Amy Hubbard is an associate professor in the Department of Speech in UH Manoa’s College of Arts and Humanities who views teaching as an opportunity for students and teachers to exercise their minds. She designs her teaching to elicit active participation from students, increase critical thinking and analytical skills, show where a body of knowledge comes from and create situations for the continued application of knowledge. Semester long projects, mini assignments and activities are incorporated into the curriculum along with quizzes and examinations. Her high expectations—students must demonstrate their understanding of a topic before offering their own analysis—earns their respect. A student who began the semester with plans to switch to another subject completed the course and two others in speech. Hubbard arranges meetings between her students and children from Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Honolulu. She encourages interaction with international students in UH’s Hawai‘i English Language Program or Internet contact with communication students at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Hubbard has been involved in a number of curriculum endeavors to enhance undergraduate and graduate education. She worked with the Manoa Writing Program to develop electronic portfolios as a way to measure student learning and provide feedback on how well department meet their objectives.

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