Faculty Advisor Spotlight on Christine Von Der Haar, Indiana University (IN)

It was Pearson who asked Christine Von Der Haar, Sociology professor at Indiana University to become a Faculty Advisor and she was, “very pleased at the request.”  A MySocLab user, Von Der Haar’s admits that she’s still learning about all the features MySocLab has to offer, but feels that being a Faculty Advisor allows her to share with other instructors this, “tool that has transformed [her] teaching.”  Having received training herself from her Pearson publisher’s representative, Von Der Haar believes that being a Faculty Advisor allows her to ‘pay it forward’ by helping out her peers.

Within her own course, Von Der Haar uses three specific elements of MySocLab – MySocLibrary, Social Explorer, and the practice tests and chapter exams within the program.  Paired with the textbook, students access MySocLibrary for extra, required reading from some of the well-respected sociologists in the field.  Von Der Haar assigns specific selections and tests the students over the material.  The Social Explorer allows Von Der Haar to incorporate US Census data into lectures and assignments.  According to Von Der Haar, “students love this tool and have the opportunity to find and analyze the same data that researchers do.”  For her class specifically, Von Der Haar has students complete five exercises within Social Explorer for credit.  Lastly, credit is not assigned for those practice tests and chapter exams students decide to take in MySocLab, however students use this practice to assess what they’ve learned prior to taking a graded test.  Von Der Haar has noticed that a student’s exam grade will increase up to two letter grades by taking advantage of this extra practice.

The biggest improvement in teaching Sociology that Von Der Haar has seen since using MySocLab is the return to teaching being a joy rather than a chore.  “When students get good grades, the entire course is better,” says Von Der Haar, and MySocLab has helped do just that.  MySocLab has helped improve student learning in Von Der Haar’s course and has even inspired her students to take the initiative to further their own knowledge.

Recently a student told me that she had discovered all kinds of activities on MySocLab that I had not required. She was curious enough to check them out on her own.

Von Der Haar is new to the Faculty Advisor program, but isn’t without advice to current users of MySocLab, “I would highly recommend that instructors using MySocLab take a webinar or workshop to get the best training.”  Having participated in one herself a year ago, Von Der Haar learned first-hand how beneficial it is when Faculty Advisors share their experiences and provide personalized training.  “I never learned so much about teaching at a conference.”

How were you introduced to the Faculty Advisor program? What advice do you typically share with other users of your MyLab or Mastering product?