Teaching

I have over three years of experience teaching core journalism courses as the Primary Instructor of Record at the University of Alabama. Here are my accomplishments.

Courses taught:

JCM 180: Journalistic Principles and Practices

Semester taught: Fall 2025, Summer 2026, Fall 2026 (forthcoming)

This introductory survey course gives students a first look at the history and professional practices of journalism and electronic news by examining both legacy and contemporary media.

I led the complete redesign of this course from an in-person to an online asynchronous format.

JCM 200: Foundations for Journalism Practices

Semesters taught: Spring 2023, Summer 2023, Summer 2024

JCM 200 is an introductory humanities course that introduces students to journalism and news media from historical, social, ethical, and legal perspectives. Designed for both majors and non-majors, the course develops students' ability to critically evaluate news content and understand the role of journalism in a democratic society.

Taught the course in an asynchronous online format and redesigned course materials to increase student engagement, resulting in improved student evaluations.

JCM 303: News Writing and Reporting

Semesters taught: Fall 2023, Spring 2026, Fall 2026 (forthcoming)

This is an upper-level journalism course that provides intensive training in news writing, reporting, interviewing, and information gathering. Designed for journalism and strategic communication majors, the course emphasizes the production of accurate, ethical, and engaging news content while developing students' understanding of newsroom practices.

I led lab sections, providing hands-on instruction and mentorship on reporting and writing news assignments.

315: Advanced News Writing and Reporting

Semesters taught: Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2026

JCM 315 is an advanced journalism course designed for journalism majors seeking to strengthen their reporting, writing, and newsgathering skills across a variety of beats, including government, education, business, health, and human-interest reporting.

I developed and taught the course from the ground up, designing the curriculum, assignments, and instructional materials. Introduced regular guest lectures featuring media professionals and organized newsroom visits to connect classroom learning with professional practice. Created hands-on, newsroom-relevant assignments centered on beat reporting across diverse journalistic genres and incorporated digital and interactive learning tools to enhance student engagement. These instructional innovations were reflected in consistently strong student evaluation scores.

Connecting with industry professionals

I prioritize experiential learning through hands-on assignments and direct connections with journalists in my teaching.

In the Advanced News Writing & Reporting class, I made guest lectures and visits to media organizations on a regular basis. Fifteen industry leaders, including Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, local media entrepreneurs, and editors and reporters from the world's leading newsrooms, have met with students within three semesters of my teaching this course.

Using interactive digital tools to boost student enagement

In March 2026, I led a 60-minute workshop at the On-site and Online Learning Innovation Summit (OLIS) organized by the University of Alabama Teaching Academy.

During the session, I shared how digital tools can transform traditional assignments into interactive, learner-centered experiences.

It was wonderful to see such a great turnout and to have participants ... play! and discuss ways to engage students in both in-person and online classrooms.

Social Media Analytics Lab Experience

I also trained students and faculty in the Social Media Analytics lab in using advanced tools like Leximancer, NodeXL, LIWC, NVivo, and Sprinklr to derive insights from large datasets and social media data.

🏆Award

In 2026, I was selected for an Outstanding Teaching by a Doctoral Student Award by the College of Communication and Information Sciences. The award committee acknowledged my "dynamic, engaging teaching style and emphasis on interactive learning and real-world applications."

"She brings industry perspective into the classroom by connecting students with guest speakers — who are the leading journalists and media professionals — and incorporates digital tools and emerging media technologies into student learning. Gulmira is deeply committed to the ethical awareness and civic responsibility and encourages students to think critically about representation, equity, and the role of journalism in society," the award committee noted.

From student opinion surveys:

• I loved having Ms. Gulmira as my professor. She is so sweet and genuinely cared that her students understood assignments and material she taught. She is a great communicator and truly loves journalism. Ms. Gulmira kept us updated with classwork or schedule changes and was a phenomenal professor overall.

• I really enjoyed the layout of the class. The course and content was very engaging and I truly learned a lot.

• She is a wonderful lady who deeply cares for her students. She grades reasonably well, and her assignments are just.

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