Teaching

I am passionate about deepening and expanding my teaching practice, and I am grateful for opportunities to do so. My teaching experience began Michigan State University (MSU) working as a Teaching Assistant, with successful assignments at graduate and undergraduate levels, across clinical, simulation, and didactic environments. I completed MSU’s Graduate Certificate in College Teaching, conducting a capstone project in N324: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (undergraduate level), grounded in Adult Learning Theory and Embodied Learning Theory. This project focused on incorporating a poverty simulation to support students’ learning related to health inequities and social determinants of health. Outcomes were assessed using reflective writing and a structured survey, and responses reflected a greater understanding of the impact of poverty on social function and health, as well as insights into nursing’s unique role in addressing health inequities. This prior teaching work has carried into my most recent teaching experience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, serving as lead faculty member in N706: Nursing Research (graduate level), facilitating N682: Senior Honors Thesis (undergraduate level) for two students, and engaging in guest teaching.

First and foremost, my teaching philosophy stems from respect and trust for learners. As a nurse educator, I recognize that my role can help shape the future of nursing. Guiding principles in my educational philosophy include preparation, collaboration, flexibility, open communication, belonging, and self-care. I view my 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.

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 the course 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 began 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 truly 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 honors students to explore scientific literature and reflect on their nursing practice experiences to inform the research question they develop for their capstone project. 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 also value flexibility in my teaching practice, which has been successfully fostered through soliciting feedback in courses via feedback cards (in person) and mid-semester 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. Feedback has allowed me to identify ways that I could communicate information more clearly, and ways that I could practice flexibility within my teaching (such as creating/providing additional resources). This was highlighted in evaluations I received from N706: “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 philosophy is clear, honest, respectful communication with students. 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 N706 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. This principle was reflected in my N706 teaching evaluation with a 4.81/5 rating on my ability to “foster a safe learning space to ask questions and express opinions” and a 4.78/5 rating on creation of 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 each class, incorporating reflective journaling practices in the classroom, helping students self-regulate when practicing stressful skills checkoffs in the simulation lab, providing self-care resources within course Canvas pages, 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 continuing to grow 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 philosophy 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.”