Katherine Castle, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Nebraska, United States

Lincoln, Nebraska Area

Department Of Communication Studies

As an Assistant Professor of Practice, I focus on teaching and advising our undergraduate students. I serve as the Director of Undergraduate Education for the Department of Communication Studies, the Major Undergraduate Advisor, the Director of Business and Professional Communication (a large multi-section blended introductory communication course), and teach upper division undergraduate courses in the Communication Studies major.

I manage 24 hybrid sections of our Business and Professional Communication course and 3 wholly online sections of the course each semester. This course educates between 576-624 students every semester, and is a requirement for business majors, engineering majors, and is strongly encouraged for several other majors across campus. In addition to teaching the course, I manage curriculum and technology inherent in facilitating a successful large-scale hybrid course delivery. I work to ensure teaching effectiveness and student learning across sections through mentoring and developing instructors for the course. I constantly evaluate ways in which we can more effectively deliver the material to students in a way that supports and enhances their learning experience.

I serve as a consultant for online education in the department of Communication Studies. In this role I make recommendations for technological solutions to instructional objectives, assist in the development and organization of online course content, offer guidance on online development and teaching strategies, and generally support colleagues as they move toward the development of online and blended courses.

Lincoln, Nebraska Area

As a Special Projects coordinator in the Mixed Methods Academy, I serve two important roles. My first role is as a Mixed Methods consultant for participants (graduate students, faculty, and grant researchers) attempting to learn and implement mixed methodology in their own research. My second role is to work with Dr. John Creswell to develop his online Mixed Methods Master class.

I work with the Course Director to manage 12 sections of our Business and Professional Communication course. This course educates nearly 500 students every semester, and is a requirement for the Business Major at UNL. In addition to teaching the course, I assisted in the development of curriculum and introduction of technology in testing processes, public speaking and other integral elements of the course to achieve our educational goals and objectives as efficiently and effectively as possible.

• Teach classes in communication studies, both in the traditional classroom setting and online • Business and Professional Communication (UNL Comm 286-formerly Comm 311) This course combines public speaking with aspects of organizational, small group and interpersonal communication. Students learn how to give effective public presentations as well as learn theories and interpersonal concepts concerning communication in the workplace. • Online Business and Professional Communication (UNL 286X):This course is the online version of Business and Professional Communication. I worked to develop assignments and class forums conducive to online learning. In teaching this course, I created video and narrated lectures using Adobe Presenter. I managed and challenged students to explore virtual technologies and apply them to real world business situations. I incorporated Breeze technology to provide a synchronous meeting space for groups to work within as they completed semester projects.• Small Group Problem Solving (UNL Comm 210) This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of communication in small groups. Some of the areas of focus are leadership, decision-making within groups as well as conflict management. Students develop an understanding of the communication processes in small groups and learn to apply group communication theories to actual group situations. They also learn to use decision making and problem solving skills effectively in group settings.

Advised undergraduate students in general education requirementsAdvised students in pre-health and pre-law requirementsAdvised incoming freshmen at New Student Enrollment programGuided students in choosing courses appropriate to their readiness Assisted students in establishing a clear path toward achieving their academic goalsEvaluated transfer work and advised incoming transfer studentsServed as informal mentor for undergraduate student advisorsFlexible in accepting additional responsibilities as neededResponsible for coordinating various projects as directed by Director of Advising

Managed team of 13 professionals in a continually changing environmentMember of management team charged with leading departmentResponsible for employee career developmentResponsible for performance evaluations for my employeesCoached and guided employees toward improved performance Lead various projects pertinent to success of Health Claim DepartmentGuided team members resistant to change through a constantly changing environmentWorked as a team member with other members of management to guide the Department in meeting productivity goals

Evaluated health claims to determine eligibility for benefitsInvestigated claims as necessary to determine benefit eligibility

Doctor Of Philosophy, Interpersonal, Family, And Health Communication, Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Jody Koenig Kellas

Activities and Societies: Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Member; National Communication Association Member; Central States.

Master Of Arts, Communication Studies

Activities and Societies: Co-authored a paper accepted and presented at the 2006 National Communication Association conference. Paper.

Bachelor Of Arts, Communication Studies, Sociology

Activities and Societies: Member Alpha Kappa Delta Honors Society- Sociology

Education record