Dr. Miglena Sternadori

What is your position and what do you do for Texas Tech?

I am an associate professor in the Department of Journalism & Creative Media Industries. I teach, do research, and serve as the coordinator of the journalism program within our department. 

How long have you been at Texas Tech?

This is my eighth year at Texas Tech.  

How did you get involved with assessment?

My department chair asked me in 2021 to take over the curriculum and assessment for the journalism program. I had served on curriculum and assessment committees at my previous institution, so I had a bit of experience with both. 

How do you use assessment in your job? What are some interesting assessment techniques you have used or are planning to use?

One of the new things I have started doing is asking faculty to fill out a Google form for assessment at the end of each semester. It's a bit more interactive approach than writing a 1999-style assessment memo. Last year, I also surveyed our journalism majors and minors. Although the response rate was lower than we had hoped for, the results are extremely useful as we are considering revamping our journalism curriculum. It is also an excellent addition to the yearly assessment report.  

Is there anything else you would like to share about assessment?

Assessment is a chore for many faculty, but I always tell my colleagues that it is important to submit course assessments every semester because doing so is crucial to Texas Tech's (and, really, any university's) continuing reaccreditation. I also think we can do a better job at involving students more directly in the assessment process, which was my goal with last year's survey. 

What is your hometown or where do you tell people you are from?

I was born in Sliven, Bulgaria, but I say that Sofia, the country's capital, is my hometown because that's where I grew up and spent a good part of my youth. My U.S. hometown of sorts is Columbia, Missouri, where I first arrived in 2000 on a non-degree professional development program for Eastern European journalists and later earned my graduate degrees from the Missouri School of Journalism.  

What do you like to do when you are not working?

I like gardening and doing creative landscaping projects with desert plants, such as cacti and yuccas. Before coming to Lubbock, I had never lived in a somewhat desert-like climate. Gardening here feels incredibly fun and exotic to me. 

What is something you have not done but would like to do?

I have never been not working super hard, and that is something I look forward to in my distant future. 

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