
Matthew J. A. Craig
Ph.D. Student
Communication & Information
Kent State University

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
M. A., Communication, 2020
MA Project: Emotional robots: Examining participant's perceptions of emotionally expressive robots. Chad Edwards, Ph.D. (Chair)
WMU Signature: Teaching & Student Success
Signature Project: Going beyond the library search: Using social media to engage students in evaluating sources.
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
B. A., Organizational Communication, 2017

Teaching
WMU Signature: Teaching & Student Success
Signature Project: Going beyond the Library search: Using social
media to engage students in evaluating sources
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Western Michigan University, School of Communication
Intro to Organizational Communication (COM 2800, Spring 2020)
Communication Research Methods (COM 3000, Fall 2019; Spring 2020)
Public Relations (COM 2500, Fall 2019)
Communication & Community Engagement (COM 1000, Fall 2018;
Spring 2019)
Development Workshops attended
Western Michigan University
Mental Health First Aid Training, Jayne Fraley Burgett
Cool Tools: Writing Effective Exam Questions, Annette Hamel, PhD
Cool Tools for Teaching: Engaging Students in Different Study
Strategies, Allison Hart-Young, PhD
Cool Tools: Discover Your Strengths, Adrienne Fraaza
Teaching Inclusivity: Instructional Techniques to Improve International
Student Inclusion
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy maintains three pillars while mindful of classroom dynamics and student learning: engagement, practice, and dialogue. Communication courses offer a playground of experiences for students to engage with. As a first pillar, students need to be engaged in ways that apply to their lived experiences and call upon those experiences for reflection and insightful application. Engaging experiences with communication involves content beyond lecture material and incorporates activities in which students can witness in real-life issues and events that apply to communication.
Communication is a top in-demand skill asked by employers, and in response, keeping with my second pillar, I design the course structure so students practice what they've learned through learning assignments and projects they can also list on resumes and discuss in job interviews. As a communication practitioner, I know a thing or two when it comes to taking classroom content and helping students get their money's worth. Students of mine have shared through evaluation that my teaching style delivers relatable content and gives insight into applying communication to the workplace and general life experiences.
Finally, communication is a means to shape dialogue within ourselves and with others. Students come from various backgrounds and points in their lives in which patience and capacity are required to help facilitate dialogue while engaging and practicing communication studies. Thus, I adhere to the concept of thoughtfully shared ownership over the classroom environment with mutual accountability for assignments, assessments, and class discussion while also meeting students where they are.