Dola Pthak is an Academic Specialist in the Department of Statistics and Probability (STT) at Michigan State University (MSU). She also has a partial appointment as an Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing (CON). Over the past six years at MSU, most of her responsibilities have centered on teaching a diverse portfolio of courses—from introductory undergraduates (STT 180, STT 380, STT 351) to advanced graduate (STT 844, STT 861, STT 864) courses using different modalities, and have guest lectured for the CON’s MS and DNP/PhD programs. She has mentored instructional teams comprising Teaching Assistants (TA) and Undergraduate Learning Assistants. She believes that true learning flourishes in an environment of kindness, inclusivity, and intellectual risk-taking. She has evolved her pedagogical practices by continuously refining her teaching strategies and maintaining a student centered focus while navigating challenging circumstances like the Covid-19 pandemic and unfortunate shooting incident which took place in the same building where she was teaching. Dola has worked extensively on developing several courses, both for STT and outside STT. From identifying the learning objectives (LOs) to developing assessments and writing content that relate to those LOs, Dola has been very dedicatedly involved with these courses. Alongside Prof. Jennifer Green, Dola also co coordinates STT’s Instructional Mentoring Program, a collaborative community for first-year PhDs who are GTAs. This program aims to provide students with the necessary resources to culturally adapt and be successful in classroom teaching and provide a space to engage and share without being judged. In her role in the College of Nursing, she works closely with faculty and students in helping them design and analyze healthcare data and work with faculty on their grants as a statistical consultant. Dola was awarded the College of Natural Science’s Outstanding Teaching Prize for the year 2022-2023. She has also been widely appreciated by students and received the #iteachmsu CTLI Educator Award (2023-2024). In the future, Dola is committed to preparing students for an AI augmented, data driven world emphasizing ethical practice and critical thinking—and to designing the next generation of courses and programs that will meet the challenges of tomorrow.
Originally from India, Dola completed her MS in Mathematics and PhD in Statistics from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 2018 and joined MSU in the Spring of 2019. In her spare time, she loves to paint, read, listen to music, and most of all spend quality time with her family.