Teaching Philosophy
I base my teaching on two broad principles: 1) application of skills in real-world settings; and 2) feedback and continuous improvement. By incorporating real-life simulations, workshops, and practice inside and outside of class, students will be equipped with the skills needed to function as confident independent professionals while also serving as members of collaborative teams. Constructive feedback is critical to students’ development, contributing to a foundation of self-learning and self-improvement that will aid students in their future careers. I will illustrate how I apply these principles within the PharmD and PhD curricula. I will also discuss topics in which I am equipped to teach.
First, I have experience teaching in the PharmD curriculum using principles of applied learning and feedback, with the goal of preparing these students to become confident, independent pharmacists who are able to contribute to collaborative healthcare teams, a necessity in today’s healthcare landscape. Utilization of active learning activities and providing immediate feedback help me accomplish this goal. I use these strategies in my role as a coordinator for the joint Auburn University (AU) and State Health Insurance and Assistance Program (SHIP) Medicare Outreach Program. The purpose of this program is to improve pharmacy students’ ability to assist Medicare enrollees in plan selection. For example, as part of the PYDI 9210 Pharmacy Practice Development, Management and Evaluation course at Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy, I delivered a lecture and facilitated a large group discussion on “Medicare Part D.” This didactic training was supplemented by outside-of-class readings and quizzes with an average quiz score above 90%, and combined with in-class activities to practice skills in which students worked in pairs or groups to complete a practice plan comparison using the Medicare.gov Plan Finder Tool; student responses were summarized and feedback was given. I also coordinated and led multiple one-hour workshops outside of class for small groups of students to practice applying their skills using real patient cases, providing more individual feedback. Students also have opportunities to volunteer in experiential learning at Medicare Open Enrollment events in the community, during which I interacted with students in small groups and one-on-one to provide feedback. Since 2015, nearly 300 students participated at these events, and over 90% stated that their knowledge about Medicare prescription drug coverage and ability to help beneficiaries select the most appropriate Medicare Part D plans increased (Hohmann L, et al, 2018). I am excited to use these strategies in future classes as an effective means of developing PharmD students’ abilities as confident healthcare providers. Overall, due to my coursework, research background, and practice experience, I am equipped to teach the following topics in the PharmD curriculum: the United States healthcare system, including Medicare-related topics; and pharmacy management, including operations, personnel, and change management.
I also have experience teaching in the MS/PhD curriculum using principles of applied learning and feedback, with the goal of preparing these students to become confident, independent researchers and professionals, whether they enter into academia, industry, or consulting. For example, I prepared and delivered a lecture on “Qualitative Methods: Interviews and Focus Groups” as part of the HORP 7820 Research Methods course in the MS/PhD curriculum at the Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy. Students completed readings and assessment questions outside of class, and applied concepts in class via small group discussion and think-pair-share followed by feedback to the class. Furthermore, as part of my role as a GRA, I mentored two undergraduate research assistants and two junior PhD students within the department in study design, intervention recruitment, data collection, data analysis, and grant/manuscript writing. It is rewarding to me to help these students develop and learn new skills by applying the knowledge gained through their coursework to projects within our research lab, as well as one-on-one feedback. I plan to continue using these strategies in the future in order to prepare graduate students to become independent investigators. In sum, due to my coursework and experience as a graduate research assistant, I am well equipped to teach research methods in the graduate student curriculum, including qualitative, survey, and mixed methods as well as intervention design. Additionally, given my expertise in implementation sciences, I am also equipped to teach topics related to: change theories, innovation adoption, program evaluation, and implementation strategies.