Teaching Philosophy

            Student Success in Higher Education

            Our public educational system is imperfect.  I graduated from high school with honors.  I attended U.C. Santa Barbara via the Educational Opportunity Program.  It was at U.C. Santa Barbara that I first experienced the “learning gap”.  I didn’t know how to write a five-paragraph essay.  I felt that I had nothing of value to contribute to class discussions.  It didn’t help that I looked different than everyone else.  This was where I also learned about “culture shock”.  Sadly, I ended up dropping out of college after my second year.  However, I did not give up and I received my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from CSULA.  Because of my early academic struggles, I am dedicated to teaching at an institution with similar demographics as CSULA so that I might share my experiences, knowledge and training to improve student learning.

            According to the Chancellor’s Office Graduation Initiative Plan (COGIP), the CSU system graduates less than half of its freshman class in six years (COGIP, 2009).  Currently, the retention rate for the CSU system is at 46%.  More alarming, CSULA’s retention rate is 34.8%, which is much lower than the average CSU school and ranks as the 2^nd lowest in the entire CSU system.  The Chancellor’s Office identified several reasons as to why students drop out of school.  Some of the reasons include lack of engagement and scheduling barriers. 

            I make every effort to engage students in their learning.  In my online Natural Disasters course at CSULA, I use Blackboard to host self-created learning modules that include situated learning activities to engage students in constructive learning.  The learning modules provide a space for communicating ideas through synchronous chats and asynchronous participation in discussion board topics and promote collaboration, sharing and civic engagement through wiki pages, blogging, etc.  I am able to monitor understanding and progress using assessment tools with instant feedback.  I believe that the online modules are related activities allow the students to learn important concepts in geology while acquiring technological skills needed for 21^st Century careers.  I believe that many online courses and taught more like an electronic textbook and consequently, are less likely to generate an engaging learning environment. 

My goal is to incorporate technology into the geoscience curriculum using proven teaching techniques to prepare our students for the future.  My focus is to help students fit in by developing learning activities that are engaging and meaningful.  I want to help give students the confidence to contribute to the classroom and to society by providing a space for them to participate.  I want to bring down the barriers that prohibit our youth from attending and completing college by offering online options for flexible scheduling. 

I believe that integrating science content knowledge with current pedagogical strategies while seamlessly incorporating technology into the curriculum, and catering to a culturally diverse student body will help me achieve my teaching goals.  These goals are closely aligned with the Chancellor’s Office’s commitment to increase graduation rates by 10% for underrepresented minorities by the year 2016 (COGIP, 2009), and with CSU’s partnership with ETS Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to help our students be “literate in a technology-driven world” (Education Testing Service, 2003).  The intersection of content knowledge, pedagogy, technology and culture is the winning formula for creating change and innovation.  Moving our educational system forward will better prepare our students for lifelong learning, participatory citizenship, and success in today’s and not-yet-discovered workforce.