2015 Teaching Initiative Award Winner

Julie Raeder Schumacher, Ph.D.

Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, Illinois State University (2009)
Associate Professor, Dietetic Internship Director; Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Teaching philosophy

I have a passion for educational technology as I believe the key to cultivating learning environments for today and tomorrow’s college students is with personal connection through technology and multimedia tools.

Three most valuable approaches that I bring to my teaching practice

1) Critical thinking
2) Locate resources and information
3) Evaluate information to make decisions.

The most rewarding aspect of teaching

I enjoy talking with alums of our program and listening as they reflect on their graduate program in dietetics. We have many alums who are now preceptors for current students in the program. I love seeing them give back and teach other soon-to-be dietitians!

I want to continue to improve my teaching in the following way

My future plan is to continue advancing my knowledge as an instructor in order to meet the learning styles of my students. My goal is to understand them as learners and teach in a way that truly engages all students in the classroom.

Where I draw some of my values on teaching

My family. After starting my career, I realized how much I enjoyed teaching. I then realized my family had the best jobs. From there I wanted to pursue adult education.

Photo of Julie Raeder Schumacher, Ph.D. — “I want students to understand the application of their learning to real life situations. By communicating with other dietitians in the field of dietetics, having video conferences with dietitians working in specialty areas, and providing hands-on learning experiences, students will be able to fill the gap between knowledge and application.”