Teaching Statement

Greg Walsh

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Introduction

I have been teaching at the graduate level for over 10 years. In that time, I have had the opportunity to teach a wide variety of courses and an even wider variety of students both in the classroom and online. I have created new courses, taught existing courses, and taken courses out of “mothballs”. I have formally and informally mentored students at the undergraduate and graduate level. My courses have focused on human-computer interaction, multimedia development, social media, open source software and educational technologies. Regardless of the subject matter, I approach all of my classes with the following three tenets: the right strategies at the right time, emphasize portfolios, and respect the student.

The Right Instructional Strategies

As a previous instructional technologist, I utilize Gagne’s nine events for developing my instructional strategies. I don’t allow technology to dictate the instructional strategies that I use. My instruction comes from analyzing the subject matter, the learners and the constraints. Sometimes, a conversational lecture supported by a simple visual presentation is enough for students to learn from while other situations may require more sophisticated levels of instructional technology.

One class I teach is called Message Design where I merge communication theory with open source technologies for developing media. I have taught it in person, synchronously online, asynchronously online, and as a hybrid between face-to-face and online. I think it is a great class to teach because I can utilize a combination of instructional technologies and strategies to address the needs of the students. In the face-to-face class, I run the class as a discussion with media samples. In the classes with online components, I’m able to add more interesting tools. For example, when I discuss audio-based learning, I create podcasts for the class about audio-based learning. My students not only learn about new technologies, they experience them as well. I strive to connect the instructional strategy to the topic I’m covering.

Emphasize Portfolios

Although knowledge is ultimately the most important outcome of education, my teaching philosophy is rooted in the idea that the most important, tangible outcome of education is the student’s academic portfolio. This portfolio can enable students to reach the goals they set out to achieve. Because of this belief, each of my classes has always focused on generating at least one strong entry for them to include in their portfolios. Even though the classes I teach have ranged from discussion-based and highly theoretical to lab-based and highly practical, I’ve incorporated the portfolio requirement into each course.

The programming courses I have taught about Adobe Flash, Javascript and HTML have had portfolio pieces as the core element of assessments. Although the resulting code is itself important to the portfolio, I require that the students place their project into a larger context and create documentation about their program. The documentation usually discusses why was it created, who is the audience, and how does it fit into a larger system. Requiring this kind of portfolio-piece-in-context serves two purposes: to act as a framework for reflecting on the assignment by the student in the future, and to situate the portfolio piece for future employers or academic institutions.

Creating portfolio pieces in theoretical, discussion-based classes has also been rewarding to the students. A term paper or research paper is a staple requirement in many graduate courses, but I have been amazed at the number of students who discount these assignments as portfolio pieces. When I create these assignments, I ask students to think about their goals and situate the paper for a specific audience that would aid in the achieving of their goals. For example, someone who wants to change jobs may situate the paper in business terms in her portfolio and emphasize the importance of problem identification or the skills necessary to do research while someone with academic aspirations could emphasize the novelty of the work and discuss how it fits into a larger research plan.

Respect the Student

Students come to educational institutions for many different reasons. Some students pursue post-graduate education because they want a promotion at work, while some want to change careers, and others seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge. No matter what drives a person, that person always experiences education within the complications and challenges of their own life. Because of this, I strive to respect students’ situations and help them achieve their goals. I have had students who miss class due to sick dependents (children or parents), work issues, business trips, and many more reasons but still did well in the class because I set expectations at the beginning of each semester. I emphasize that each person is responsible for his or her own learning and they will only get out what they put into the class. I also emphasize that things can happen outside of their control and that we can work around those circumstances. Of course, this is not a free pass for missing class, not doing assignments, or cheating. I expect assignments to be turned in, recorded lectures to be viewed, and interaction with other students outside of the class and I have a strict cheating policy in accordance with the University of Maryland’s Graduate School.

This diversity of students is why I enjoy teaching so much. I learn new things each semester in my interactions with my students because of the different backgrounds and experiences each one brings to my classes. My interaction with students hasn’t ended with the class. Many students keep in contact and feel comfortable asking me for professional and technical advice.

Student Evaluations

One way that I judge my effectiveness at teaching is through student feedback. I have consistently scored well on student evaluations over the years and take each comment seriously as I try to improve semester over semester. Here is a small sampling of positive feedback that I’ve received:

“The professor was engaging and dare I say... human. Out of all the classes I have taken in the ISD program, I can honestly say that I learned the most from Greg.”

“Greg Walsh was one of the best professors I've had at UMBC - he was extremely organized and straightforward with his expectations, assignment, and course objectives. He also incorporated numerous technology tools to deliver course material…His personality was very relatable and although I never met him (since it was an online course), I feel like I know him better than many other professors I've had in the past.”

“Words cannot express how motivated I was to learn more about the topics discussed. Additionally, Greg has a talent for putting all students on a level playing field in the classroom. Honestly, some topics I had no idea about but Gregs [sic] explanation coupled with the online resources really helped me to understand the topics covered. He is super prepared and always has at least 5 references for all topics posted a week in advance.”

“Greg always takes the time to help everyone achieve their greatest learning potential in his class. He is also an instructor who practices what he teaches. His classes are engaging and visual. He's been a great example to me as I continue to teach in higher education. Even after graduating, I have been able to turn to him a few times about his areas of expertise.”

“His vision and drive are inspiring to be around. His ability to distill a complex issue into it's [sic] components without losing fidelity is his strongest ability as a teacher. And his grasp of current technology beggars the imagination.”

Teaching Experience

Presenter
28th Annual Human Computer Interaction Lab Symposium 2011
New Methods for Designing for and with the iChild

Presenter
27th Annual Human Computer Interaction Lab Symposium 2010
New Methods for Designing for and with the iChild

Guest Lecturer
LBSC690 - Storyboards
Fall 2010
University of Maryland

Instructor
Various Design Classes
Fall 2001-Summer 2002
Computer Career Institute @ Johns Hopkins University

Taught adult learners fundamentals of Web design and graphic design using Macromedia Flash and Quark Xpress. Created demonstration materials and templates for students. Facilitated open labs.

Guest Lecturer
Interactive Media Class
Fall 2001
Montgomery County College

Created lesson plan and examples for an undergraduate class about game development based around Macromedia Director. Covered advanced topics such as Object-Oriented Programming, Macromedia Flash and Director communication, and controlling Apple’s QuickTime from within Director.

Guest Lecturer
Programming CBT/WBT Instructional Summer 2001
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Presented industry-standard topics such as Macromedia Dreamweaver, Flash, Director, and Adobe Photoshop. Created take-away guides/tutorials and presented examples of the technology used in real-life situations.

Facilitator/Instructor
Introduction to HTML – 2 Day Workshop
Summer 1998
Bloomsburg University

Taught basics of HTML to high school students during a summer workshop. Reviewed basic Web technologies and authoring tools. Facilitated the lab time the students were able to use to create their own Web pages.