Dr. Natasha Watkins, Clinical Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Health and Human Sciences, teaches diversity, practical skills, and experiential learning (internship and study abroad) courses in the Human Development and Family Studies department. As an experimenter, Watkins employs experiential learning and digital innovation to facilitate students’ academic and professional competence. In her case management course, Watkins implements a helping simulation activity, the triad meeting, where students work in groups to perform the roles of case manager, client, and observer. Through  her interdisciplinary collaborations, she utilizes trained volunteers to observe the triad meetings and provide feedback and coaching to students. She also partners with the Office of the Dean of Students in implementing the suicide prevention certificate-training program, Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Suicide Risk Gatekeeper Training. Students who complete this training earn a professional certification as a QPR gatekeeper, yielding 30 new campus gatekeepers each year.

Watkins also transforms curriculum. She moved HDFS 280 from a traditional face-to-face lecture course to the department’s first online course, and later redesigned the course into the department’s first “hybrid” course. To assist online instruction, she uses interactive web-based technologies to enable students’ collaborative learning, such as VoiceThread. Watkins has participated in the Center for Instructional Excellence trainings, Tech Today and Brightspace open sessions to learn about new course technologies and teaching practices. She was a part of an early adopter cohort for Brightspace in Spring 2020 and supports colleagues’ awareness and use of educational technology.

Across her courses, Watkins works to enhance students written communication skills through self-reflection and professional documentation activities. In her case management course, students’ midterm course feedback provides the source material for learning about goal setting and constructing SMART goals. Additionally, this activity engages students and the instructional team in mutual problem solving about course needs, allowing for ongoing course improvement. In October 2021, Watkins participated in Purdue’s Innovative Learning Half Day Workshop on Feedback to share about the impact of using audio feedback to deliver writing feedback to students.

With HDFS colleague Dr. Jennifer Dobbs-Oates, Watkins is a contributor to the knowledge base about effectively coordinating field experience programs. The duo developed an intern supervision model for the HDFS Internship Program that has been shared across campus, local, and national outlets (Dobbs-Oates & Watkins, 2016, 2017). They also created a set of supervision training videos for internship field site supervisors that can be found on YouTube.

Watkins is also a mentor for graduate student instructors. In addition to supervising graduate student teaching assistants, she has developed a teaching mentorship model for graduate students independently teaching online courses. Since 2012, Watkins has supervised over 15 graduate student TAs from the HDFS and Counseling Psychology programs. She also has mentored seven HDFS graduate student online instructors. Four of the students received HDFS Graduate Student Teaching Awards and one received the HHS Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award.

The following table maps Dr. Watkin’s teaching excellence evidence to evaluation activities.

Activity	Example Evidence
Mentoring and Advising Learners Beyond the Classroom, e.g., undergraduates, graduates, interns, residents	Mentor for graduate student instructors. In addition to supervising graduate student teaching assistants, she has developed a teaching mentorship model for graduate students independently teaching online courses. Since 2012, Watkins has supervised over 15 graduate student TAs from the HDFS and Counseling Psychology programs. She also has mentored seven HDFS graduate student online instructors. Four of the students received HDFS Graduate Student Teaching Awards and one received the HHS Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award.
Professional Development	Participated in the Center for Instructional Excellence trainings, Tech Today and Brightspace open sessions to learn about new course technologies and teaching practices. She was a part of an early adopter cohort for Brightspace in Spring 2020 and supports colleagues’ awareness and use of educational technology.
Curriculum Development and Teaching Innovations	Employs experiential learning and digital innovation to facilitate students’ academic and professional competence Implements a helping simulation activity, the triad meeting, where students work in groups to perform the roles of case manager, client, and observer. Through  her interdisciplinary collaborations, she utilizes trained volunteers to observe the triad meetings and provide feedback and coaching to students.  Transforms curriculum. She moved HDFS 280 from a traditional face-to-face lecture course to the department’s first online course, and later redesigned the course into the department’s first “hybrid” course. Uses interactive web-based technologies to enable students’ collaborative learning, such as VoiceThread Enhances students written communication skills through self-reflection and professional documentation activities. In her case management course, students’ midterm course feedback provides the source material for learning about goal setting and constructing SMART goals. Additionally, this activity engages students and the instructional team in mutual problem solving about course needs, allowing for ongoing course improvement.
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning	Participated in Purdue’s Innovative Learning Half Day Workshop on Feedback to share about the impact of using audio feedback to deliver writing feedback to students Contributor to the knowledge base about effectively coordinating field experience programs. The duo developed an intern supervision model for the HDFS Internship Program that has been shared across campus, local, and national outlets (Dobbs-Oates & Watkins, 2016, 2017). Co-created a set of supervision training videos for internship field site supervisors that can be found on YouTube. Partners with the Office of the Dean of Students in implementing the suicide prevention certificate-training program, Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Suicide Risk Gatekeeper Training. Students who complete this training earn a professional certification as a QPR gatekeeper, yielding 30 new campus gatekeepers each year.