I have been teaching at OCAD University for fifteen years, and have taught lecture courses, seminars, and independent research at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  Over the course of my career at OCAD, I have consistently received strong teaching evaluations from students.  Indeed, the aggregate numbers from my evaluations in each of my courses have been in the 4-5 range (with 5 at the top of the scale) across all of the evaluated categories (see Annual Reports).  I have advised numerous graduate students, with many students seeking me out and asking me to advise their thesis and graduate work.  Significantly, many students have written to me to let me know how the course affected them.  One letter from a student stated, “I wanted to thank you for the amazing class experience I had while attending history of furniture classes. It truly pushed me to be present in class, participate, engage and get better at taking notes. The most important thing I learned was a better understanding of history in terms of the culture of the time. I am going into my thesis this fall and I'm a bit more confident about knowing the history.”  Another noted, “I wanted to thank you for a great semester. I've learned a lot and had [a] great experience engaging [with] the readings and conversations.  I specifically liked the article you wrote that you sent us [a] few classes ago, specially the part about ‘difference between hoarding and collecting things, collecting involving more sentimental and other values attached to it.’”  Yet another wrote, “Thank you for the opportunity and reason to dive into the meaningful history of my family, I learned a lot about someone I don’t think I ever knew well at all.”  I have taken pride in the fact that students engaged so deeply with the material and were able to metabolize the information and draw their own connections from the learnings in significant ways. 

In addition, I am honored to have received a Distinguished Teaching Award from OCAD  in 2013.  I was subsequently invited to teach at the National Institute of Design in Bangalore, India in 2018, and also invited as a Research Fellow to teach at University College at the University of London.  During my time as a Fellow at the Yale Center for British Art, I was asked to guest teach courses on multiple occasions due to student demand, as numerous students said that my lectures were their favorite part of the course.

Faculty Teaching Evaluations

In the Appendix I have included student evaluations that have spanned my courses, ranging from lectures to seminars.  My scores have largely been above average and students take the time to add feedback.  One consistent theme is my ability to enable students to see new connections among ideas and ignite curiosity about a subject.  Students frequently comment on how unexpected and exciting the course was.  One example of student feedback includes a student who wrote, “Michael has a remarkable ability to engage with complex material and make it both understandable AND interesting.  The conversations we had in the class were excellent because they stimulated interest, for me, that went beyond the allotted class time.”  These sentiments are woven throughout the evaluations I have received over the years.

I use student feedback to ask myself, “What worked this semester, and what did not work, and why?”  I am reflective on my own practice and use student evaluations to examine and strengthen my teaching strategies.  I am especially attuned to student feedback regarding culturally-responsive teaching, and have brought my research interest in post-colonial studies to bear on the methodologies I use around group work and discussion.  Specifically, I work to ensure that multiple forms of knowledge are recognized and valued.  One student wrote, “From a pedagogical perspective, this is an excellent practice as you acknowledge, praise and celebrate your students’ participation, while also contributing with authentic and relevant knowledge to the course. I also like how you send this through “messages” in Canvas so you ensure all students read it. I imagine this is very inspirational for all, including those who haven’t participated yet.”

Given the complexity of the material I cover, it is to be expected that students will be encountering new and unfamiliar material and arguments.  As they grapple with novel ideas and readings, they might be outside of their comfort zones, and this might seem unsettling for them.  This is part of intellectual growth and development, and I encourage students to push themselves beyond the familiar.  Students have occasionally commented on the rigor and difficulty of the material, and I have used this feedback to structure how I communicate topics, while still ensuring that they engage with new ideas.

Teaching Awards and Recognition

2018                Invited Visiting Professor, National Institute of Design, Bangalore, India

2018                Research Fellow, University College, University of London, London, UK

2013                Distinguished Teaching Award, OCAD University