Roberts takes individualized approach to student learning
MINOT, N.D. – In any academic environment where there are thousands of students and faculty with busy schedules, there is a chance a student could get lost in the mix.
Amy Roberts, one of two Minot State Outstanding Academic Advisor award winners for 2017-18, focuses on getting to know students as “more than just a face” – not only when she is helping them formulate a plan for their education and class schedules, but also when she is teaching in the nursing department.
“I think what really makes a successful advisor is really getting to know the student,” Roberts said. “Do they work? Do they have a family? Do they have learning disabilities? Knowing any road blocks they’re going to have is really going to be helpful in advising. It’s making it very individualized that I think is really important.”
Originally from Dickinson, N. D., Roberts studied nursing at Minot State. She later went on to earn her master’s degree at the University of North Dakota. A registered nurse, she began sharing her knowledge and experience in the medical field at Minot State as a professor in 2008.
While Roberts teaches in a program that she speaks proudly of, she does not claim to be above learning.
“Every day in class, my students will say something, and I’ll think, ‘Oh, I’ve never really thought about that.’ And that’s great. It’s nice to have that kind of relationship. Those are the things that I’ve learned as a teacher: that I’m still learning,” she said.
However, Roberts doesn’t just teach and learn from her students at the front of a classroom.
“I’m still at the hospital twice a week with students, taking them there and teaching them. We’re able to get a lot more hands-on than other colleges just because of our access to those clinical areas (and) our relationship with Trinity (Health).”
In addition to hands-on experience in local health, nursing students attending Minot State benefit from small class sizes and faculty members who are focused on students’ progress.
“We’re going to help them be successful,” Roberts emphasized. “We want them to succeed. In my heart of hearts, I really do believe we have the best program in the state.”
But, according to Roberts, what makes the nursing program special is about something bigger than the program itself. Minot State, as a whole, has a “family atmosphere where people are able to get to know each other – and faculty know the students.”
About Minot State University
Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through
rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.
| Published: 06/22/18 |
