Welcome to my Teaching ePortfolio!

This section reflects my ongoing development as an educator. As I have created a variety of learning experiences, I have become more intentional about designing with connection and student growth in mind. The work gathered here represents not only what I have made, but also what the process has taught me about teaching as a thoughtful and evolving practice.

Explore this site to learn more!

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching statement reflects how my understanding of education has grown over time. I have come to see teaching not simply as sharing knowledge, but as creating learning experiences that help students engage deeply, reflect thoughtfully, and connect what they are learning to their lives beyond the classroom. This perspective has developed through practice, continuous education, and reflection on the kinds of environments in which students feel both challenged and supported.

It also reflects my growth as an educator. More than a summary of what I believe, it shows the direction in which my teaching continues to evolve: toward greater intentionality, deeper connection, and more meaningful student engagement. In that sense, this statement describes both my current philosophy and the kind of educator I continue to become.

Teaching Practices Examples

This section reflects how my teaching philosophy takes shape in practice. The examples included here show my effort to create instruction that is clear, intentional, and centered on student engagement. Looking across these materials, I see a growing commitment to aligning learning objectives and course activities in ways that help students connect with ideas more deeply and participate more actively in their own learning.

This syllabus reflects a learner-centered approach, where learning objectives, activities, and assessments are intentionally aligned to support active engagement, hands-on learning, and accessible participation for all students.

SYLLABUS

This lesson plan shows how I translate my teaching approach into practice, engaging students actively, supporting reflection, and guiding them through scaffolded experiences that help build understanding and develop knowledge over time.

LESSON PLAN

This slide deck supports the learning experience through mini lectures interspersed with guided discussions and intentional moments for reflection and engagement, helping students connect ideas and stay actively involved.

SLIDE DECK

  • "One thing I liked about this course: Alejandra! She is a great teacher who managed different skill levels effectively and was always well-prepared!"

    —Student, Introduction to Smartphone Photography, LLI at VT

  • "Course material was tailored to the interests and needs of the class. Instructor was a professional photographer (so highly skilled) and very engaging (lots of funny stories, interesting stories). Excellent slides with great photos that illustrated the course concepts."

    —Student, Introduction to Smartphone Photography, OLLI

  • "Alex exhibited passion for teaching and was proactive in reaching out to the chair and other faculty for resources to organize her course. She is commended for her hard work and effort."

    —Dr. Stuart Robinson, Chair, Department of Art, Radford University

  • "Your OLLI class was wonderful learning experience in many ways. Your homework assignments made me look at everything differently from a new angle (...). Thank you, again, for a great learning experience."

    —Student, Introduction to Smartphone Photography, OLLI

Teaching Effectiveness Examples

This section reflects the importance of feedback in my growth as an educator. The perspectives shared by students, peers, and instructional design experts help me better understand how my teaching is experienced by others and what impact it has on learning. Together, these examples show that teaching is not only something I design, but also something I continually refine through reflection, observation, education, and responsiveness to the people I teach and work with.

This letter reflects an external evaluation of my instructional design work by a qualified instructional design expert.

LETTER FROM EXPERT

This peer observation letter offers a colleague’s perspective on my teaching practice.

PEER OBSERVATION

This section highlights student evaluation on my teaching, offering insight into their experience on past learning environments.

STUDENT FEEDBACK

Teaching as Scholarly Practice

This section reflects my commitment to teaching as a collaborative and scholarly practice. In the paper “Why Not Teaching System Architecting as a Studio Art Class?”, developed in collaboration with faculty across disciplines, we explore how studio art pedagogies, such as iteration, critique, and reflection, can be adapted to engineering education.

This work aligns closely with my teaching approach, particularly my focus on active, reflective, and experience-based learning, and highlights the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in rethinking how we design meaningful learning experiences.

Contact & Collaboration

If my work speaks to you, I would be glad to connect and explore how I can contribute to meaningful learning experiences in your context.