My Teaching Philosophy

Popular teaching methods for business administration include lectures, case studies, simulation, and experiential learning. Not all learners learn the same; not all professors teach the same. The importance of different methods is to create an inclusive and diversified learning environment to impart the best understanding of the business concepts. As each learner has a unique way of accepting and internalizing new information, combining teaching methods increases the probability that learners can critically think and synthesize the new concepts and ideas I introduce.

With the onset of the COVID-19 era, there is less opportunity to conduct experiential learning in real-world settings. Virtual methods and technologies are becoming more prevalent, and both educators and learners are traversing this era and normalizing these necessary methods together. Being in a virtual learning environment increases the need for purposeful virtual one-on-one and group interaction beyond e-mail, written assignments, discussion posts, requiring engaging and interactive teaching and learning. I take full advantage of the available tools and the learning environment to provide the best learning outcomes by bringing the real world into the virtual learning environment.

I believe that educating involves providing learners with opportunities and a safe place to practice using concepts, ideas, and skills while providing continual feedback to increase their understanding. The learners in a doctorate-level business degree program must effectively learn to use skills in presentation, both written and oral, and realize a source of what works and does not by having a safe and actionable place to succeed and fail. The most challenging and most valuable lessons come from a failure turned into success with the support of a caring educator. Learning occurs when learners express the fruits of their critical thinking and can explain the concepts and ideas to others. I provide that safe space to experiment with new concepts and ideas by allowing them to be less than perfect and guiding them to be better; I recognize and celebrate their successes.

My approach is to be compassionate while impressing that it takes two attributes to become a doctor – will and ability. A successful learner will exude both attributes. I endeavor to fully support learners and prepare them for the final phase of their doctoral program: the dissertation. To prepare learners for the dissertation phase, I use the format “tell, show, do, and review” throughout didactic courses. I introduce the concept, give examples, provide an opportunity to use the concept, run through exercises, conduct a post-review of the concept’s elements, ask for learner questions, and provide feedback. Using this format provides a solid learning environment for doctorate-level learners. In grading written assignments, I go to great lengths to provide meaningful feedback, discuss the feedback, require the learner to demonstrate proficiency, and support improvement.

I channel my effort into bringing the real world into the virtual classroom by providing real-world examples incorporating other learners’ experiences with mine and attaching real scenarios with the concepts and ideas, which aids in the learning process. I provide examples for using the acquired skills in their future didactic classes and empress how scholarly-level writing, proper citing, and referencing will improve their dissertation and doctoral journey. The newly obtained skills will prove helpful for conducting research in a business setting.

I commit to engaging learners with interactive teaching, aligning the learning objectives with course elements, checking for successful learning, and providing timely feedback. I ensure learners can apply their theoretical knowledge to real-world business problems within the industry to ensure understanding and the concepts’ relevancy. I commit my energy to learning new teaching techniques, bringing additional skills to the classroom to improve the doctoral experience for the learners. A compilation of such successful learning experiences in the doctoral program will prepare the learners for success in the real world.