Rebecca Badgett

What courses are you currently teaching and what are you most proud of about those courses?

It's always a pleasure to teach both undergraduate and graduate courses, and each is accompanied by a sense of pride. Currently, I am teaching two undergraduate sections of Developmental Disorders and two on-line graduate courses: Graduate Practicum and Developmental Disabilities.

The undergraduate course Developmental Disorders is conducive to the incorporation of assistive technology, along with the opportunity for teaching a multiplicity of hands-on skills. Years of teaching this course have enhanced my delivery methodologies; and the changing arrays of students have supported my excitement for teaching.

Ideally, on-line classes maintain their compression of geographical distance while simultaneously providing the warmth of interpersonal relations that typify traditional classrooms. In an attempt to achieve this synthesis, assigned videos and their ensuing reflections, along with the reading and critical analyses of related novels, are integral components of my on-line classes, as is the frequent and uninhibited flow of student comments.

What scholarly/service projects are you working on and what are you most proud about those projects? 

In collaboration with Dr. Rob Bost, I am continuing a document-based chronology of SRU's Department of Special Education ranging from 1978 - Present. As departmental archivist, I welcomed and thoroughly enjoy the compilation of this documentary. Additionally, I am assisting in the design of a new course for our proposed on-line doctoral program.

What student success stories can you share?

Having served almost 36 years as an SRU faculty member, I am privileged to have been associated with a broad diversity of students. Unsurprisingly, virtually every time I visit a surrounding school district or intermediate unit, I experience the pleasure of a renewed relationship with a former student. Moreover, many of these professionals have moved into administrator roles. Regardless, however, of their respective positions, these educators demonstrate a high level of professionalism that reflects pride on our department and university.

What do you do for fun during time off/school break?

When apart from teaching, I'm as enthusiastically engaged in organized leisure or home life as I am in my profession. Yet, whether it's traveling (Especially to Disney: I am a zealot), outdoor and/or interior decorating, reading and discussion, dining in or out, each is preceded and followed by detailed organization. I don't believe that my family or friends consider me rigid; because if we're organized, we get more done and have more fun, this time and the next.

What do you like best or appreciate most about Slippery Rock?

Between my time as an undergraduate student and as a faculty member, I have been involved in SRU for about 2/3 of my life. My tenure here has been a progression of mostly high professional and social plateaus; and I am blessed by my affiliation with wonderful people who made and continue to make SRU a great place for study and work.