As a former Thompson Rivers University student, I am still amazed that my journey has brought me back to Kamloops and the TRU campus. Living in Saskatoon and studying at The University of Saskatchewan for eight years was a wonderful experience, but I am happy to be home. I am also excited about branching out from classroom to Open Learning teaching. I look forward to the opportunity to connect with students from all over the world who are interested in Renaissance to 18th Century English Literature.
As a lecturer, I spend a lot of time thinking about and revising my teaching practices. There is always room for improvement, but these improvements must be tempered with the knowledge that there are some areas where we excel (as educators and as students), and others where we must work extremely hard. That’s completely okay!
One area where I do excel is connecting with students and making them feel comfortable in their learning environment. I tell my students that my job is to ensure that when they finish my courses, they are better scholars and people than they when they began. In order to achieve this, it is imperative that I am engaged, knowledgeable, accessible, enthusiastic, and kind (enthusiasm and kindness go a long way…trust me).
I rely on specific learning outcomes for each class. Learning outcomes help to keep lessons on track. Since this will be my first Open Learning course, I will be looking for advice from more experienced faculty members, and I hope the enthusiasm I bring into my face-to-face lectures here on campus will be evident in my work with Open Learning. – Tara