Welcome
Welcome to my site! I am an Instructor in the Department of Nutrition Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and also in the process of completing my Ph.D. in Health Education/Health Promotion in UAB's Department of Health Behavior. This site serves as a venue to share my teaching experiences, qualifications, as well as service to the University and my community. Please contact me with any inquiries. Enjoy!
In good health, Tara (Harman) Kelly, MS, RDN Instructor & PhD Candidate (ABD) Department of Nutrition Sciences | UAB |
Teaching Philosophy
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Examples of active learning techniques I have included in my courses include the use of case studies, presentations, and peer teamwork. I have found these techniques both help students to retain course content and are well received by students in my courses, whether in-person or online and undergraduate or graduate courses. For instance, in Spring 2022 I taught an in-person undergraduate community nutrition course which integrated case studies as in-class assignments throughout the semester. For example, upon completing lecture content about community program planning, students were given a case study to work through in-class on this topic area. This case study began with conducting a mini needs assessment, in which students were given specific topics to research and provided web links to visit for more information. Students then identified three potential interventions that could be conducted to address the community’s needs, then set specific (S.M.A.R.T.) goals based on these intervention topic areas. This in-class assignment was an opportunity for students to practice applying their new knowledge of how to conduct a community needs assessment and develop a program from these needs assessment findings. Students received feedback on this in-class assignment (both within class and upon grading), which helped them to prepare for a community needs assessment project due weeks later as part of a multi-component, semester-long program planning project. As one student shared about this course:
I thought this class was very interesting and relevant in today’s world. I always enjoyed receiving feedback from assignments throughout this course. The feedback allowed me to improve my work for the next assignment. I would recommend this class for anyone remotely interested in nutrition!"
In an online graduate course during the same semester, the students’ case study assignments are even more in-depth such that students are not just outlining program plans but developing content for these programs. For instance, one case study students complete involves marketing healthy menu changes for a Child Nutrition Program, and the students both develop a marketing plan and create marketing materials for this assignment. This graduate course also uses team-based learning for all case study assignments, so students learn to work collaboratively with their peers as they problem solve and develop creative solutions using their various perspectives of course content knowledge. I have received a lot of positive feedback about use of case studies over the last few years, which is encouraging to me that this method is not only effective but has been well received by my students. Here is just one students’ feedback:
I enjoy Ms. Harman's lectures and look forward to class with her. This honestly isn't an incredibly interesting class for me, but she takes a dry topic and makes it interesting by applying it to real world situations. I think the structure of the class is well organized and found the case studies helpful to improve my learning."
In addition to case studies and teamwork, developing presentations is another great opportunity for students to practically apply their classroom knowledge. In my courses I have integrated more frequent, shorter presentations in specific topic areas to give students more regular practice with orally explaining content they are learning. For instance, in an online food science course I currently teach, students do multiple “lab experiment” assignments that include a video recording component. Every lab video is different, asking students to speak either to specific techniques that they are practicing or as if they are presenting to a specific audience. For example, in a lab in which students choose a type of quick or yeast bread to bake they are asked to present each ingredient and describe what the function of that ingredient is (e.g. sugar as a tenderizer) as they are preparing the recipe, which is content taught in the lecture that week. In another lab experiment, students are asked to present the end-product of their experiment (any tofu dish of their choosing) as if they are on a live television news segment presenting the dish and its nutritional benefits to the general public. To share one students’ perspective of these assignments:
This is by far one of my favorite courses I've taken at UAB. I enjoyed the lab experiments and have actually started baking a lot more thanks to the knowledge in food science I've gained. Ms. Harman is an excellent professor and shows enthusiasm while teaching, which makes learning an even better experience.”
In the same online graduate course that uses case studies, students have a presentation assignment as part of the “management” content in which they are asked to develop a food safety instructional video geared towards an audience of foodservice employees at new hire orientation. For example, a video demonstrating proper food storage techniques or methods of preventing cross contamination. Students often exhibit difficulty putting themselves in the role of a manager, so it is my goal that, through this assignment and others, students can develop more confidence in their ability to be a manager in professional practice by simulating these scenarios. This assignment is made available for peer viewing on a course discussion board and students are asked to view and comment on their peers' submissions, so that students can learn from the creations of their classmates.
To summarize my teaching philosophy, I believe in not only educating students about the content they need to know for their professions but preparing them to the be successful when applying this content in real-world settings. I like to incorporate active learning techniques in my classes, whether undergraduate or graduate, online or in-person, to help foster this application of knowledge and, ultimately, help students develop their critical thinking abilities. I am always open to and always seeking opportunities to learn and grow as an educator myself, so I look forward to learning more and expanding on this philosophy as my years as an educator progress.
Updated December 2022
To summarize my teaching philosophy, I believe in not only educating students about the content they need to know for their professions but preparing them to the be successful when applying this content in real-world settings. I like to incorporate active learning techniques in my classes, whether undergraduate or graduate, online or in-person, to help foster this application of knowledge and, ultimately, help students develop their critical thinking abilities. I am always open to and always seeking opportunities to learn and grow as an educator myself, so I look forward to learning more and expanding on this philosophy as my years as an educator progress.
Updated December 2022