Teaching Philosophy
When students enter my classroom, they bring with them not only their pre-requisite knowledge but also a lifetime of experiences, passions, and goals. As a professor it is my duty to leverage each student's talents and interests towards a high-energy, active learning experience. I often use activities like Think-Pair-Share and Peer Review to encourage discussion, but sometimes I spend extra time in office hours with students who need a little more individual help. Students who know me, know that I will answer any question gracefully and to the best of my ability, I will celebrate lightbulb moments loudly and joyfully, and I will ensure that students are connected with all possible resources for success.
Links To Teaching Work
TEACHING EXPERIENCES
Instructor of Record
As a part of the First Year Engineering Teaching Apprenticeship Program (FYETAP) I first co-taught engineering programming in the Fall of 2020 and then taught the same course independently in the Spring. In this course, students learn Matlab and Python in a flipped classroom where most of class time is spent working example problems. I had the challenging experience of teaching my first course during a global pandemic where we had several mid-semester transitions between in-person, virtual, and hybrid instruction.
GRED 63801 Pedagogy in the College Classroom
Final Portfolio
This course walked us through the creation of an undergraduate college course using backwards design principles. Our learning culminated in an outline for a course of our choice which went through several rounds of peer and instructor feedback.
Graduate Teaching Assistant
I was a teaching assistant for six semesters before taking the FYETAP fellowship. For several semesters I worked in the Student Fabrication Lab where I taught students how to safely operate common workshop tools such as the manual mill and manual lathe. One of my favorite TA positions was for Statics with a flipped classroom. Here I worked with students in-person to answer questions as they worked on problem sets.
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
I first started uncovering my passion for teaching as a teaching assistant at Clemson University. As a paid undergraduate teaching assistant, I attended class with students taking Statics & Dynamics and held guided practice sessions once a week. To hold this teaching position I was required to take a course in undergraduate pedagogy where I first started picking up active learning strategies and learning about different teaching philosophies.
Presenting to Graduate Students
In the Spring of 2021, I gave a presentation to the Robotics & Controls research group at Notre Dame explaining some of the finer details of my work. The following video illustrates my communication skills at the graduate level.
Positions Held
Student Feedback
Course Instructor Feedback (CIF)
Fall 2020 Composite Median Score: 5.0
Spring 2021 Composite Median Score: 5.0
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Student Comments:
"Taylor was very engaging and cared about how we were doing in and out of the class. She explained things very well and did well demonstrating common mistakes to avoid. She also did a good job of offering constructive feedback and checking up on everybody."
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"Taylor was the best programming teacher I've ever had! Even though I took three years of programming in high school, I feel like I've learned more this semester than the past three years combined. She explained concepts very well and took us through many examples at the right pace to help us understand."
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"Taylor was extremely engaged in this class. She was always available for office hours and extra help and would not log off the zoom until all of our questions were answered. She made the class fun while still being able to teach the information effectively. She was also enthusiastic to answer any questions we had both during and after class. Overall, she was a very effective and helpful instructor."
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