Karen Appleby
Associate Professor
Sport Science and Education, College of Education
What inspired you to be a university professor?
I like to think that what I do is the "family business." I am a third generation university
professor. My grandfather was a professor and chair of the dentistry department at the University
of Iowa. My father was a psychology professor and dean at Indiana University Purdue
University at Indianapolis (IUPUI). Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. The value and
importance of education was paramount in my house. I was inspired by both my grandfather and
my father to pursue education in my career.
Why teach in a university setting?
I was originally trained as a high school English teacher. While I enjoyed teaching this
subject at the secondary level, I was motivated to teach in a university for three specific reasons.
First, I enjoy helping my students develop professionally. I like to each classes that relate
specifically to the career paths they have chosen. Current I teach our undergraduate senior
capstone class. In this class, we do a number of professional development activities. However,
the one that I enjoy the most is our class community project. Each semester the students work as
a class to host a community "athletic" event-a 5k race or triathlon that sponsors a charitable
organization of the students' choice. This event helps the students hone their professional skills
in sport science and physical education and helps them recognize the value of civic engagement.
While this is a tough assignment, it is always meaningful both personally and professionally. The
students can immediately connect the skills they learn from the assignment to the professional
world.
Second, I like to co-engage in the research process with my students. Teaching at the
graduate level gives me the opportunity to advise thesis students. I thoroughly enjoy teaching
students about the research process, guiding them through this process, seeing them successfully
defend his or her work and co-presenting or authoring with the students after the work in
complete. This gives me a high amount of satisfaction and pride.
Finally, I love teaching in the university setting because it encourages me to be a better
student. Teaching at any level means you must know and be current on all your material. I find
myself poring through my lectures each semester to update them with new research and
information. I find this to be especially important at the college level as the students are
generally very passionate and informed about their major.
If you weren't a university professor what do you think you would be doing?
I would either be a high school English teacher or a college track and field/cross country
coach.
What has teaching taught you about yourself?
Teaching has taught me not to take myself so seriously all of the time. Sometimes you
make mistakes or you do not know the answer to a question. In these situations you just have to
laugh at yourself and be honest that you do not have all the answers. I find students connect with
someone who is professional, organized, accountable, honest and fair, but who can also laugh at
herself when it is appropriate.
What is the most difficult aspect of teaching?
Teaching is a difficult trade, period. Teaching is a combination of a number of things
including, but not limited to: communication, inspiration, professional mentoring, assessment,
self-reflection and social perception. Sprinkle in a bit of theatrics-the ability to give a good
lecture is reliant upon a teacher's ability to inspire interest in the subject-and you have some
good teaching. However it is rare that all of these things actually happen perfectly. The most
difficult aspect of teaching-and this happens to me everyday-is leaving class and
thinking, "how can I do that better?," "what would be a better assignment to get students to
understand?" Sometimes you have to be flexible enough to stop what you are doing and re-
evaluate. So, the most difficult part of teaching is always trying to do things better.
Is there an identifying moment where you knew you had a pronounced positive impact upon a student?
Yes. I had a graduate student who wanted to write a thesis. It took her three years to
complete this project. This student just presented the finding of her thesis at a regional
conference. While she was presenting, I thought about our journey and realized how life
changing writing this thesis was for her. We are currently working on publishing this work. I
really feel had I not worked this student she would have neither chosen to write a thesis nor
continue with the professional development opportunities that have made a positive impact on
her life.
What career/life messages do you try to impart upon your students?
I try to teach my students that professionalism is a must no matter what field you pursue.
I want my students to know that how you present yourself through writing and speaking is
paramount to success in any field. Also, from a global perspective, I want my students to
recognize that engaging with their community is important. Being a good citizen and community
member is a professional skill and responsibility that I hope my students learn from me. I do this
by weaving civic engagement into class assignments as well as modeling this professional
disposition by being an active community member myself.
What do you want students to take from their ISU educational experience?
I want students to leave ISU with not only a top-notch education, but a sense of
confidence in their abilities. I hope that by the time they leave our program, they know what they
want to do with their lives, have the skills to pursue this field, recognize the importance of
community engagement and become productive citizens in the world. I know this seems lofty,
but I feel this is our job in higher education.