Psychology graduate student Melissa Schoenlein recently received her Delta Certificate, demonstrating her commitment to excellence in teaching. Schoenlein, who works with the Schloss Visual Reasoning Lab, completed her Delta Internship Project, titled “Where’d that sound come from? Evaluations of a jigsaw activity for teaching sound localization,” at Beloit College. UWPsych caught up with her to ask about the Delta experience.
UWPsych: How did you decide to participate in Delta?
Schoenlein: I have always been interested in teaching, and while I was an undergraduate at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), I taught in different contexts, such as working for the Observatory and Planetarium on campus. I also had many peers who were Education majors, so I was often surrounded by people who were actively thinking about who their students were, how to create effective lesson plans, and different strategies for teaching. As a graduate student, once I decided that I definitely wanted to pursue a career that involved both teaching and research, it felt both logical and incredibly important that I seek out opportunities that would prepare me to be an effective and inclusive teacher and mentor.
UWPsych: How has Delta shaped you as an educator? As a mentor?
Schoenlein: The courses and internship with the Delta Program have given me so many skills and resources to implement in my teaching and mentoring. These experiences helped me think about why I value teaching and what drives me to teach, which has been really beneficial for creating a teaching and mentorship philosophy. I also I feel very grateful to be part of the Delta network and have colleagues who share similar values who I can reach out to for advice and support.
UWPsych: What’s next for you? How has the program set you up for next steps in your own career?
Schoenlein: My immediate next steps are to complete my dissertation and apply to jobs! Because of the Delta Program, I feel confident and excited to apply to faculty positions at primarily liberal arts colleges where I will be able to teach and mentor undergraduate students and continue implementing the skills I learned throughout the program and my graduate studies.
I”ll also add that the Delta Program is an amazing resource and anyone considering a career that will involve teaching or mentorship should take Delta courses.