Active learning, creative uses of technology, and project-based course design all drive my instructional technique. In my most recent semester of full-time teaching, my course evaluations earned a combined average of 4.69/5, scoring above the University average in all eighteen categories. I aim to instill learners not only with new knowledge, but concrete skills and a clearer sense of identity. Here are a few examples of my instructional style in a range of in-person and e-learning settings.
Asynchronous Remote University Course
Before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19, I was a remote instructor. Teaching three of my sixteen years entirely online has given me complete faith in digital instruction as a means to reach the broadest range of learners. My Moodle course modules feature a range of asynchronous interactive activities, mini-lectures, and Zoom discussions. Carefully employing Bloom’s taxonomy and an emphasis on active learning, the interactive activities I assign require participation and daily writing from every student. These two important learning modalities often absent in an in-person classroom. E-learning is not merely a stopgap or a pandemic crisis response — it is a horizon-broadening and inclusive new tool that will transform instruction for the better.
Included here is a Camtasia video tour of my course modules in Moodle, the University-required courseware. I typically film my lectures via Zoom, and I’ve featured one of those as well.
“The material was very interesting and valuable. Dr. Carlson is awesome. Very approachable and knowledgeable. I recommend her to everyone!”
― literature student
Project-Based In-Person Course Design
“Dr. Carlson’s enthusiasm highly contributed to this course. Before taking this course I hated writing because I wasn’t good at it. Now I enjoy it and I loved this class!”
― first-year writing student
In Spring 2013 I turned my classroom into a publishing house. Realizing that there was no website that comprehensively covered the bildungsroman (coming-of-age) novel, we dedicated our semester to making one on Squarespace. All the students served as submitting writers and members of selection committees, and many also joined web design and copyediting teams.
I have temporarily taken the site down because some of the students, now well into their careers, have written to say that they’d rather their undergraduate writing not be the first hit when their names are googled. I may redesign it with those essays removed, but until then, I will post a Camtasia-generated tour video.
In-Person Prezi Presentation To Community Group
When teaching in-person, I employ a conversational style. Thus, I aim for attractively-designed slides featuring just a few words. These provide a framework for the more dynamic elements of the session: audience engagement and instructor rapport.
“The Unlikely Hero in the Christian Imagination” formed the first session in a two-part adult education course I was invited to offer at a local church in 2021. The presentation was not filmed, but I am including its Prezi as evidence of my visual design skills. I chose Prezi because I like the enhanced potential for customized graphic design, seamlessly embedded videos, and how the presentation advances from within its own outline. Learners are more comfortable participating in class when they have a clear sense of framework.
Standalone Instructional Simulation
This is a sample of a work in progress. I’ve been wanting to master Articulate Storyline 360, a go-to software in the field of Instructional Design. The software is $1k/year, so to practice I downloaded the trial version to make a college savings simulator for my stepkids. Embedded here is the introduction, in which our rabbit, Cecily, reveals that she is a financial aid officer. Ultimately the tutorial will present funding tools and calculators from a range of universities. I’ll scatter in quiz questions on the vocabulary of budgeting and financial aid. The tutorial will culminate with each college-bound teen producing a personalized college savings plan.
Note: Before I present it to my stepchildren, I’ll need to find someone who will let me use their paid Storyline subscription. The trial version does not include any younger characters, and my audience is teens, not parents.
For a complete list of my teaching accomplishments, please see my Linkedin.
Copyright 2021· Katie Carlson-Eastvold · All Rights Reserved