A Story about Great Teaching
In this Issue:
- A story about great teaching: The Human League: Life experience and inspiration thrive in the digital classroom
- Interested in taking your career to the next level?
A story about great teaching: The Human League: Life experience and inspiration thrive in the digital classroom
Back in February, we asked students to share a story about their academic journey: It could be a class that has sparked their academic or creative passions, a faculty member who does amazing research or is a phenomenal teacher, etc. One of our students in the School of Professional Studies took us up on that challenge and worked with one of our writers to tell her story – and we thought this just might inspire some of our parents and families to consider courses at our School of Professional Studies. Hope you enjoy.
In her role as executive assistant to a city council member in Jacksonville, Florida, Brooks Dame (MPA ‘28) has a full plate: helping draft legislation, shaping public policy and addressing the concerns of her district, not to mention juggling communications – including the relentless demands of social media – and being the go-to person for the press, city departments and some 75,000 constituents.
But the demands of her job didn’t deter Dame; rather, it motivated her to pursue a master’s in public administration from Wake Forest’s School of Professional Studies (SPS).
“I’m committed to public service and want to grow in the field,” she said, citing a desire to take a deeper dive into the realms of public policy analysis, budgeting, organizational leadership and program evaluation. Wake Forest appealed to the 2016 alumna of Furman University because of its “prestigious, academically rigorous reputation,” and – no doubt for someone so busy – the School of Professional Studies’ fully online or “asynchronous” curriculum.
The term “asynchronous” simply means students and professors engage in course material at different times and from different locations. The sequence of content is usually determined at the outset, allowing students the flexibility to learn around work schedules, whether an early morning shift or the 9-to-5 grind. On paper, an asynchronous setup could appear cut-and-dried, if not downright impersonal: Log in to your class, click the assignment, read the material, take an exam graded by a bot, receive the result by email, and click on the next thing, right?
Wrong.
Especially if, like Dame, you are enrolled in “Leadership and Change Management,” taught by Dr. Amy Wallis, Professor of Practice in Organizational Behavior, or as Wallis puts it in an online video, “the people side of business.”
Wallis brought a wealth of experience to Wake’s faculty upon joining in 2012. Starting out as a strategy consultant for a firm in Latin America, she developed an interest in human nature, which led her to pursue advanced degrees in psychology. Along the way, Wallis has held positions or consulting gigs in a variety of fields – including travel, tech, banking, and nonprofit — exploring organizational changes, talent and leadership development, and performance management, or, in her words, “the reasons people do what they do in the business world.” Though she’s been happily ensconced in academia for several years, Wallis continues to maintain her consulting practice. “I like the idea of having ‘a foot in two canoes,’” she notes, adding that the two worlds complement one another.
But it’s her experience as a first-generation college undergrad at a small liberal arts school, the University of Scranton, where Wallis was able to “connect with my professors as mentors and as human beings” that plays out in the classroom. “I wanted to educate others in a similar setting,” she says. But how, exactly, given the online learning environment?
Pointing to opposing pedagogical styles characterized in the early 1990s by education professor and author Alison King — the “sage on the stage” (a teacher who lectures before a class), vs. the “guide on the side” (an instructor who coaches and actively engages students) — Wallis affirms that she falls in the latter camp. Or as Ben Franklin would say: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn.” In addition to using short videos and quizzes as teaching aids for her leadership class, which explores how change happens within organizations, how it should happen, why people resist it, and how leaders can best effect and guide it, Wallis typically introduces a set of concepts and presents the class with real-life examples from her consulting work. The students then apply the abstract concepts to the examples, thereby establishing “a toolbox,” as Wallis says, for navigating similar situations in their respective workplaces.
As anyone who’s held a job anywhere can attest, examples of change abound — particularly in today’s work world, with the 800-pound gorilla of artificial intelligence looming over employers and employees alike. How does one address AI, a tool that strikes fear in the hearts of Luddites and stokes the enthusiasm of early adopters? For Wallis, the answer lies inevitably and reassuringly in the interpersonal. “When I started teaching many years ago,” she recalls, “I would tell students: ‘If Google can answer the question, an employer doesn’t need you. Focus on being great at things Google can’t do.’” She maintains the same principle holds true for AI: “As a result, human skills such as influencing, communicating, negotiating and guiding change are increasingly important” — and evident in Wallis’ classroom.
Brooks Dame reveled in such a learning environment, citing lively online class discussions in which students were encouraged to participate and defend answers to the quizzes, to which Wallis, in Dame’s view, offered “fair and clear” critiques. The Socratic method (one in which a teacher poses probing questions and challenges students into forming their own conclusions) also “leads to a greater understanding of the material and a real-world experience of verbalizing convincing arguments,” Dame recalls. Despite the high volume of reading material and “challenging” concepts, she grasped that the careful intent in each lesson reflected Wallis’ unwavering commitment to the students’ success. “Dr. Wallis,” she said, “treats her class like they are and will be change-makers, that their careers will have meaning, and that level of respect and ambition on behalf of her students is contagious.”
Of course, teaching is a two-way street, and for Wallis’ part, “Brooks is the type of student that helps a professor love their job!” Wallis praises Dame’s preparation and engagement, which mirrored her own investment in the students by “sharing her hopes for her own learning and asking questions that deepened her understanding of the materials,” and perhaps most importantly, Dame’s encouragement of her fellow classmates, “which is so meaningful in the online environment when students can feel disconnected.”
But the final exam – for both student and professor – is not the one that determines a grade at the end of the term, but how a student applies the knowledge a professor has imparted. For Dame in her job with city government, Wallis’ instruction “has already changed how I approach coalition-building when working on legislation that might be controversial.” She says she’ll continue to refer to those real-life examples in class exercises to “put theory into practice.” By Ben Franklin’s measure, Brooks Dame has indeed learned, and Amy Wallis can rest assured her mission is accomplished.
Interested in taking your career to the next level?
Consider one of the myriad course offerings at the WFU School of Professional Studies. You can immerse yourself in one of its asynchronous master’s programs, typically lasting around 16 months and includes fields as diverse as engineering management, international affairs, public policy, IT, AI, cybersecurity, health, education and finance. Or perhaps you need a project management certification to put you on the fast track at your current job. Wake can accommodate.
A bonus of SPS courses is that faculty must offer a weekly synchronous meeting (i.e., a “live” course giving students the opportunity to connect with one another and their professor). This is recorded for students who can’t make the meeting due to work or family obligations.
If you’re among the C-suite crowd looking for a custom-made course on a specific topic or skillset, consider one of the school’s executive workshops. To browse the current catalog, visit sps.wfu.edu or call the School of Professional Studies at 877-523-8271 to speak with a staff member who can advise you on the best path to meet your professional needs and goals.
— by Nancy Oakley