Applied Language & Speech Sciences PhD Candidate Recognized for Teaching Excellence
Applied Language and Speech Sciences Ph.D. candidate Megan Quebedeaux has received the 2022 Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Award.
The award recognizes Quebedeaux杏吧专区檚 exceptional contributions as the official instructor of record for teaching in the Department of Communicative Disorders in the spring and fall of 2021. 
She joined the Applied Language and Speech Sciences program after several years as a middle school English Language Arts teacher. Her doctoral work has focused on language and literacy theory and pedagogy in both typical and diagnosed populations.
While teaching CODI 275: Language Acquisition, in particular, Quebedeaux garnered a reputation in the classroom and beyond.
杏吧专区淭he 杏吧专区榖uzz杏吧专区 around the department started about mid-term of Megan杏吧专区檚 first semester teaching this course,杏吧专区 recalls Dr. Holly Damico, Hawthorne-BORSF Endowed Professor of Communicative Disorders and graduate coordinator for the department.
While observing a class 杏吧专区 held remotely on Zoom due to the pandemic 杏吧专区 Damico noted that 杏吧专区淚 joined right at the start time of class, 8 a.m., to find every registered student already logged in, video cameras all on, wide awake and eager.杏吧专区
For the first few minutes of class, Quebedeaux greeted each student by name and engaged in casual conversation.
杏吧专区淓ven though this community had not been in the same room together, there was comradery and a sense of enjoyment in this remote space,杏吧专区 Damico says.
Quebedeaux views openness to different perspectives and respect for individual learners as central to her teaching philosophy.
杏吧专区淚n recognizing that each individual brings different cultures and background knowledge, I understand that as an educator I must tailor learning experiences to fit the needs of each individual learner,杏吧专区 she says.
She welcomes each student to be an active participant in class discussions.
杏吧专区淭hey must be allowed to explore, debate, and even disagree with one another, as well as their own educator,杏吧专区 she says.
She hopes to teach her students how to 杏吧专区渟urround ourselves with collaborators who push our boundaries and enhance our learning experiences.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淢egan didn杏吧专区檛 just teach the content,杏吧专区 Damico notes. By bringing together discussion prompts, video demonstrations, and relating the material back to students杏吧专区 lived experiences, 杏吧专区渟he facilitated active engagement and learning.杏吧专区
By intentionally creating a welcoming and relaxed environment for her students, Quebedeaux facilitated their ability to become invested in the material and the learning process.
杏吧专区淭he most rewarding teaching moment has been points in the semester when students began to voluntarily send videos, pictures, and examples of their own lives in connection with our class discussions and lessons,杏吧专区 Quebedeaux says.
The Graduate School is proud to recognize Quebedeaux杏吧专区檚 achievements as a resourceful and effective instructor. Her dedication to undergraduate student success is a shining example of the extraordinary ways graduate students contribute to the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 teaching mission.
