I currently hold two teaching positions at the University of Texas at Austin: Assistant Instructor in the Department of Communication Studies, and Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Management in McCombs School of Business. I have also taught at St. Edward’s University in Austin as well as Austin Community College.

My teaching philosophy is simple and pragmatic. I believe that practice, theory, and service learning are three equally critical components of an engaged university education. In all of my courses, I involve students in community-based consulting projects so they can get real world experience during their time on campus. In the past two years, I have set up students to work on numerous projects for non-profits in the public health, social justice, and community service sectors, including Livestrong, Meals on Wheels, The BeHive (an after-school program for at-risk youth), Austin Children’s Shelter, Discover Hope (a microcredit program for underprivileged women in Peru), and Texas School for the Deaf.

The student teams integrated valuable practices from our course into report recommendations designed specifically for their client’s problems. The overwhelming opinion of the students was that the project was challenging but incredibly applicable to their career ambitions; the organizations found the projects fruitful enough to request another round of student involvement. I will continue connecting my students with the local community in future courses.

Courses Taught:

Team-based Communication, UT Austin – Fall 2009 to present

• Elective course focusing on practical and theoretical facets of communicating in work teams and small groups, using a service-learning approach. Designed to prepare students for communicating effectively in business settings and project teams.
• Serve as Course Coordinator for 8 sections annually. Work with a faculty advisor (Dawna Ballard) to ensure consistency across courses and make staffing recommendations .
• Students have provided consulting reports for non-profits in the local public health, social justice, and community service sectors, including Livestrong, Meals on Wheels, Mobile Loaves and Fishes, The BeHive (an after-school program for at-risk youth in East Austin), Austin Children’s Shelter, Therapy Works (an equine-facilitated therapy program), Discover Hope (a microcredit program for underprivileged women in Peru), and Texas School for the Deaf.
• Instructor ratings (5-point scale): 4.5, 4.5, 4.3, 4.7, 5.0, 4.7, 4.6, 4.8, 4.4, 4.9
• Awarded Assistant Instructor of the Year by department faculty, 2010-11.

Business Communication, McCombs School of Business, UT Austin – Fall 2011 to present

• Required hands-on course for business majors focusing on both public speaking and written business communication. Students learn how to deliver effective written messages and give informative, persuasive, impromptu, and team presentations.
• Students provide pro-bono consulting for start-ups. In Fall 2011, students consulted for Union Metrics, a social media measurement company in San Francisco.
• Instructor rating (5-point scale): 4.2

Communication Research Methods, St. Edward’s University – Fall 2011

• Required course for all Communication majors covering both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Instructor rating (4-point scale): 3.7/4.0

Fundamentals of Public Speaking, Austin Community College – Summer 2011

• Speech course focusing on the fundamentals of public speaking, including informative, persuasive, impromptu, and team presentations.
• Included a service learning project in which students consulted for and promoted ACC’s Reclaimed Water and Clean Air initiatives.

Professional Communication Skills (Public Speaking), UT Austin – Fall 2008 to Summer 2009

• Required hands-on course for Communication Studies and Business majors focusing on the fundamentals of public speaking, including informative, persuasive, impromptu, and team presentations.
• Piloted a online course component that now enables instructors to create weekly reading reviews for students.
• Wrote chapter on Working in Teams for Professional Communication Skills textbook, used in 80 sections annually.
• Instructor ratings (5-point scale): 4.4, 4.4, 4.2, 4.2, 4.6