2010 Teaching Initiative Award Winner

Jennifer Friberg, Ph.D.

• Ph.D. in Education from Illinois State University; emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction (2006)
• Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders 

Teaching philosophy

In order to be an effective teacher, I must facilitate learning by constructing a collaborative, active, and engaging classroom environment.

My motivation to become a professor

Comes from working as a supervising speech-language pathologist (SLP). While I was working on my doctorate and as a full-time SLP, I supervised students assigned to part-time clinical assignments. I found that I enjoyed facilitating their clinical learning, which evolved into a desire to work directly with students training to be SLPs. So, from the beginning of my career in academia, I have strived to put my students first, as those interactions with students brought me to the college classroom.

Most important influences on my teaching career

First and foremost, I’ve learned from my students. Their feedback and input have shaped my teaching and driven its evolution over the last five years. Additionally, my colleagues here at ISU and at other colleges across the country have had a tremendous impact on my teaching. I feel fortunate to have collaborators for a number of projects related to the scholarship of teaching and learning. They have become invaluable motivators, challenging me to learn at every turn.

I want to improve my teaching by

Ensuring that I am a lifelong learner. I’ve found that if I’m not constantly learning, it’s nearly impossible for me to be an effective instructor. To this end, I have dedicated a great deal of time to improving my knowledge base relative to my own discipline-specific research and to the scholarship of teaching and learning, as well.