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Teaching Philosophy:
I have been blessed over the past 12 years to be recognized with many teaching and advising awards. Although I constantly work to improve myself as a teacher, ultimately it is the energy and enthusiasm I get from all the wonderful students that keep me excited everyday.
From the very first class I ever taught to today, there has been a great transition in what I do or don’t do. First and foremost, I learned not to try and do too much! I try and challenge the students to take an active role in their learning, not just be passive listeners. Creating problems and questions for students to answer as part of the learning process has worked well for me. This allows for plenty of class discussion, argument, and problem solving to take place; all facilitators of positive learning.
Lately I have been involved in creating web-based courses, which range from a general education introductory level wellness course, right through graduate research methods. One noticeable facet of the online courses is that students have no choice but to be active learners, and if the course is designed correctly (which mine aren’t always!), the learning outcomes may actually exceed those found in traditional lectures!
My teaching experience runs the gamut, everything from PhD seminars with 6 students, to general education Wellness with 400 freshmen, which is still one of my favorite courses to teach.
Over the years, I have won three separate ‘Top Profs’ while at Wyoming, and at NDSU I received the departmental teacher of the year and was nominated as a finalist for the Carnegie Foundation Teaching Award.
Courses I Teach
Undergraduate courses:
HNES 111, Wellness: This is a general education ‘wellness’ course delivered by graduate students in a lecture format, and by me in the online format. It is a very broad class covering many dimensions of wellness, with a primary focus on topics related to life as a college student. Sleep, alcohol, study habits, time management, exercise, stress, are just some of the topics covered.
HNES 170, Introduction to Exercise Science: This course is intended for students new to the exercise science major. A broad number of topics are discussed (biomechanics, exercise physiology, sports psychology, etc.), with basic information on each. Also, guest speakers attend frequently, both from within and outside the university. Course assignments include job shadowing and internship and graduate school searches.
HNES 370, Activity Benefits, Exercise Prescription, and Disease: This course is intended for upper-division students, and is focused on the role physical activity plays in the management of physical conditions that alter normal homeostasis. Pregnancy, arthritis, heart disease, lung disease, metabolic disease, cancer, mental health, and more are covered, with a keen interest on contraindications, exercise prescription, and outcome based exercise efficacy.
Graduate courses:
HNES 710, Research Methods in HNES: This is the foundation course in the HNES graduate program. The primary focus is research methodology, along with writing an Introduction, and developing a Purpose Statement, Hypothesis, and Research Question(s). SPSS is used for data analysis in this course, with sample data from current and previous HNES research projects. This course is offered in both lecture and online formats.
HNES 721, Health Promotion Programming: In this online course, students are required to participate in a local health promotion project while also developing their own health promotion project draft. Students often work in small groups for the project drafts, while the local projects have included city employees, public health, state agencies, school districts, Universities, etc.
HNES 754, Assessment in Exercise Science: This course focuses on the myriad assessments available in the field of exercise science. The topics covered typically focus on the interests of the currently enrolled students, and have included dietary analysis, assessment of physical activity (observation, accelerometer, self-report, pedometers, etc.), community walkability, muscle strength, alcohol consumption, screen time, and more.
This course has only been offered in a lecture format to date.
HNES 790, Wellness Seminar: This 1.0 credit seminar is offered every spring to Doctoral students enrolled in the Wellness Track. The theme of the course varies each year, with 2007 focused on ‘journal club’, while 2008 will concentrate on research proposals. Other information covered in this informal setting include job searching, the role of the academic professional, the road to tenure, etc.
