Morgan Sims, PhD, serves as Assistant Teaching Professor in the Writers' Studio within Arizona State University's College of Integrative Sciences and Arts. Her signature focus centers on empowering first-year students to pursue academic success by building on their existing strengths and connecting their writing to meaningful, real-world contexts.
Dr. Sims provides students with applied learning experiences through community-based primary research projects that anchor their composition work in familiar environments while developing critical academic skills. In her English 101 courses, she guides students through genre-based writing that encompasses narrative, analysis, and reflection, emphasizing writing as an ongoing process rather than a static product. This approach encourages students to recognize and leverage their existing literacy practices within college-level work, creating bridges between their lived experiences and academic expectations.
Her teaching philosophy is deeply informed by her professional practice working with first-year students over many years, combined with her personal experience as a first-generation college student. This dual perspective provides her with nuanced understanding of the challenges students face when entering university settings and enables her to create supportive learning environments that honor student backgrounds while fostering academic growth.
Dr. Sims's research interests focus on the evolving landscape of online education and student belonging. She explores how instructors construct their personas in digital spaces to strategically support student success, how students encounter and build community in online classes, and how to maximize virtual learning environments as spaces that meaningfully connect instructors and students. Her scholarly background includes specialization in 19th century American Literature.
Through her work, Dr. Sims remains dedicated to creating inclusive educational experiences that recognize every student's potential and provide pathways for academic achievement, particularly for those who may be navigating higher education as first-generation college students.