Scott Haden Church (Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln) is an associate professor in the School of Communications. He has taught courses in media studies and communication for seventeen years. During his time at BYU, Scott has mentored students so they could present their research at academic conferences and symposia around the country over thirty times.
He deeply loves helping his students have experiences to develop professionally and academically. Scott has authored or co-authored a book and over thirty scholarly articles and book chapters. He lives in Provo with his wife Heather and their five daughters.
I give them opportunities in class to create something that is meaningful beyond the walls of the classroom.
Once the students know that the opportunity is there, I remind them throughout the semester. They know early on that they must be willing to continue working on their projects after the semester has ended. By the end of the semester, some of them have opted in to trying to elevate their work to a quality that will make their projects compelling to others in academia.
The final exam in my class has shifted away from assessing what information they have retained from the readings and class discussions. Now, it focuses on students’ reflections on what experiences they have had in class and how those experiences have helped them in their lives.
I am careful in the language that I use with the students. I frequently mention how some of the aims of a BYU education are lifelong learning and building character. So I challenge them to think about what they are doing in the classroom as something that will result in more than a grade. But, more than anything, it helps to teach in an environment where my School, College, and University are all actively involved in helping students realize their potential. To have the support to offer students experiences outside of campus where they can work, network, and lift others, is extremely rare. I have seen amazing things happen with my students because of the resources that have been prayerfully allocated to them by others in the BYU community.