Hello! My name is Dr. Amanda Lohiser, and I have over fifteen years of experience teaching in higher education. I have taught undergraduate and graduate students in the United States, Singapore, and Denmark. I bring a unique perspective to the classroom through my educational background in communication studies (B.A. and Ph.D.), public relations (M.S.), creativity and change leadership (graduate certification and M.S.), and face coding (three certifications).My goal is for students in my classes to master content-specific material while also engaging in team building, creative thinking, problem-solving, and self-directed learning. Ultimately, I want them to experience that spark - the spark of passion for a new subject, the spark of imagination that builds a new idea, the spark of connection that cultivates positive group experiences, the spark of curiosity that fuels academic pursuit. My professional experience and educational background have culminated into what I have come to embrace as a personal mission: To foster communication, connection, collaboration, and creativity.1) At the root of everything, I believe that effective communication is what drives us forward - as educators, students, and as community members...2) If we are able to communicate effectively with one another, we are able to connect - to engage with each other more deeply...3) Through connection, we see how we all feel the same emotions, but experience our world in very different ways. With that understanding, we can collaborate. We can capitalize on one another's strengths and help to improve one another's weaknesses...4) And if we are able to collaborate, we are able to create - to turn problems into opportunities - to bring into being new and innovative solutions - to manifest promising futures through inquiry and persistence.This is the four-fold mission that drives me as an educator and as a community builder.