My teaching and mentoring experiences at Old Dominion University (ODU) have been among the most rewarding in my graduate career. My philosophy is heavily influenced by my research in ODU’s education department, service on a steering committee promoting graduate student teaching preparation, teaching and research opportunities with international students, and working with more junior graduate students in our organization research lab. I believe that effective learning occurs when the student is motivated by intrinsic learning goals. In my courses I work to foster this motivation by creating an environment that encourages students to take an active role in their development as learners, provides ample formative feedback and guidance on student work, and interactive discussions on course content.

Lunch with graduate student research partners Beijing Normal University

Engaging the Student

In collaboration with ODU’s Programs for Research and Evaluation in Public Schools (PREPS), within the Darden School of Education, I have worked with local public schools and faculties to implement Assessment for Learning (AFL, Stiggins, 2001). AFL comprises instructional approaches that engage students more fully in their development as learners. This instructional approach readily applies to higher education. It entails balancing summative assessment (i.e., grades, exams, etc.) with formative assessment (i.e., forward feedback, two-way discussion of course content, guidance in revision of work, helping students set learning goals, etc.). When teaching Organizational Psychology (syllabus available by clicking here) at ODU, I incorporated formative assessment in classroom activities and assignments. In this distance learning course, students alternated as presentation project leaders for virtual student teams. This project involved both instructor and peer feedback for the team manager surrounding their presentation and project management skills. For this course’s term paper I allocated time during several class periods to discuss expectations and guide students through writing strategies and the term paper rubric. Early in the writing process students submitted detailed description of their topic and an annotated bibliography. I also accepted early drafts and offered feedback and guidance during revisions.

Formative assessment is also incorporated in my classroom instructional strategies. Using a solely lecture-based presentation format assumes that the student is a passive recipient of the teacher’s knowledge. My experience indicates that engaging students in discussion and building in chances for them to facilitate dialogue among their classmates allows them to take a more active role in their learning and acquire a deeper level of cognitive understanding. I have also incorporated technology in instruction in an effort to help students become more actively engaged in their learning. Organizational Psychology was a distance learning course that was broadcast to five different classrooms throughout Virginia. In addition to working in virtual teams, students engaged in weekly threaded dialogues on the course content. These dialogues provided a powerful tool for me to address the students’ questions and unique perspectives both online and in class.

Balancing Teaching, Mentoring, and Research Goals

My service on the steering committee for Preparing Future Faculty (PFF), a national initiative sponsored by the Council of Graduate Schools and the Association of American Colleges & Universities, has fostered a deeper appreciation for the balance needed among teaching, research, and mentoring responsibilities in an academic career. This initiative seeks to familiarize graduate students with the diversity of faculty member responsibilities in different types of colleges and universities. Because research is so often the emphasis in doctoral programs, we focused our efforts on helping graduate students gain more experience and training in teaching. As a more senior graduate student, I conducted a teaching workshop geared toward the challenges of graduate student teaching. In collaboration with PFF’s chair, Dr. Elaine Justice, I also coordinated a workshop forum of ODU alumni who are now faculty. This workshop offered graduate students a “realistic job preview” from the perspective of educators hailing from diverse higher educational settings (e.g., liberal arts, community college, and research institutions, etc.).

Through research collaborations at ODU, I have had the opportunity to hone my mentoring skills with graduate students and found ways to align student development and research interests. I have led several research projects, presentations, and publications with the more junior peers in our research lab. This work has inspired a passion for identifying needs and fostering the development of masters and doctoral-level students. I have also acquired valuable project management skills including effectively communicating expectations, group problem solving and idea generation techniques, and identifying, working with, and learning from group member strengths and weaknesses. Our collaborations have resulted in a publication (i.e., Fodchuk & Sherman, IN PRESS), one revise and resubmit at Group and Organization Management (i.e., Fodchuk, Davis, & Sherman, under second review), working papers, and several conference paper presentations and symposia (see curriculum vitae for a listing).  Working with Culturally Diverse Students

After Academy of Management Presentation, Philadelphia

Based on my interests and experience I can teach a versatile range of subjects within industrial and organizational psychology. My research and work experience prior to my doctoral studies were predominantly focused in personnel and industrial psychology domains. The research I conducted during my master’s degree at California State University, Sacramento dealt with procedural justice, performance evaluations, and legal guidelines for analyzing compensation equity. My professional experience entails five years of consulting in private (Biddle Consulting Group, Inc.) and public (California State Personnel Board) organizations. Drawing from my experience in selection test validation and development, equal employment opportunity litigation support, compensation equity analysis, development and validation of training objectives, and training state personnel exam analysts, I would be well-qualified to and interested in teaching personnel psychology and human resource management courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Since my arrival at ODU my coursework, teaching experience, research program, and professional experience have shifted more toward organizational psychology. My main areas of expertise include organizational justice, organization development and change, cross-cultural organizational behavior, extra-role work behaviors (e.g., counterproductive and citizenship behaviors), employee perceptions of control and coping strategies, and team behaviors. Based on my work at ODU I am interested and qualified to teach both micro and macro organization theory and organizational development and change. At the undergraduate level, I am interested in teaching classes covering industrial/organizational psychology, cross-cultural psychology, and group dynamics.