Teaching Portfolio

After over a decade of teaching in different modalities, I now reflect on my teaching philosophy. From my experiences in teaching yoga to all ages, teaching five cohorts of aspiring doulas through Doula Training Center, and serving as a GTA for Intro to Cultural Anthropology on eCampus for six terms, I know how truly unique learning is to each individual. Learning is an embodied experience, and it can be truly transformational.  

I take each course evaluation to heart and consider how to implement these suggestions moving forward in each class. Student feedback has steered my ship of teaching and is an ever-evolving process. Doula Training Center’s hybrid structure shifted with evaluations asking for more in-person days, and in each cohort we three instructors have had to shift schedules around students’ needs as they arise; this cohort, we changed the schedule as one student was ill, and another had to unexpectedly attend a funeral. Recognizing that students are human beings, and family and well-being always comes first, as a teacher, I continuously remind students of this. As an instructor and Program Director, I coordinate our mentorship program, check in on students post-program completion and keep students updated on new resources, learning opportunities and information as it becomes available. Students know they can reach out to me with a question, concern, or when they need a pep-talk before attending a birth. Learning, like culture, is not static; it is a lifelong endeavor! 

As a teacher, I invite students to learn about themselves by taking learning style inventories and personality assessments to be able to make a personal plan of how to best utilize their unique learning needs in the course. I always give options when possible, for assignments; some students would rather give a presentation live, record it, or opt for a written assignment instead. As a GTA, I have limited authority in how the class is delivered, for example, but I can be flexible with due dates and I choose to not deduct points for late work. In my yoga classes, I always gave a portion of the end of the class for each student to follow intuitive free-movement where they could tune into their own wisdom of what their body needed, whether it was free-flow or yoga asanas their body wanted. In our doula training program, we have students co-teach the class with a research presentation of their choice which then becomes part of the curriculum for future cohorts of students. This is a practice that allows for developing a personalized exercise in both critical thinking and creative thinking. 

I believe in co-creating knowledge, that students are also teachers, and developing that confidence as a facilitator rather than an authority. Discussion is always the main focus of the classes I teach, rather than a supplemental strategy. 

As an anthropologist by training and by life practice, my goal is to have every student I engage with leave my class with the knowledge about how the discipline can be useful to them no matter what field they end up working in. Using critical frameworks to illuminate the flaws of our Euro-centric model of education in the United States that so often marginalizes people from diverse backgrounds. Indigenous ways of knowing guides me in my own teaching, leading by example and speaking truth to power, as my ancestors did. Instilling the practice of cultural relativism and reflexivity will only serve students in their lives, no matter what path they take. I model this by practicing relational accountability to my past and future students, as well as radical transparency when appropriate. 

As students ourselves, we all have had teachers that made us doubt our own capabilities and intelligence, and teachers that made us feel confident and curious. Study of adverse childhood experiences illuminates how common trauma is and the need for being trauma-informed ourselves to show up as teachers that can be a positive force in our students lives and help build resiliency. I have been so fortunate in my life to have many positive mentors and role models that went beyond the traditional, expected role of a teacher and supported me in a holistic way. I strive to be able to continue what my mentors modeled for me, to practice relational accountability for and with students. 

Most of all, I strive to help students develop and recognize their own innate wisdom and curiosity about the world and cultivate confidence in their own abilities as a learner and teacher throughout their lives. 

I was nominated for an eCampus teaching award in 2025.

I take pride in the evaluations from students affirming that I make the classroom feel inclusive, and the mean scores are consistently above the university mean. Additionally, I consistently receive high ratings on instructor feedback. Here is an example:

OSU eCampus-ANTH 210 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

                           Fall 2023 Student Evaluations

                      Course Mean    University Mean 

Inclusivity                 5.8                   5.6 

Belonging                 5.6                   5.4 

Feedback                 5.7                   5.3 

Here are some comments from students in the course:

"As a distance learner with a family and a full-time job that can sometimes take all my time this professor was exceptionally helpful in allowing me to keep a life balance. Their understanding and willingness to work with me relieved a lot of stress I have been under in other semesters. I enjoyed the content and got to absorb more of the material because I wasn't always rushing to blindly meet a {due} date. I knew that they would work with me. This means the world to someone in my position." 

"I feel like Ms. Minich did a wonderful job of incorporating assignments that were thought provoking, while encouraging interaction with course material. This was my first online learning experience, and Katie did a great job of encouraging discussion between peers as well as offering clear feedback for all graded assignments."   

"Materials were accessible and assignment expectations were clear. The instructor did an excellent job of communicating and catering to student needs."   

“The course is very well done and Ms. Minich is one of the best instructors I've had in a while."  

"The instructor provided timely responses and feedback to all assignments, allowing me to properly gauge what I still had to learn, and what I had adequately mastered."   

"Katie Minich has been the most supportive and involved instructor I have had in my brief time at OSU. She provided constructive feedback on all assignments. She commented on class discussion posts. She made herself relatable and accessible. She made all in the class feel welcome."  

"Katie the GOAT!"