Teaching & Mentoring

Teaching Experience

Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods
This course aims to provide students with an overview of quantitative research design in social science. The course will cover concepts relevant to research in the field of communication and common quantitative research design choices. Although we will utilize statistical analysis to better understand research design, this is not a statistics course.

The goals of this class are:

  • To introduce students to quantitative research methods utilized in the field of communication (including sub-areas: media studies, advertising).
  • To teach students how to read, understand, critique, and write in the field of communication.
  • To teach students how to engage in theoretically and methodologically sound research.
  • To teach students how to formulate research questions and develop a research design that best answers their questions.
  • To teach students how to formulate hypotheses based on relevant theory.
  • To challenge students to think analytically and critically about the connection between methods and knowledge in the field.
  • To introduce students to statistical analysis.

Contemporary Issues in Journalism
This course seeks to challenge students to consider contemporary issues in news and the profession. This course will tackle societal changes that have impacted how audiences consume and process news (e.g., declining perceptions of news credibility/news trust, polarization, niche news, disinformation) to contextualize the current news environment and better understand the current news audience. The course will also discuss the implications of these elements, specifically discussing its impact on racial attitudes, perceptions of racial equity, and news coverage of racial issues (e.g., Black Lives Matter Movement). In doing so, students should recognize the importance of diversity in the newsroom and the effects of news media.  

Teaching Awards

List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students: University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign

Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017*, Spring 2018*, Summer 2019*, Fall 2019, Spring 2020*
* Denotes outstanding rating for top 10%