RECOGNITION FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
Recipient of the 2024 Graduate Student Teaching Award sponsored by the Student Section of the National Communication Association (NCA)
Recipient of the 2023 Outstanding International Teaching Associate award sponsored by the ESOL program at Bowling Green State University
THE UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO, Ohio
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COURSES TAUGHT
SINGLE CAMERA PRODUCTION
Fall 2024
Teaching undergraduate sections of 20 students techniques of writing, reporting, and editing video news stories. Introducing students to the techniques and terminology used in professional video production.
VISUAL COMMUNICATION
Fall 2024
Teaching hands-on approaches to visual communication by preparing students to create digital visual materials and multimedia artefacts.
INTEGRATED MEDIA
Fall 2024
Teaching fundamental practices of storytelling by using smartphones to gather, shoot, live broadcast, edit, and share digital multimedia in multiple social media platforms.
COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES
Fall 2024
Teaching undergraduate sections of 20 students focussing on creating a syllabus that provides instruction and practice in human communication.
BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY, Ohio
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COURSES TAUGHT
COMMUNICATING IN GLOBAL CONTEXTS
Spring 2024, 2023, 2022
Taught undergraduate sections consisting of more than 30 students each.
Focused on creating intercultural sensitivity, empathy, and cross-cultural communication competence.
VIDEO REPORTING
Fall 2022
Taught techniques of writing, reporting, and editing video news stories.
Also taught rewriting wire copy, preparation and use of graphics.
Trained students in video journalism.
NEWS EDITING AND PRODUCTION
Fall 2021
Taught theory and practice in editing local and wire news, headline writing, picture editing, evaluating news, layout and design for print and online forms and developing online content.
TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS
Media and Strategic Communication (Spring 2024)
Media Policy and Industry (Fall 2023)
Social Media and Society (Fall 2023)
Media and the Information Society (Spring 2023)
Reporting for Journalism and Public Relations (Spring 2021)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Centre for Undergraduate Research and Studies (CURS) Training on mentoring undergraduate students to excel in academic research and other projects.
Academic Honesty Workshop on the policies surrounding plagiarism, cheating, fabrication etc.
Inclusive Pedagogy Workshop on methods of teaching which create safe and supportive environments for students.
SELECT STUDENT EVALUATIONS
CLASSROOM AS A SAFE SPACE
"Vamsi created a course that was very flexible and able to go in any direction with the class. Very "Dead Poets Society" esque, I loved it."
"... I would like to say I appreciate the learning environment created, it felt respectful to the point where I was comfortable saying some of my own opinions, I knew would be controversial to many in the room. I know a lot don't agree with me or my opinions on some matters, but I was actually interested in responding to what others had to say and what they had to say regarding my thought process".
"This instructor clearly understands global communications and international relations. He is very considerate, respectful, and helpful during discussions, presentations, and assignments. He is definitely one of my favorite professors I have had in my last three years".
"I never felt judged or like I was wrong for my answers in class. He appreciated every view that people may have."
"As a person, Vamsi is always available outside of the classroom to assist you in both your educational and personal endeavors. From a simple “thinking of you” email, to hands-on tutoring of equipment, Vamsi’s passion for improving the quality of journalistic content coming from us students made being a student a pleasure."
"Everyone has a voice and everyone is respected."
"He is a very good instructor and always provides great feedback on assignments. Each day I come to class excited to learn about whatever the topic is and then discuss about it with my peers. I always feel heard and respected."
"All opinions were presented in a way that induced respect."
LEARNING AS FUN
"Absolutely wonderful standard for learning in this course (Communicating in Global Contexts). Professor Pedasanaganti made sure we had an environment of respect in our class and then pushed us to learn more about the world around us. I have never had a professor who cared so much about the world and learning around the globe".
"I feel this course has helped guide my learning about the world in an entertaining way…. I think this class has helped me become a more responsible and educated person".
"I enjoyed having him as a professor since he fostered an environment for intercultural acceptance and learning. He was passionate about his work and made class entertaining by switching up how we learned".
"Overall, I greatly enjoyed this class and how hard it pushed me to look at stories a different way. I feel this has been the most effective course I have taken during my time at BGSU in the journalism program, I just wish this was offered earlier in my time, not in my second to last semester here. I also enjoyed the guest speakers brought in to help us understand the business better".
"Vamsi's thoughtful approach as a professor and mentor not only enriches the overall learning experience, but also leaves a lasting impression on each and every student. I use the content from Vamsi’s course every day in my post-grad job and reflect on his thoughtfulness often. I am confident that Vamsi’s thoughtfulness positively impacts every class he teaches".
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
"The in-class discussions were a lot better because we were encouraged to engage in the conversation and ask questions and I liked that after presentations people would have genuine curious questions and ask the person presenting and we had conversations between classmates and not just with the teacher which was important to me, creating an environment of respect. This class reminded me how to communicate and connect with people from all over the world and even when there's a language barrier there are ways to communicate with people".
"Vamsi is very good at helping students and getting back to their questions and emails almost immediately".
"This class was probably the best experience I have had in a class in terms of participation. Every class felt like a conversation rather than a lecture, which helped me learn a lot. I always felt welcome to participate, and so did all of the other students."
"I loved the collaborative nature of this class. Many opportunities to ask questions, question what we are learning, and lots of great group discussion".
"Very kind individual who was always willing to help outside of class to make sure we understood the assignment".
"Vamsi fostered an interactive learning environment, promoting group collaboration, partner engagement and full-class participation. He recognized the significance of not solely delivering lectures, but also facilitating open discussions, encouraging the exchange of ideas and fostering an environment where students could actively engage with the material. His understanding of delivering content enhanced the experience and retention of the course. Vamsi's passion for the course content was evident, as he provided ample opportunities for students to connect class concepts with real-world applications".
ASSESSMENT DESIGN
"For this instructor being so new, I was blown away by the quality of education I received."
"I also liked the discussion posts a lot because they made me think harder than any other classes. In other classes I feel like you can just sort of form a response to get the job done but these discussions posed questions that actually made me have a certain way of thinking and making me put together a thoughtful response. They made me think harder and do my research so that I could learn from it and not just forget the information the second I turned in my assignment".
"This semester, I finally learned how to tell a story, not just report on it. I enjoyed the exercises we did at the beginning of each class, taking news articles and coming up with two to three alternative story ideas. At the start of the semester, this task was impossible. However, through the semester, I found it easier to create better/alternative ways to cover a story. This allowed me to take my writing and storytelling to a different level…. Through these projects, I found a renewed sense of passion for health writing as I never felt supported to follow that path before".
"I felt more confident in each class and felt excited to come to class as Professor Vamsi's approach to teaching was incredibly refreshing. He fostered a collaborative and supportive environment where everyone felt welcome to ask questions and share ideas. He took the time to learn what we were passionate about and incorporated that into our lesson plans".
"The feedback given throughout the semester is very quick, helpful, and detailed; there is a lot of thought put into the feedback compared to many other professors."
"There were a lot of assignments which got stressful at times but they did get your brain working. Exams really allowed you to further your knowledge in opposition to a simple letter grade."
"The assignments were easy to understand, and challenged your way of thinking."
ENABLING CURIOSITY
"This class was one of my favorites, I think out of everyone I spoke most.…Mr. Vamsi was successful in getting everyone interested in globalization and its effects on our normal day-to-day lives. By the end of the course the entire class was asking questions, and everybody wanted to know more, as we progress, the fear in presenting and creating a presentation quickly vanished, I saw the transition from the voices of everyone presenting going from fearful/shy to strong and self-confident….My last thoughts are only to encourage anyone to take this course with Mr. Vamsi as he is full of knowledge and wisdom. It truly is an interesting class".
"Teaching was very effective as well as his ability to provoke critical thinking in students. Really challenged the way the students thought about journalism and challenged us to change the way we are thinking for more interesting and engaging stories and I greatly appreciated that. I do not feel I was challenged this way in any of my other classes, which is a shame. So, his teaching was well appreciated".
"I loved this class, and I learned a lot. In this class, my perspective on many things was widened."
"Professor was very intelligent and caring. He welcomed multiple perspectives on events going on around the world."
"Recommend this Professor. Very very eye opening class!! It was most interesting to learn about globalization."
ENCOURAGING DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES
"I have seen disability through a single lens, and after talking to these people (reporting for the assignment), I discovered more issues that desperately need public attention. I would not have taken the chance to discover those topics if I did not have the push to find different angles to a story ... Through my time at BGSU, I felt like my journalism education kept me in a bubble. I felt we were taught only one way to do things existed. In this class, I felt free to do things "the wrong way". I felt we had the ability to go against norms and explore new structures of storytelling. I also felt new ideas were supported or given criticism to help point us in the right direction. Because of this course, and this course only, I feel better equipped for the new age of journalism and I feel more confident in my profession than I ever have before".
"One of the main things that I took away from this course is that there are many different ways that you can be a journalist. For example, we watched examples of alternative news in class. Watching the videos taught me that the sky's the limit when it comes to the type of journalistic content I can make. I was really inspired by the alternative journalists that we watched in class. Our professor always taught us that it is good to get inspired from other journalists. However, we should use our inspiration to create our own unique style. That is what I plan to do in my career".
"He welcomed questions and encouraged participatory learning, often guiding the class through well thought out examples. There were many instances where we walked through real-world examples and had full class participation. Vamsi's ability to engage an entire class reflected the respect he earned from students".
SELECT FACULTY EVALUATIONS
"Vamsi's student teaching evaluations, and his scores rival those of our most seasoned professors. Students note how he creates an atmosphere of respect, encourages student participation, and shows enthusiasm for teaching".
"Vamsi is a very diligent, optimistic, and focused teacher-scholar who will contribute to advancing a much-needed Global pedagogy in the U.S. His course evaluations are excellent and students in my classes have provided unsolicited praise for his teaching style. He is an excellent writer who has a passion for digital journalism and media literacy in the US as well as in the Global South. In Vamsi, students experience a seasoned instructor who is passionate about transnational environmental issues and digital media contexts".
"Students seemed to be very comfortable in the class and it was very well-run. It's clear that you have a great deal of knowledge about social media and how it is used in various international settings. Great Expertise! I enjoyed attending this class and I am glad students have an opportunity to learn from you".
-- Dr. Alberto Gonzalez, Distinguished University Professor, BGSU
"Overall, Vamsi did an excellent job with the class. I feel that he organized the material well, conveyed key ideas well, and utilized media and technology effectively in the class".
-- Dr. Joshua D. Atkinson, Professor, BGSU
"The Instructor posed questions of the class to stimulate thought and used examples of the work of well-known American photographers as well as video clips throughout the class period. The class concluded with a discussion of shooting photos on one’s phone. This, again, created excellent discussion and participation. One of the final student comments I heard after class was, ‘Oh, good class!’"
-- Ken Garland, Associate Teaching Professor (Retired), BGSU