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Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is focused on creating a collaborative and inclusive learning environment where students can engage in authentic activities that prepare them for success in college and beyond. I prioritize promoting student-centered learning, active engagement, and reflection while emphasizing a psychologically safe and authentic classroom culture that values diversity and mutual respect. By taking a student-centered approach and prioritizing growth over grades, I am committed to helping students become confident, self-directed learners and achieve their full potential.

Download a full overview of my teaching philosophy.

Teaching Experience

UNIV 101 - The Student in the University, the nationally recognized first-year seminar at the University of South Carolina, is designed to make a large university feel small and connected. Each section is capped at 19 students and is co-taught by a university faculty/staff person and an undergraduate peer leader. The course aims to foster a sense of belonging, promote engagement in the curricular and co-curricular life of the university, articulate to students the expectations of the University and its faculty, help students develop and apply critical thinking skills, and help students continue to clarify their purpose, meaning, and direction.

Years Taught: 2015 - Present (w/ a short break during the pandemic)

Students Taught: 128

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The Academic Recovery section of UNIV 101, offered each spring, maintains the learning outcomes of other UNIV101 sections, while adding a focus on non-cognitive factors including grit (Duckworth, 2016) and the cultivation of growth mindsets (Dweck, 2008). Course design and individual meetings with students are guided by the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of Human Behavior Change (Prochaska and DiClemente, 1983), Motivational Interviewing (Miller and Rollnick, 2002), and the Appreciative Education Theory-to-Practice Framework (Bloom, Hutson, and He, 2008). This course design is purposefully mindful of the potentially fragile emotional state of probationary students.​

Years Taught: 2016 - 2020

Students Taught: 70

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EDLP 520 - The Teacher as Manager is a unique class designed to provide a forum for the reflection and processing of the University 101 Peer Leader experience and to develop and practice important leadership skills that are transferrable to other settings. Discussion revolves around such topics as group facilitation skills, mentoring and helping skills, leadership styles, classroom management strategies, and other related issues.

Years Taught: 2016 - 2019

Students Taught: 151

Qualitative Comments on Teaching Strengths

UNIV 101 - Fall 2016

  • "Mike is very approachable and always seemed excited about class. I wouldn't want it to be taught by anyone else."

  • "Strengths: Approachable, considerate, resourceful, prepared, professional."

  • "Mike was great at instigating conversations."

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UNIV 101 - Fall 2017

  • "He takes time to get to know his students and creates a relationship with them so that they feel comfortable with asking him questions."

  • "Mike Dial is one of the most caring, best teachers I've ever had....he truly cares about each student, and I know within my next four years here at Carolina he'd always be there for me to fall back on or be there for any questions I had."

  • "Mike was always very excited to teach what we were learning about, making it fun to learn."

  • "Strengths of my instructor include being approachable and friendly, making himself available and making sure all of our questions were
    answered all the time."

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UNIV 101 - Fall 2018

  • "He was everything that I was hoping for. He was helpful and resourceful."

  • "He was really fun and talked about stuff that could help us in life."

  • "My instructor is an amazing person and I know that I could go to him for everything, and I am glad that I got to have him as a teacher."

  • "very knowledgeable and knew the exact answers to all our questions"

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UNIV 101 (Academic Recovery) - Spring 2020

  • "I knew that the class would always be a place where I could be myself. It was also a place where I could ask questions without feeling dumb because my classmates were in similar situations. The atmosphere was always up-beat, but serious when needed to be. The assignments I had were actually beneficial to me and bettering my experience at the University of South Carolina. It also helped me make a lot of friends that I would not have met otherwise."

  • "My professor is amazing at making his students feel welcomed. I never had to worry about being judged because of who I am when I stepped into his classroom. He made sure that we as students felt heard, supported, and valued. All around he is an amazing professor. 12/10 would recommend."

  • "My teacher did an outstanding job when leading this class. He was attentive, approachable, honest, trustworthy, etc. He incorporated different learning style and environments. He had fair classroom policies. The activities were fun and engaging. 10/10 would recommend to future freshman."

Teaching Scholarship

I have presented at a range of national conferences on designing seminars for students on academic probation and teaching alongside peer leaders in seminar courses. Recently, I had the pleasure of working with a former peer leader as she published a case study in a new publication on supporting students on probation. A sample listing of conference presentations related to academic recovery seminars and peer education is shown below. 

Dial, M. (2021) Academic Recovery: Designing a Seminar to Support Students on Probation. Presentation at the Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience, Virtual
 
Dial, M. & Greene, M. (2020, February) Assisting Students on Probation: The Seminar as Intervention. Presentation at the Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, Washington, D.C.

Dial M. (2019, October) Academic Recovery: Leveraging the First-Year Seminar as an Intervention for First-Year Students on Probation. Presentation at the NACADA Annual Conference, Louisville, KY.
 
Kaze, R. & Dial, M. (2019, February) Leave it to Peers: Utilizing Peers to Lead Difficult Conversations. Presented at the Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience, Las Vegas, NV 

Dial, M. (2018, November) The University 101 Peer Leader Program. Poster presentation at The National Mentoring Symposium 2018, Indianapolis, IN
 
Dial, M. (2018, March) The University 101 Peer Leader Program. Poster presentation at the NASPA Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA
 
Stuart, S. & Dial, M. (2018, February) Extended Orientation for Peer Educator Development: The University 101 Model, Presentation at the Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience, San Antonio, TX
 
Dial, M. & Stuart, S., (2018, February) 25 Years of Peer Leadership in University 101, Presentation at the Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience, San Antonio, TX
 
Dial, M. & Greene, S. (2017, February) Designing and Enhancing Peer Educator Programs Through Recruitment and Training, Facilitated discussion at the Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience, Atlanta, GA

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