Teaching

First and foremost, my teaching approach stems from respect and trust for learners. As a nurse educator, I recognize that my role helps shape the future of the nursing profession. I view teaching process much like a gardener tending a garden – I can create an optimal environment and provide resources for learners to grow, and I allow and trust that they may grow in their own unique way. It is the learner’s responsibility to assume ownership of their learning process, while I facilitate an environment of partnership and inquiry. My teaching practice is grounded in Adult Learning Theory and theories of Embodied Learning, which emphasize learner autonomy, experiential engagement, and the integration of cognitive and physical processes in meaning-making. I strive to create inclusive, participatory environments where learners draw on their lived experiences, engage actively with course material, and develop critical, reflective practices that extend beyond the classroom. In addition to my diverse teaching and mentorship experiences, I have been honored to be part of the UW-Madison Discussion Project and to be a current Fellow in the UW-Madison Mentoring, Teaching, and Learning Excellence (MTLE) Fellowship. These experiences have allowed me to continue expanding my reflective practice of teaching and to foster connections to support continued innovation in my teaching approaches and philosophy.

Drawing on Adult Learning Theory and theories of Embodied Learning, as well as my personal experiences, guiding principles in my teaching include preparation, collaboration, flexibility, open communication, belonging, and self-care.

Preparation: Intentionally preparing before teaching helps facilitate my presence with learners during teaching sessions and helps enhance the flow of instruction. This has been displayed in my teaching by carefully planning the arc of courses before the semester starts, ensuring that content builds in a logical way, preparing to link classroom content with clinical experiences, preparing for technology needs, and anticipating timing and flow for both in-person and online sessions. In N706, I’ve begun the course by introducing the 2022-2026 NINR Strategic Plan, then I selected readings to align with the weekly research topics presented, while also highlighting various aspects of the NINR Strategic Plan related to health equity and social determinants of health. Success in course preparation was reflected in evaluation comments from students in N706, for example: “I valued progression of the course. It was organized in a way where each week built on the last, which was helpful for my understanding of research as a whole.”

Collaboration: Nursing students bring unique perspectives and experiences, which is a key component of Adult Learning Theory. I strive to understand and celebrate the uniqueness of each learner, asking about their history, experiences, beliefs, goals, and interests, and being present to listen and build collaborative relationships. This especially showed up in my recent teaching of N706 and N682. During the first week of N706, I invited each student to share about themselves, their interests and experiences with nursing practice and research. Based on their responses, I created groups with overlapping interest areas, and these groups worked together to select a topic to conduct their semester-long research project on (ex: postoperative pain management, antibiotic stewardship, type 2 diabetes management among marginalized groups, psychedelic-assisted therapy). It was inspiring to see how the groups selected topics in alignment with their genuine interests, and how these passions and life experiences were able to shine through in the work they completed. In N682, I have supported multiple honors students to explore literature and reflect on their nursing practice experiences to inform the research question they develop for their capstone project, and to successfully complete their projects. While I am present as a support and guide, the students are directing their learning and selecting a topic they genuinely care about. This principle was displayed in recent N706 evaluation feedback as well, for example: “I valued the step-by-step process of putting a research project that we were passionate about together.”

Flexibility: I value flexibility in my teaching practice, and have successfully fostered this through soliciting feedback in courses via feedback cards (in person), mid-semester surveys and guest lecture post-surveys (online), and by creating ample time for questions. When receiving feedback from students, I am appreciative of the opportunity to strengthen my teaching and better serve the students’ learning process, and I am intentional with the ways I address and incorporate the feedback. For example, in the N437 mid-semester survey, students identified a desire for additional discussion opportunities around course concepts. In response, I built in think-pair-share activities in each subsequent class with prompts to stimulate discussion. Additionally, I have been able to balance flexibility and rigor in deadlines with mentees, in response to evolving needs. Receiving and integrating feedback has allowed me to identify ways to communicate information more clearly, and ways that I could practice flexibility within my teaching (such as creating/providing additional resources). This was highlighted in student evaluations: “Dr. Miller was very flexible and open to feedback, I felt heard and appreciated in this course.”

Open communication: Another key principle in my teaching approach is clear, honest, respectful communication. This has been displayed in practice through a carefully written syllabus, regular use of “Announcements” to share information on Canvas, and being honest when I don’t know the answer to a question or need more information. In each communication with students, I encourage questions and emphasize that I am available to offer support when needed. This principle was demonstrated in recent student feedback, for example: “I can tell [Dr. Miller] truly invested her time in making sure students performed well throughout the semester. She was promptly available with all questions regarding assignments, projects, or just general questions. She provided a very warm, open environment in class.”

Belonging: Another key component of both Adult Learning Theory and theories of Embodied Learning is to facilitate a relaxed, psychologically safe environment to support learners and encourage feelings of belonging. This is a centrally important part of my teaching practice, and one that I believe I am especially skilled at. I have built this into my teaching practice in many ways, including practicing humility, recording a sincere welcome video for students which mentions my intersectional identities and areas of growth, beginning classes with a land acknowledgment, acknowledgment of ongoing oppression and health inequities, offering encouraging feedback along with constructive feedback, valuing diverse identities and experiences, and promptly addressing any instances of bias in the classroom. With mentees, I practice “whole human being check-ins” at the start of meetings to support authentic connection within our research teams. This principle was reflected in overall high ratings across teaching feedback across semesters related to my ability to “foster a safe learning space to ask questions and express opinions” and to create an “inclusive environment where diverse perspectives and ideas were shared”.

Self-care: I believe self-care and self-reflection are highly relevant for both learners and educators. I carefully practice self-care to ensure I have the needed energy and balance to be clear and present with students. Self-reflection is important for continually improving teaching practice, and it can also be the foundation of a successful nursing career. I aim to role-model self-care and self-reflection for students, and to facilitate opportunities for self-reflection. This has been incorporated in my teaching practice by offering brief guided mindfulness practices at the start of classes, incorporating reflective journaling practices in the classroom, helping students self-regulate in stressful moments, providing self-care resources within course Canvas sites, encouraging balance and self-care activities for mentees, and understanding what I need to be a present and effective teacher (this includes consistently engaging in enough rest and sleep, practicing mindfulness, eating well, and moving my body regularly).

As stated, I am passionate about growing my teaching and mentoring practice, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue my career as a nurse educator. Overall, the core values within my teaching approach were uplifted beautifully in a final evaluation response within N706: “Dr. Miller was a very effective lecturer and leader. Notably, she thrived at creating a safe and inclusive environment that fostered learning and discussion. Throughout the course, she elicited feedback and was intentional about integrating this feedback into the course. As an instructor, Dr. Miller's method and style of communication increased clarity and guided learning. Nursing research is difficult to teach; this course perfectly fused content and practice in an engaging and meaningful way.”