Teaching
Teaching Evaluations
Below are full, unaltered sets of course evaluations from classes for which I have had full teaching responsibility. For each set of evaluations, I have also included the summary reports provided by the college or university.
Bioethics, University of Alabama, Birmingham (Summer 2017 - Online)
Overall Evaluation of Course (4.8/5)
Overall Evaluation of Instructor (5/5)
Bioethics, University of Alabama, Birmingham (Spring 2017)
Overall Evaluation of Course (4.8/5)
Overall Evaluation of Instructor (4.9/5)
Contemporary Problems of Justice, Emory & Henry College (Spring 2016)
Evaluations (Quantitative and Qualitative)
Overall Evaluation of Course (4.67/5)
Overall Evaluation of Instructor (4.78/5)
Environmental Ethics, Emory & Henry College (Spring 2016)
Evaluations (Quantitative and Qualitative)
Overall Evaluation of Course (4.14/5)
Overall Evaluation of Instructor (4.86/5)
Introduction to Philosophy, Emory & Henry College (Spring 2016)
Evaluations (Quantitative and Qualitative)
Overall Evaluation of Course (4.5/5)
Overall Evaluation of Instructor (4.5/5)
#socialjustice, Emory & Henry College (Fall 2015)
Evaluations (Quantitative and Qualitative)
Overall Evaluation of Course (4.88/5)
Overall Evaluation of Instructor (4.75/5)
History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, Emory & Henry College (Fall 2015)
Evaluations (Quantitative and Qualitative)
Overall Evaluation of Course (4.39/5)
Overall Evaluation of Instructor (4.56/5)
Human Foundations I (core curriculum), Honors Section, Emory & Henry College (Spring 2015)
Evaluations (Quantitative and Qualitative)
Overall Evaluation of Course (4.5/5)
Overall Evaluation of Instructor (4.9/5)
Health Care Ethics, Emory & Henry College (Fall 2014)
Evaluations (Quantitative and Qualitative)
Overall Evaluation of Course (4.5/5)
Overall Evaluation of Instructor (4.57/5)
Transitions (core curriculum), Emory & Henry College (Fall 2013)
Evaluations (Quantitative and Qualitative)
Overall Evaluation of Course (4.5/5)
Overall Evaluation of Instructor (4.79/5)
Biomedical Ethics, Beloit College (Spring 2011)
Overall Effectiveness (question #33): 7/7
Environmental Ethics, Beloit College (Spring 2011)
Overall Effectiveness (question #33): 6.65/7
Reason in Communication, University of Wisconsin (Fall 2009)
Overall Quality of Teaching (question #13): 4.96/5
Contemporary Moral Issues, University of Wisconsin (Fall 2007)
Overall Quality of Teaching (question #13): 5/5
Honors and Awards
Teacher of the Year 2017
Awarded by the Washington County (VA) Chamber of Commerce to outstanding teacher in the community.
Outstanding Faculty Award 2016
Awarded by Emory & Henry College student body vote to the faculty member who demonstrates excellence in teaching and mentorship, in and beyond the classroom.
Teaching Fellow 2010
Award recognizes fifteen UW College of Letters & Sciences Teaching Assistants for achieving outstanding success as students and teachers.
Honored Instructors Award 2009
This award, sponsored by UW Housing, recognizes invaluable contributions to student learning and is given on the basis of student nominations.
Early Excellence in Teaching Award (dept. nominee) 2006
Award recognizes outstanding and inspirational achievement on the part of Teaching Assistants within their first two years.
Teaching Philosophy
My primary goals in teaching are to teach students the skills of critical reasoning and to encourage them to appreciate the value of these skills in their own lives. By guiding students through discussions of philosophical problems, I challenge them to identify the assumptions on which their own judgments depend and to subject those assumptions to rigorous critical examination.
To teach students the value of critical reasoning and how to use it effectively, I begin most classes with a topic on which most students will have a strong opinion. For example, in introductory classes, I begin with Descartes’ first two Meditations, and in mid-level ethics courses I begin with John Harris’ “Survival Lottery,” which argues that under certain circumstances, it would be permissible to require randomly selected individuals to donate their vital organs to others. In both cases, students are initially unwilling to accept the conclusions put forth. However, as we discuss the arguments and how each author would respond to various objections, the students come to question their initial opinions. This practice accomplishes two important tasks. First, it teaches students that philosophy is a discussion, and by engaging in this discussion they sharpen their critical thinking. Second, students learn that even those opinions about which they are most certain ought to be questioned. This encourages open-mindedness throughout the course, which in turn promotes lively, respectful, and interesting discussions of other historical and contemporary philosophical problems.
I design assignments to evaluate students’ ability to demonstrate critical reasoning skills. In introductory level classes, I use both short papers (1-2 pages) and short-answer tests that challenge students to explain a particular argument, as well as engage with that argument in a critical way, such as raising or evaluating an objection. In mid-level classes, students are required to submit several longer papers (6-8 pages), including several drafts. In upper-level classes, I give students the option of writing several shorter papers or a longer term paper, which allows them to highlight their skills or improve in problem areas.
To prepare students for these assignments, I challenge them to articulate how written work ought to be judged. As a class, we design the rubric by which I will evaluate their papers. This forces students to spend time thinking about the qualities of a well-written paper before they begin writing their own papers. In my experience, students consistently set very high standards for themselves. However, because they take part in constructing the grading rubric, how they are evaluated no longer seems to them mysterious, and they feel confident about their task. This process allows students to recognize the importance they attach to critical thinking and writing skills, and to develop a sense of responsibility for their educational experience.