Teaching Philosophy [pdf]
I have over twenty years experience in the classroom. I have been a trainer and instructor in a variety of corporate and educational contexts in the areas of process improvement, new employee orientation and relocation, intercultural communication, English and Marshallese languages, and customized software. Please see my CV for a more detailed list of my classroom experiences.
Courses Taught at Penn State
IST 541: Qualitative Research in IST, Spring 2012.
A graduate course focusing on the use of qualitative research approaches to the study of information and information technologies. It addresses the fundamental ontological and epistemological foundations of qualitative research in the new spaces created by the convergence of our physical, social and cyber worlds. This course covers developing a research question, research ethics, selecting particular methods, approaching data collection, analyzing through coding and theorizing, and authentic (re)presentation. Students learn how to apply qualitative research techniques to their own research and to the development of a qualitative research dissertation proposal.
IST 402: Social Media in Organizations, [Online] Spring 2012.
A course focusing on the use of social media—blogs, videos, podcasts,social networking sites, virtual worlds, wikis, open source, forums, ratings, reviews, tags, rss, widgets—in organizations. This course explores how organizations use social media for outward facing activities (e.g. communication and interaction with customers) and inward facing activities (e.g. communication and interaction between employees). Outward facing activities are studied in terms of the groundswell, in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations. Inward facing activities are studied in terms of Enterprise 2.0, in which web-based technologies that enable rapid collaboration, information sharing, and integration capabilities in the extended enterprise.
IST 402: Information Ethics & Technology-based Ecosystems, Spring 2010.
A course focusing on traditional ethical frameworks (virtue, consequentialist, deontological, feminist/care) as well as the newly introduced Information Ethics framework proposed by Floridi. The course examines the application of these ethical frameworks in a variety of information science and technology related areas. A team project to develop an ethical assessment agent or inforg is a significant part of the learning.
IST 301: Information and Organizations, Spring 2009.
A course focusing on organizational structures, cultures, and behaviors. Information processing and information flows through and across organizations is examined analytically and allows students to investigate the effects of new information technologies on a variety of work and organizational contexts.
Teaching Philosophy
Knowledge is created, not transferred. Creating a structured environment to facilitate learning through Socratic inquiry and a project- or problem-based learning pedagogy characterizes my approach to teaching. Motivating students consists of opening avenues for confident participation and creativity rather than relying solely on the promise of a good grade. Listening is an essential skill that allows me to adapt the structural and motivational elements of my teaching to accommodate individual learning styles.
The learning of technologies or cultures is a very interactive process in which the student should have a global view. At the same time, the student should be aware of the details that are so important to successfully implement envisioned solutions. I have found that classes wherein I was able to facilitate the connections between the core concepts and the learners’ experiences have been valued highly by the learners. I believe that interdisciplinary projects can enhance learning, as they allow for a variety of collaborative approaches and integrate concepts and ideas from many courses. I am particularly interested in bringing to class my own research and some of the state-of-the-art research in media technology and culture to motivate the students to learn, explore, and propose solutions to potential needs in societies. This problem-solving approach can help to prepare the students to take initiative, set their own plan, find information, and build solutions.
I would enjoy teaching courses in the areas of culture, ethics, social media, research methods, and in the philosophies of technology or information.
