I attended the MED division annual teaching bootcamp at AOM 2022, which included breakout groups covering active learning, group projects, and syllabus policies. Each of these breakout groups taught lessons I incorporated into my teaching style and strategies.
The active learning table taught how to utilize active learning activities, such as gallery walks and think-pair-share, as a way to break out of the mundane and repetitive slide-based lecture. I have incorporated these activities into every class meeting I’ve taught since, as students show excitement and interest in class content and are able to actively apply the course lessons. The group projects table taught strategies to make what students might usually dread into a fun, meaningful learning experience. This table emphasized the instructor’s role as a leader in group management and connecting projects to something students can take away at the end of the semester. My students now work together by applying learning concepts from the course to publish podcast recordings. Lastly, the syllabus table helped me build a syllabus that addresses the major concerns of most instructors, while balancing the needs of students. My syllabus now includes classroom discussion agreements and a diversity statement to provide the basis for a psychologically safe environment.
Since incorporating what I learned from the MED division teaching bootcamp, I’ve been able to share these lessons by presenting at several teaching-based conferences. I earned the Lubar College of Business Outstanding Doctoral Student Teaching Award. I have also won three Gold Star Teaching Awards from my college, which are awarded to the instructors who received the highest teaching evaluations for a given semester. As a PhD student competing for the award with tenured faculty, this is a tremendous and exciting accomplishment.
Thank you to the MED division for hosting such helpful teaching development opportunities!