Teaching & Advising

I currently teach an average of 3-4 courses a semester (500-700 student hours annually) and co-advise 175+ students (shared with Dr. Hungenberg), in addition to program coordinator duties for the SORT degree. I strive to maintain a balance of personal investment in my students' future and a level of rigor and professionalism befitting the University. I continue to wrestle with new teaching methods (e.g. hybrid) and advising strategies (e.g. group advising) to serve the students and UTC efficiently. As you will note in the subpages below, my teaching and advising activities achieve high marks, as evidenced by:

    1. Development of advising strategies to meet the needs of up to 250 students, and mentoring of SORT faculty in advising and teaching processes.

    2. Consistent course evaluations at or above the University and Departmental Means, with a repertoire of 13 unique courses (with 2 additional study-abroad proposals currently listed).

    3. Development of program outcomes, advisory groups, and curricular maps, as well as collection and reporting of annual OPEIR criteria for the major. This includes mentoring and advising SORT faculty on appropriate measurement strategies for relevant outcomes.

    4. Direction of two major curricular revisions (2016 & 2021), including the drafting of new clear paths and curriculum maps, creation of new courses and syllabi, and the addition of a tourism component to capitalize on regional opportunities (Attachments below).

    5. The inclusion of experiential and project-based learning in every class, as well as guiding faculty to include active methods of instruction with community collaboration. Many of these projects result in reports to support community organizations, as well as research and presentation opportunities for students. Recent developments have also necessitated the need for online, distanced, and hybrid learning models, which have (surprisingly?) been rated highly by students.

    6. Since the implementation of teaching evaluation requirements in the HHP bylaws, I have had annual peer evaluations, one of which was from an Associate Professor outside the department. I have also conducted three for other colleagues (attached below).

    7. My efforts have been recognized through a CHEPS Teaching & Advising award, a UTC Service award (for service-learning projects), and a UTC Think-Achieve Faculty award.

    8. Experiential and service learning are central to my teaching methods (see Scholarship & Creative Activity), with 3 courses designated as Experiential Learning courses through Think-Achieve.

    9. I have supervised field experience placements (HHP 2120 & HHP 2130) every semester with the exception of my sabbatical.

    10. Annual attendance and/or presentations at Walker Center teaching sessions & other conferences and trainings to enhance pedagogic tools and techniques (See "Professional Development" below).

New courses developed (Syllabi available under “Courses Taught”): HHP 1999 (Technical Rock Climbing), HHP 1015 (Adventure Tourism), HHP 1999 (Hang Gliding), HHP 4999 (Wilderness First Responder), HHP 4999 (Neuroscience and Neurofeedback in HHP), HHP 3010 (Intro to Travel and Tourism), UHON 2850, Brock xxxx (Adventure, misfits, and the search for meaning; Spring 2022).

Courses adapted for online and or hybrid learning: HHP 2120/2130, HHP 2020, HHP 3060, HHP 3070, HHP 4999 (Neuroscience and Neurofeedback in HHP).