Which classes do you teach online?
Cognitive Processes, Research Methods and Animal Learning
What do you want students in your courses to learn? What is the learning outcome or objective?
Although each course has its own unique content that I lecture on (e.g., various memory models in Cognitive Processes), my main objective is to ensure that my students can think critically.
I want students to be able to understand scientific research—and be able to identify potential confounds in experimental designs. I also want my students to develop strong communication skills.
What advice would you give to those considering an online nursing program?
Embrace the learning. Be an active and participating learner. Develop a schedule and stay on track. Stay in contact with your faculty. Your faculty want you to be successful; stay connected with them.
Why did you start teaching?
I have always enjoyed teaching and working with students. I find teaching naturally rewarding.
What advice would you give to those considering this online program?
- Stay organized by keeping track of all the upcoming assignments and their due dates. I recommend using an electronic calendar with reminders before each assignment is due.
- Work on the course each day and avoid procrastinating. By making the course a daily habit, you will make the course less stressful and easier to manage.
- Remember that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong (Murphy's Law). Plan ahead and give yourself extra time to complete and submit assignments!
What qualities make someone particularly successful in the field in which you teach?
I would recommend that any students interested in becoming a cognitive psychologist develop a strong passion for reading. Scientists must read constantly to keep up with the developments in their field. Additionally, students need to practice critical-thinking skills. To be able to think critically about an idea, identifying both strengths and weaknesses of a particular proposal (for instance), is of paramount importance. Finally, all scientific research is disseminated either in written form (e.g., research articles), poster form or via oral communication (e.g., research presentation). Given that all of these are a form of communication, students must develop strong communication skills in order to be understood and adequately discuss their own research ideas and findings.
Tell us something interesting about yourself that your students may not know.
I enjoy computer programming, and my favorite computer language is JavaScript.
