Faculty Excellence at UMUC

Interviewer:

Please tell us about yourself—what made you decide to teach at UMUC? What kind of work do you do when you are not teaching at UMUC? Are there any life experiences that have influenced your teaching at UMUC? If so, please share one story.

Barbara Happ

Eleven years ago as a principal in a mid-sized healthcare  information technology consulting and research firm, I felt a need for  intellectual challenge and community involvement. The traditional classroom has  always been my home and teaching is my avocation. I found that UMUC was seeking  qualified faculty for the graduate management information systems program and  offered training for the online platform (an ad in the Washington Post!). My visit and interview confirmed that UMUC  provided an inspiring environment for faculty and students.

From time to time I am a consultant  for information technology and I do volunteer work when I’m not teaching for  UMUC.

Interviewer:

How would you describe your teaching style or philosophy? What experiences or person(s) have influenced your style or philosophy?

Barbara Happ

I seek to be an enabler of student learning by developing,  managing, and supporting a learning community where students have opportunities  to discover new knowledge, link that knowledge to current understanding, and  apply it to their careers. Students enhance their knowledge through regular,  highly active conference discussions, and individual and study group  assignments.

The UMUC environment and several mentors have helped to shape my  teaching style and philosophy. I joined and stayed with UMUC because of the  supportive leadership, the outstanding distance education model, the continuous  faculty education, and the quality technical support. In the early years, Alan  Carswell was my mentor extraordinaire and Patricia Johnson provided expert  design and technical support. I’ve never forgotten Cynthia Whitesel’s distance  education pedagogy principles in WebTycho orientation. I use these every day. At  UMUC there is joy, fulfillment and flexibility in supporting student thinking  and learning! In addition, this year I’ve had the honor of mentoring three new  GSMT faculty and sharing the tools and enthusiasm first imparted to me.

Interviewer:

What do you think it is about your teaching style that appeals to students?

Barbara Happ

I enjoy challenging students in new ways to help them build  confidence in their ability to think and learn. Students react positively to  the quick feedback with specific notations about where and how they can improve  and where they’ve done well. Each assignment has very specific grading criteria  (rubrics) and instructions so students know my expectations. This improves  students' writing and research skills. In addition, I post model student papers  (with permission and attribution) to demonstrate excellence in writing and  research. In  addition, I am humble, and I don’t hesitate to apologize for oversights and  errors. I always give students the benefit of the doubt and seek advice from  administration concerning more complex academic policies and issues.

Interviewer:

Do you teach face-to-face, online, or both? Do you have a preference between teaching face-to-face and online? If so, please explain.

Barbara Happ

I teach online at UMUC. Teaching  online in an asynchronous environment allows for great flexibility for my  schedule and for students. I prefer to teach online.

Interviewer:

Please tell us about your chosen discipline-i.e., what made you interested in the area initially? What do you do to stay current in your discipline? What do you like best about teaching in your discipline?

Barbara Happ

Information technology is bringing  revolutionary changes to healthcare. As a nurse, I observed the abyss in  research and education and sought credentials and experiences to make a  difference.

Attending conferences, teaching each semester and mentoring  faculty provide me with opportunities to delve into the research and current  practices of healthcare information technologies.

I enjoy the vision that my students  will take the lead in improving the quality and access to health care while  decreasing the cost, through information technologies.

Interviewer:

What is the most challenging to you in teaching in this area? What teaching strategy do you use when you encounter the challenge? Are  there any special challenges in teaching this subject matter online?  If yes, please explain what could be done to  meet the challenges.

Barbara Happ

There are two ongoing challenges in teaching in healthcare  information technology online:

1. The pace of  change in healthcare information technology is daunting. It takes more than  reading and seeking out experts to stay current. Working with students and  faculty around the world helps me to increase awareness of the trends, challenges,  and solutions.
2. A challenge  specific to online instruction is the student who inconsistently “comes to  class.” I know students are often striving to balance concurrent courses, work,  and complicated lives. Individualized attention, active listening with  consistent instruction and humor often assists these students to remain in the  course and to excel!

I actually believe that it is  easier to facilitate student learning online because of the tools available and  methods supported. For example, individual and team conferences enable students  to learn from each other’s global experiences in a particular arena.

Interviewer:

What suggestion would you give to students who are interested in majoring or working in your discipline?

Barbara Happ

Volunteer or compensated internships  offer excellent experiences to sort out interests. Interviewing experts on  topics of interest and seeking to contribute to research and ultimately publish  papers of importance enables students to find areas of greatest need within  healthcare information technology.

Interviewer:

In your opinion, what makes UMUC the college of choice for students?

Barbara Happ

I believe UMUC is the educational leader with the highest  quality faculty, technical expertise, and learning methodologies to meet adult  learners’ requirements. UMUC is planning for technologies and supporting  present and new faculty to continue to accelerate anytime/anywhere and face-to-face  learning.

Interviewer:

In your opinion, what makes UMUC the employer of choice for future faculty members?

Barbara Happ

UMUC is a great place to work! Colleagues at UMUC answer my  questions about effective instruction, administrative policies, and handling  challenging students. I am mentored gently and treated as an esteemed faculty  member. At the same time, I share discipline specific and distance education  pedagogy skills and knowledge. I’ve found the administration and other faculty  available, knowledgeable, ethical and fair; we all share an enthusiasm  for excellence in distance education.

Interviewer:

What suggestion would you give to new faculty who are interested in teaching in your discipline at UMUC?

Barbara Happ

New faculty should ask about  getting a mentor and then being a mentor!