emerson College in Boston and at Syracuse University) that I was the best teacher at each institution. When I visited European Union nations doing research, I was hosted in four different countries by former students who had stayed in touch. One doctoral student (from Bangkok, Thailand, who is now a college professor), communicates by E-mail and calls me whenever he is in the United States so we can continue our discussions of telecommunications, business, and public policy.
A teaching highlight was arranging to take Syracuse University undergraduates studying with me in London to the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels. They attended a two-hour seminar arranged especially for them by the Telecommunications sector of the EU. Their class projects had prepared them so well that an EU official said their questions and comments were on the graduate-school level.
When I asked students at John Carroll University, in Cleveland, what the word "on the street" was about me as a teacher, they replied: "That you are firm, but that you are fair." I believe, with very few exceptions, students in my classes truly feel I like teaching and I like them. And that I am passionate about my field of study. Students comment regularly about my enthusiasm.
Many student comments reflect that they are impressed because I am experienced in the communications field -- that I have produced TV programs, had my own weekly TV show, that I am widely consulted by telecommunications groups (including the U.S. Congress and Catholic bishops); I teach that theory strengthens practice, but they can see my own learning comes from books and from practical experience in my field.
Practical Techniques
Long before I came to Notre Dame College in Cleveland (where cooperative learning has been stressed), the cornerstone of my teaching has been the team research project. I have done this in virtually every class I have ever taught. This involves an oral presentation and a portfolio of materials and is usually planned by a team of two. One student does the oral presentation (supported by the second student who often handles audio-visual materials for the speaker); the other student does the research portfolio.
There is often reluctance to work together; some students never are comfortable with a team project, but they work through difficulties. I have intervened when a student is clearly neglecting their share of the work.
One slight problem is that students overlook the fact that fellow-students' presentations contain “instruction”. They sometimes want to march through the text so they will get good grades on exams. I try to overcome this by including student-presentation material on the final exam.
At Notre Dame, where a grant supported cooperative learning and attention to multiple intelligences, I have happily integrated this into my classroom work. Several syllabi are on file with these accompanying materials. All my students do the multiple intelligences inventory on file with my syllabi; in this way they can become aware of the varied ways they learn.
My classes do feature content, but I try to encourage discussion with thoughtful questions; I'm sure I don't do enough of this. I firmly believe students can learn a great deal from one another, especially at a place like Notre Dame where nontraditional students bring much lived experience to the classroom. I assure students I feel responsible to take them beyond the textbook in every class.
I begin every class with a summary overview of what the class will consist of that day. Many students comment that I'm clearly organized in my instructional planning as these introductory summaries show.
With John Dewey I believe students learn by doing and encourage application of what we are studying whenever possible. This is easiest, for example, in Newswriting or Writing for Publication when the result is published material and a finished newspaper.
I organize systematic feedback for all student oral presentations. I do evaluation sheets and classmates give one another anonymous feedback on their oral work (citing strengths and suggestions for improvement).
I regularly do a "mid-course correction" evaluation in all my classes. Students list what is working for them and suggest improvements. This gives me feedback in time to make changes as the course progresses.
My final exams, mostly take-home papers, are solid and challenging. This is a chance to re-visit and integrate class material. I assist students, and encourage them to assist one another, in exam preparation.
Like many teachers, I tend to emphasize certain areas related to my own research: in my case this includes new communication technologies (like the Internet and World Wide Web), the importance of global telecom markets and the value of collaboration as a strategic planning tool. Some students disagree with these emphases, but most students are grateful for the expanded horizons.
I tend to de-emphasize attention to grades in learning. Thus, I do not give a lot of tests; for me the student project and summary of a required extra book are the best indicators of growth. Students are sometimes nervous about this, wanting more "points" and feedback concerning a grade.
Most students do not like textbooks (and resent their high costs). I supplement texts with many handouts and take students "beyond the text." Some students feel the course should consist of going right through the text and testing on it. I explain my job is to supplement their own text reading.
Student Evaluations
The student evaluations on file show great enthusiasm from students for my teaching. At Notre Dame College numerous students mention that I am a role model for women students at the college. Students value that I am networked with professionals in my field, that I am "firm but fair" with them, that I am organized and present material clearly.
At the Newhouse School for Public Communications at Syracuse University 88%-94% ranked me as extremely interested or very interested in my students. In my graduate seminar at SU, with higher-level students, 88% of the students said I know the course material well, 88% said I am well prepared for classes, and 88% said I presented the material clearly.
Listed are my ratings compared with the total Newhouse faculty:
Plude Newhouse Average
a. Extremely interested in students 75% 42%
b. Always treats students with respect 88% 64%
c. Always enjoys teaching 82% 61%
d. Always grades fairly 75% 38%
Another indication of student reaction to my teaching is the number of students who write to me during and after taking my courses. Many, many students stay in touch with me as they advance through life; some have referred to these contacts as their "Dr. Plude fix" -- an attempt to stay in touch with my enthusiasm and my personal interest in each one of them.
Inserting Technology Into My Teaching
In Nov. 1997 I enrolled in a Vanderbilt on-line course on how to develop distance learning courses for Notre Dame. I am organizing a course (entitled "Public Relations and the Public Interest") for the Internet. I have also required all my students to obtain materials from the Internet, learn Power Point software for presentations, enter chat rooms, and generally become familiar with cyberspace. Well, I’m trying…