Closing Statement
Thank you for your review of my portfolio
Conclusions About Portfolio
"Learning also demands community" from the Courage to Teach reflects the theme of my teaching and portfolio as an online educator. As I reflect on my teaching portfolio, this quote with the idea of learning through community is the theme of my development as an online educator. I often hear people say that online learning or online teaching is eas. But I have learned that to teach or learn in the online format takes effort to build community that fosters a rich learning environment for students. So, I say that online teaching or learning is neither easy or difficult but takes effort to fully engage students in a safe and inclusive learning environment, which is what is reflected of my teaching through this portfoliio.
Reflection on Student Ratings and Evaluations
As I was reading The Courage to Teach, the question, "Who is the self that teaches?" guides my thoughts as I reflect on the student ratings and evaluations. Answering this question and reflecting on the student ratings and evaluations requires me to bring my whole self, not just the self that wants to do everything perfectly. For me, the self that teaches is open and receptive to student feedback, even the feedback that may not be as positive and using it to improve how I teach and design courses for maximum student engagement. The self that teaches also uses student feedback to help students find their authentic voices in how they engage with the online classroom. Further, when I think about the student ratings and evaluations, I see areas of growth related to ensuring students understand what is being asked of them on each assignment and working with students on successfully navigating the course in Blackboard so they know where to find all the materials in the course.
Reflection on Support Letters
I am immensely grateful for the support I have received from colleagues in the Department of Social Work, especially the Chair and Director of Practicum Education. Working in a collaborative, supportive environment is important to my growth and development as an educator, and as demonstrated through both letters of support from colleagues, that support is fostering my making positive contributions to the department. In addition to support from colleagues and connection with them, I am grateful for the ability to connect with students like Lila and Mariah who have supported me by serving as my GTA (graduate teaching assistant) and who I have been able to develop a strong mentor-mentee relationship with. Seeing how Lila and Mariah communicated how I have contributed to their growth and success as students is really what makes being a professor rewarding and I look forward to continuing to build those connections with students.