Outstanding University Teacher Award, Tenured

Lindsey Thomas, Ph.D.

• Associate Professor in the School of Communication.
• She earned her Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa in 2015

The three most valuable or important methods/approaches/attitudes/etc. that I bring to my teaching practice are …

• The humans in classrooms are whole people, not (only) students (or "just" faculty!).
• Humans have different resources and varied priorities, and thus, across a group, the "same" experience or treatment is not.
• Practice grace and gratitude: We are all doing our best, with the resources we have, in any given moment.

The most rewarding aspect of teaching for me is … (and why)

I get to continue to learn from others; I especially appreciate the reciprocal learning relationship I get to engage in with so many passionate, unique, and talented students and colleagues at ISU!

The most challenging aspect of teaching for me is … (and what I do about it)

Equitable assessment, as I strive to balance more objective aspects of performance (knowledge/skill) and subjective measures of growth (learning).

If you asked my students what makes me an effective teacher, I would hope that they would say … and/but I think that they would actually say …

I hope students would say that I'm engaging and caring about the class and them, but I think most would say that I'm always available to help (which is close enough for me!)

Best compliment that I’ve received from a student was …

"Working with Dr. Thomas actually makes me feel smart!"
(I choose to believe - I think accurately - that this was about working with a student in research methods to figure out their unique strengths... rather than potential negative commentary on my own intelligence, haha.)

The one teaching technique or strategy that I would recommend to my colleagues to enhance student learning the most is …

Ask genuine questions - about students' understandings and perspectives in class and beyond - with an open mind. Sometimes we can be so focused on course content, we forget to check in to engage with and learn from the other folks in the classroom!

“Life is all about learning - not just as students but as whole, multifaceted individuals.”