Teaching
My pedagogical stance has been greatly influenced not only by my experiences in an academic setting, but also in a dynamic business environment. I knew that I wanted to be a college professor from a very young age, but realized that my students and I enjoyed my teaching more when I could speak from real world experience. I ended up spending 28 years in the industry and I wouldn’t trade any of it. I apply that experience to my teaching, helping prepare the next generation for their time to do great things.
Rather than seeing the last day of class as the ending, I see it as the beginning. Thus, a cornerstone of my teaching philosophy and personal teaching goals is to ensure students leave my courses with not just information, but also capacity, wisdom and the confidence to impact their worlds with their unique take on what they have learned.
Well-Being
FHCE 4100/6100 | Consumer Well-Being
How do and should people decide how they are doing in life? In this course, students work in teams to define well-being from their own points of view grounded in existing research and practice. Then they design and pitch the idea for a program, service, or product to improve well-being for their selected population. Their final project is the design and prototype of an innovation to improve well-being.
(Taught Fall and Spring)
Analytics
FHCE 4000/6000 | Evidence-Based Strategy
The most important skill in evidence-based strategy is knowing the right questions to ask. Through a series of real-world cases, students learn to leverage data analysis to drive business decisions via the telling of a compelling, evidence-based story. Lectures are recorded for viewing outside of class with class time being reserved for hands-on case work.
Innovation
FHCE 5050/7050 | Evidence-Based Innovation
This course brings quantitative methods into human-centered design to gain empathy for people and their needs. Students select a semester-long project involving factor analysis, cluster analysis, conjoint design, and concept testing to support the discovery of meaningful customer targets for a program, service, product, etc. and to guide the design of such initiatives. (Taught Spring)
Social Entrepreneurship
FHCE 4010/6010 | Intro to Social Entrepreneurship
An end-to-end introduction to shining the light and solving the riddle for a large or small social problem. Students learn principles and practices that are important in social entrepreneurship while completing a semester-long project guided by lectures that introduce key concepts. (Taught Fall)
Learn more: https://www.fcs.uga.edu/fhce/social-entrepreneurship
Social Entrepreneurship
Master's in Applied Consumer Analytics
FHCE 6000/FHCE 7050/FHCE 7150/FHCE 8025/STAT 6210/STAT 6220
I coordinate the Applied Consumer Analytics Master’s program where students can choose to continue their education in consumer analytics and expand their skillset for future job opportunities. The goal is for students to learn the ability to transform data insights into an impactful and strategic story that will help organizations make sense of their environment and opportunities. Students combine analytical data classes with strategic storytelling classes, and get to choose one third of their curriculum to fit their own academic and professional goals.
Learn more: https://www.fcs.uga.edu/fhce/masters-in-applied-consumer-analytics
Social Entrepreneurship Major
I coordinate the Social Entrepreneurship major that was designed by students for students. Social Entrepreneurship equips students with the process, skills, and knowledge they require to shine the light and solve the riddle for a variety of wicked, interdisciplinary consumer problems in society. Students complete four core courses and then choose courses from across campus to build expertise in a focus area of their choice.
Consumer Decision Making
FHCE 8800 | The Social Psychology of Consumer Decision Making
In this course, we examine literature from consumer science, psychology, marketing, and sociology related to consumer decision making (CDM) and the social-psychological factors that influence those decisions. Students develop a working knowledge of the CDM literature through critical reading and topical discussions. They apply that knowledge to a domain of consumer decisions that is relevant to their research and share their work through a research proposal and presentation.
