JENNIFER GERVAIS

The heart of my teaching philosophy is a well-designed course that utilizes a competency-based approach, implementing diversified pedagogy that appeals to all learning styles, and creating a safe and brave space for self-exploration to foster competence. I believe that my primary role is to facilitate knowledge and support students to construct their own knowledge through exploration and experience with course content. I offer consultation and provide individualized support to enhance learning. I often employ multiple instructional methods to enhance student learning, rather than relying solely on a single textbook to guide course content. I thoroughly believe in student engagement. In an online asynchronous course, I ensure that students see me several times a week to foster a sense of connection and engagement with the learning, the program, and myself as their educator. I offer a quick video overview of the week's content, which provides an opportunity to scaffold past knowledge with new knowledge and share my professional experience on the topic. I also build new knowledge on information learned in previous courses and involve community partners to help students connect their learning to social work practice in the field. In addition, I provide students with written, audio, and video feedback on graded assessments, and I send reminders 24 hours before an assignment is due to let students know I am available if they need support in completing their assignment.   

I firmly believe in the principle of 'teach everything and assume nothing.' I make sure students have all the necessary technology instructions and tools to complete assignments in my courses. I have created technology tutorials to support student learning. These tutorials include embedding a video in a discussion board, using PowerPoint with Zoom, using Kaltura in Canvas, and recording a video on a mobile phone for Canvas.  

In all of my classes, I aim to create a safe and brave space for students to openly share their thoughts and opinions without fear of shame, blame, or judgment. I firmly believe that students are always learning, and assignments are opportunities for them to question their existing beliefs and find meaning. A safe space allows participants to share similar thoughts and ideas, while a brave space encourages group members to share their personal and professional experiences, knowing they may differ from their peers. In this brave space, students are encouraged to approach differences with curiosity rather than judgment, which is essential.  

I believe the greatest learning occurs when a course is thoughtfully designed. I use a course alignment worksheet, based on a Quality Matters framework, to create a course map. This map links course-level learning objectives, module-level learning objectives, learning materials, and assessments. By developing a course this way, everyone involved gains a clear understanding of how activities and assessments align with the course objectives.   

I believe it is essential to gather various types of evidence to guide course revisions, including formal and informal student surveys and workforce development data. Additionally, incorporating the latest research from the field to inform learning modalities and delivery methods offers an opportunity to apply best practices that support student learning and meet course objectives. This competency-based approach to course design, delivery, and assessment has been my scholarly focus since 2008 (Gervais, 2014). I have presented at both state and national levels on integrating a competency-based model into the social work curriculum.