I love teaching!! My passion for what I do in the classroom clearly comes through on my student evaluations. During 2017-2022, my course evaluations remained exemplary. Students appreciate the opportunity to apply what they are learning in the classroom in real time and connect to the service learning components of the courses. They note that my expectations are high and that I make myself available to support them in and out of the classroom. I realize that my teaching style is not for every student but for many I provide the challenge they are looking for. Working with community partners may present obstacles that have to be navigated unexpectedly. When doing so I am completely transparent with students and use it as a learning opportunity of how to deal with the unexpected in the workplace.
I believe students are truly capable of changing the world so my courses are designed to provide them the opportunity of seeing themselves doing just that. Every course that I teach is a new course, utilizing new materials and new assignments. This allows students to instantly make connections with current issues in society. My evaluations support that the course materials introduced in the class are appropriate and keeps students engaged. I spend considerable time selecting the appropriate supplemental readings and materials for each class. It also takes time to effectively plan the experiential learning for each class and many instances the planning actually starts a year in advance.
When reviewing my evaluations I was most struck by the students' open and honest comments. Receiving feedback can be challenging at times but I have found it very useful in helping to modify course deliverables and expectations. My student evaluations provide strong support to my class preparation that creates an environment for students to gain in-depth knowledge of course content. In every class students are engaged in the learning process and are empowered to take control of their own learning.
Following is a sample of students' comments on my teaching:
- Professor Matthews has been so welcoming in and outside of the class. I went to his office hours to talk about my paper and we ended up talking about what I want to do in my future. He really cares about his students and he wants to see them succeed. (2017 Fall_SB 100-03325)
- Really enjoyed the way the class was taught, I actually understood the material and had fun while doing it. (2017 Fall_OL 211-06316)
- I think this service learning class demonstrated problem solving. Our class was given a set of question to answer with no rubric, and we had to sit down and figure out where to start. This class gave us insight on how to solve problems in the real world outside of SNHU. (2018 Spring_OL 342-06319)
- Professor Matthews is like a beam of light. He keeps the energy feeling positive, and comfortable. His ability to relate to people, his incredibly kind nature is something I haven't seen from most other professors around here. Some professors like to teach, and that is fine, but when you see someone who is genuinely happy, you can tell. Matthews is that professor, whether he's facilitating a discussion, telling a story, or presenting an idea, the way he goes about it is second to none, and his focus on really knowing the students made it one of the best learning environments I've had at SNHU, hands down, no question. Clamp and Matthews is an incredible team. (2018 Fall_SOC 207-13684)
- It provided me an opportunity to apply the course content directly to a real life situation. I will not forget the things I learned in this course because after learning the content, I could relate it to a specific situation. I think more courses should be structured this way. (2019 Spring_OL 342-06327)
- Professor Matthews is the best teacher I've ever had. Hes extremely smart and passionate about his job - That is obvious! He's always accessible to the students and sets high expectations for us. (2019 Spring_OL 408-12316)
- Best instructor in the world hands down. Seriously. This man should get a raise he is phenomenal. His personal stories and humor made the content more impactful and I will always remember this class and him. (2019 Fall_FYS 101-16845)
- I thoroughly enjoy the way Dr. Matthews teaches his courses. Reading a chapter and then discussing it in class and applying it to the real world is what really helps me grasp the topic. Working on our group project, he leaves it up to the team to decide how to format and go about finishing the project, whereas other Professors I feel take charge instead of letting us decide on our own. (2020 Spring_OL 342-03320)
- Professor Matthews made my experience so much better this semester he really made me smile and laugh when I was in class and I thoroughly enjoyed this class with him. He was very easy to get a hold of and graded assignments super-fast and had them into bright space with hours which I personally thank him for because I knew where I stood in the class instead of guessing. (2020 Fall_OL 211-06332)
- The connections Professor Matthews made for our class made the partnership happen. I appreciated his energy, at the beginning and the end of class. His wealth of knowledge increased the worth of the class. His teaching was well worth the wait, I enjoyed this course. (2021 Spring_OL 326-05913)
- I can't say enough good things about Dr. Matthews. The course was a bit chaotic due to the nature of the project, but it was an extremely valuable experience for me and is definitely something I will fondly remember for a very very long time. (2022 Spring_BUS 225-13301)