Teaching was never something I planned to do... But when it was offered to me by CU-Boulder's Environmental Design program, it was an easy yes. Not because that role was right for me - I had no idea, but because I love this program. The thought of leaving it at the end of my term there as a student was heartbreaking. It had become community and home to me. So a yes it was, and I started teaching. During those first two semesters, I was a satisfactory teacher certainly, but had not found my stride. This teaching... still on the fence about it.
Teaching changed for me my third semester in.. This group of students were transfers into the program. They had already developed a rapport with each other, and were genuine, welcoming, and inclusive. And they welcomed me. That's when it changed. That's when I let down whatever guard I had up. That's when I learned to teach as my authentic self. And it worked.. We engaged in honest communication, a productive and enjoyable studio environment, and students walked away feeling supported on their path. It literally fills me with joy to think about it, and I am so grateful to this group of students.
So I came to my fourth semester of teaching with the same approach, the same wall down. It was powerful - meaningful, honest, inspiring. We embraced collaboration and connection, and they produced wonderful work. And because they are freshman, I have the privilege of continuing to encourage and support them throughout their ENVD career, . There is so much I have to learn about being an educator, and learn I will.
But this teaching thing... there's something really true about it.
what my students say about me...
classes I've taught...
Thanks Nettie, You would make a great prof.
Nettie was truly amazing. She helped me to understand product design in a thoughtful way, inspiring me to think outside the box.
she's great honestly idk pay her more
Everything you did was excellent.
Nettie as been an amazing instructor, she is understanding but also pushes you to thrive, succeed, and always try your hardest. She explains the material very well and knows how to answer any question I ask.
can you make sure you provide positive feedback with your critiques, I felt like they came across as pretty negative because you mostly only pointed out what we did wrong and not also what we did well
Nettie Skievaski was very accommodating in giving feedback and making sure that groups had the information and resources necessary to complete assignments. Always was available to ask questions regarding projects both in and outside of class!
Nettie did awesome, don’t really know what to do better. Most effective was talking with us about our life individually before projects and seeing how college was going and actually getting to know us each individually. She really seemed like she cared about how each student did and wasn’t trying to just doc us or grade us just to get us by.
Nettie was very helpful and did a lot of one on one help
Nettie was a wonderful professor I learned so much from her and could only hope that my next professor is as engaging, funny, and kind hearted as she was.
Nettie was amazing and catered to everyone in the class.
Nettie was an amazing instructor and she did a great job teaching in the most effective way and I learned a lot.
I genuinely loved the past 8 weeks, such a good intro into the ENVD world as a whole, and I couldn't have asked for a better instructor. Work time was really effective for me, and the overall learning atmosphere was safe and productive.
I believe Nettie Skievaski was a very talented and effective professor, she provided our class with valuable insights. While teaching us how to kindly and respectfully take and give constructive criticism which I believe is a very valuable lesson. I think this first corse is not the easiest but Nettie did such an amazing job at guiding us towards success!
Nettie was really helpful in providing me with guidance and help in all of my projects. I feel like I received a well-rounded view of product design and all of the things going into the curriculum.
I think that Nettie does a great job overall and is a great teacher!
Nettie was Great. She let me follow my own process when doing the final project and I feel like I made much better work because of it and I was able to turn it in all on time.
It felt like Nettie cared about every student, and she seems passionate about design, this made me have respect for her and also confidence that she could answer my questions.
I enjoyed Nettie as an instructor. I thought she was clear and concise and gave good feedback.
Nettie truly helped me to understand urban design at a different level. I went in knowing nothing and am coming out with a whole new perspective. I truly appreciate her time.
Loved having Nettie as a teacher and hope that she continues to keep doing tech because I haven't had more fun in a tech class!
Thank you Nettie!
Nettie was really helpful and encouraging. I think she provided my studio with some good information on what we need to do to get a job, which is super important especially as I am about to graduate. She helped keep everyone on track and provided a unique point of view being an ENVD grad and a young person working in the field.
Nettie was a great instructor, quick to respond to emails, and always could answer questions or provide another option to get help.
she was very helpful.
Very helpful throughout the entire semester. Would give deep and helpful analysis and breakdowns of work which made it easier to understand the complicated programs we had to work with. Was always available for questions and help.
Very nice and helpful
Nettie did a great job of allowing students to express creativity in the work produced while creating projects we were proud of. She was always availble to help answer questions and show tips and tricks to make using the programs easier.
Nettie is very kind and helpful. She is very knowledgeable about tech applications and makes herself very available to help. She goes above and beyond such as by creating her own tutorial videos. I really enjoyed how easy you were to work approach this semester particularly when concerned about due dates or with other questions. Your explanations helped me quite a bit when I was struggling.
Was awesome and wanted to connect with each of us on a deeper level
I had a great experience getting to know Nettie. She was very understanding and super helpful with all of her advice. I did not feel awkward coming to her for help/
I thoroughly enjoyed how you would meet with the whole class but then break out one on one was very insightful. I feel like I had a space to convey my ideas in a coherent manner and receive feedback either through praises or criticism.
Nettie is a very kind and approachable person. She was helpful in providing detailed feedback and useful ideas.
Nettie was very helpful in being able to provide a unique perspective in the class content, and learned a lot from the graphics point of view.
I enjoyed working with Nettie and it was cool to have an ENVD alumni helping us.
Nettie provided very helpful tutorials on how to complete assignments in class.
Anytime we had questions, concerns, or needed help, Nettie and the teaching team were always there to help. I was in Nettie's section and she was always very kind, patient, and helpful to us. She always tried her best to have a video tutorial to help us, was available to email questions, and held office hours if we needed extra help.
beginning with the most recent...
PLAN4100 Urban Planning studio | Students work on planning challenges at a county level, developing community engagement plans and policy solutions. Co-taught with Boulder County Director of Planning
ENVD1010 Product Design studio | Introducing freshman to the act of design and studio culture through the lens of product design
ENVD4363 Urban Design and the Livable City | Exploring how the design of our cities can support or hinder the human experience
ENVD1040 Urban Planning studio | Explore concepts and strategies inherent to the practice of Urban Design and Planning. Students analyze and redesign a block in downtown Boulder, considering existing city plans for the site
Tech 2 | image manipulation, vector and raster graphics, and composite renderings in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. Students explore concepts in visual hierarchy, composition, and color theory
ENVD1030 Landscape Architecture studio | Explore concepts and strategies inherent to the practice of landscape architecture. Students analyze and design ecological related systems within an urban context
PLAN4100 Urban Planning studio | Students work on planning challenges at a county level, developing community engagement plans and policy solutions. Co-taught with Boulder County Director of Planning
Tech 3 | Guided 2nd and 3rd-year students through 2D and 3D modeling in Rhino, laser-cutting, 3D printing, and rendering techniques in Photoshop
