Center for Teaching and Learning

Faculty Interview
Linda R. Ruggles
History

Hear the audio clip on inspiring students to achieve reading and critical thinking skills. (3:29)

In 1992 my husband received orders to report to Okinawa where he was to serve his final tour of duty with the USMC. At the same time, I saw a notice in the AHA's job listings for positions with UMUC overseas and sent my resume in. It was forwarded to Martie Shull, the area director on Okinawa . The upshot was that Martie hired me to teach U.S. History starting in January 1993. I have been happily teaching with UMUC ever since: on Okinawa from 1993-1998 and stateside from 1999 to the present.

UMUC is my primary employment but that's not all I do – I'm currently pursuing a PhD in Education and working on my dissertation, tentatively titled: “Hanging Out in Cyberspace: Online Student Communities.”

When I started teaching through Adelphi in 1999, I took WebTycho training but did not think I would actually teach online. I'm a storyteller at heart (my first degree is in music performance) and could not imagine myself online instead of in front of an “audience.” However, I was also working for Borders as a manger and by 2001 was at the largest Borders in the DC area with responsibility to be at the store whenever called. This did not leave me with the flexibility to take a f2f class so I agreed to try one online – Fall semester 2001.

My mother passed away on September 10th, and I was on a train headed to New York City the morning of September 11th. I ended up stranded in Newark, New Jersey until the next day but was able to get online and in my class without difficulty. Many of my students were either at the Pentagon or in first responder units, which made it tough for them to participate with any regularity, but I was able to work with them to enable them to complete the class. I was able to spend time with my father and continue working with the class thanks to my laptop and the universality of the Internet.

That semester convinced me that online education has a place and meets a need of both students and faculty and I have been teaching online ever since. It was also this experience that convinced me to pursue my PhD at an online institution, focusing on teaching history online.

My objective in every class that I teach is to help my students develop research skills – to ask questions and search for answers – to tell the story of the object of their research in a logical manner, backed with reference to the research they did, and to draw conclusions from their research and analysis. This has direct application in so many areas outside the classroom and also enables the students to consider different perspectives, to look at situations from another person's viewpoint.

I was fortunate to grow up in an atmosphere where we were encouraged to ask questions about every subject under the sun. Family dinners were more than just taking in the necessary food for growth and life; we discussed the news and argued points on wide ranging topics from Constitutional rights to Vietnam , from evolution and the Bible, and more. Everyone was expected to participate and to “document” their sources (a dictionary, encyclopedia, and the newspaper were always at hand in the dining room). I also had some teachers who encouraged this as well in all grades and there were several professors I studied with in college and grad school who had a direct impact on my teaching style and I remain in touch with them to this day.

• No use of those lovely Anglo-Saxon four letter words that we are far too often inclined to use.
• No getting personal or disrespectful. The Golden Rule applies.
• I reserve the right to cut off and delete any conversation that does not adhere to these guidelines.

Within these guidelines, my students are encouraged to consider and discuss the topic at hand. It has been my experience with both face-to-face and online classes that most students enjoy the open discussions that ensue and learn from them – both within the subject matter of the course and beyond the classroom. The added benefit is that I not only enjoy them, I learn from them.

I always had an interest in history – my grandparents told us stories from their youth that fascinated me. It turns out that I also was lucky in that I had three excellent history teachers in high school who fed this fascination. My first degree is in music performance and I focused on music from the 13 th – 18 th centuries in Western Europe – with courses in philosophy, history, literature, and languages.

However, I married a Marine and ended up in places where Classical Music, much less Early Music, was not a big draw and finding work was not easy. So, I decided to go back to school and get a degree in history (American History). My thought was that as long as there was a United States , there would be a need for teachers of American History. I applied to George Mason University when my husband was stationed in the DC area during the late 1980s and was accepted into the MA program. I earned my degree in 1990 with a focus on Colonial American History. My thesis was called “Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord: The Regular Singing Controversy” which also won an award from Phi Alpha Theta in 1990. And I'm happy to say that I was employed teaching college level history at each location my husband was stationed.

I belong to several professional organizations in History and Education, attending several conferences each year – and have presented papers at several of them. I read articles published in a number of scholarly journals on a regular basis as well as monographs.

In addition, I participate in HIST 999 (UMUC's history faculty web site) regularly and am one of the History Course Chairs. Conversations with my colleagues range from discussing research, reviewing each other's work, and exchanging ideas on working with students. When I get the chance, I also mentor new faculty, which allows me to discuss a variety of topics from research to teaching and mentoring.

I have served as the faculty advisor for UMUC's chapter of Phi Alpha Theta (the national history honor society) since 2002 and for PHAT 999 (UMUC's online history club) since its inception in 2000. Working with our students as they look at career opportunities, graduate school, and more keeps me on my toes and current.

I am currently researching and writing a dissertation for a PhD in Education (Post Secondary and Adult Education) . My course work was completed online, which caused me to reconsider my own teaching practice in view of my experiences as a student.

I love telling stories and hearing stories – the stories of the people who settled and lived in the United States in every period of our history. These stories lead to wonderful discussions and encourage all involved to listen to the stories of others, to hear their voices and how they fit into the greater story that is our history.