Teaching Philosophy

Connecting Theory with Practice Through Experiential Learning

As an educator and industry practitioner, my teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that students learn best when they can connect academic concepts with industry applications in real time. I design my courses so students practice the skills they are learning as they learn them, rather than trying to apply them retroactively after the course or after earning their degree. I strive to create learning environments where theory and practice work together and where students understand not only what they are learning but also why it matters for their future careers. I follow the principle that we learn by doing, and experiential learning shapes every aspect of my teaching.

Designing Courses that Reflect Industry Standards

I structure my courses to mirror industry practices as closely as possible. Whether students are developing a digital design, building a brand concept, or refining technical skills, I create opportunities for them to work on projects that reflect real expectations in the fashion field. I incorporate cross discipline and client based assignments, hands on demonstrations, technology driven workflows, and industry insights so students can immediately apply classroom knowledge to real world scenarios. I also bring in industry professionals to my classes or connect students with community partners, because hearing from practitioners helps them understand the professional landscape they are preparing to enter.

Strengthening Student Confidence and Career Readiness

Developing Leadership Through Teaching Assistant Mentorship

Part of my success as an educator comes from my ability to work effectively with undergraduate teaching assistants. I understand their importance in academia, because they provide essential support not only to instructors but also to students, and they help strengthen the overall learning environment. As a result, mentoring my undergraduate teaching assistants is also central to my philosophy. I create structured opportunities for my TAs to step into early leadership roles by contributing to assignment development, leading discussions, supporting one on one student sessions, and reflecting on their progress through weekly journals. I train them in communication, professionalism, critical thinking, and instructional collaboration. My goal is to prepare them for future roles as educators, graduate students, or creative professionals and to help them build confidence in guiding others. Training TAs is not simply a responsibility for me but an important part of shaping the next generation of leaders in fashion and design.

Empowering Students and TAs Through Innovation and Guidance

I see education as a bridge between potential and opportunity, and this guides how I work with both students and undergraduate teaching assistants. I never expect them to know everything when they enter my classroom. Instead, I recognize that they come to me for training, guidance, and growth. I go above and beyond to equip every one of them with the academic, technical, and professional skills they need to succeed in their individual paths. My commitment is to create courses that are innovative, inclusive, and aligned with current industry and academic trends. I integrate new technologies and methods, including computer aided design and generative AI, to help them remain competitive in an evolving field. Ultimately, my teaching philosophy is grounded in empowering students and teaching assistants to learn, practice, reflect, and grow so they can succeed both inside and beyond the classroom.

Explore my Graduate Teaching Experience

Read my teaching evaluations

Explore my Undergrad Teaching Experience

Read testimonials from my students and TAs

Courses taught at Iowa State University
College: College of Health and Human Sciences (CHHS)
Department: Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management (AESHM)
Program: Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) (Undergraduate program)
Job title: Instructor of Record, University Lecturer, or Graduate Teaching Instructor

Courses

FDM 2100: Computer Applications in Digital Design

Credits: 3 credits (2 2 contact hours)
Course Offering: Fall and Spring
Semesters Taught and Enrollment:

Fall 2024: 39 students
Spring 2025: 40 students
Fall 2025: 37 students

Prerequisite: FDM 2450

Course Description

Applications of skills in Adobe Suite ( Photoshop, Illustrator, Express), Pantone Connect, WGSN, and portfolio website development utilizing Wix. Introduction to digital product design and line development. Emphasis on the elements and principles of design. Introduction to digital portfolio development for design and merchandising. Includes in class demonstrations and online lectures.

My Duties in the Course

Teach Adobe Illustrator, including basic tools, digital sketching, vector drawing, digital rendering techniques, and the use of generative AI for creating tech packs, pattern designs, visual displays, and digital artwork.
Teach Adobe Photoshop, including photo editing, digital manipulation, retouching, and cross platform workflows within Adobe Creative Cloud.
Teach Adobe Express, focusing on professional presentation design, line development boards, visual communication, and portfolio page layouts.
Teach WGSN, including how to access forecasting reports, identify trends, interpret silhouettes, colors, materials, and translate forecasting insights into design decisions.
Teach Pantone Connect, including how to identify colors, understand the Pantone color system, build color palettes, and apply color forecasting tools to digital design projects.
Teach website development using Wix, including layout structure, visual hierarchy, branding alignment, and creating a professional digital portfolio.
Provide in class demonstrations in Illustrator, Photoshop, and Express, with clear step by step technical walkthroughs.
Supplement live instruction with recorded tutorial videos that students can review at their own pace.
Teach foundational digital design skills including vector illustration, line development, digital rendering, and visual communication.
Guide students in preparing digital assets for presentations, critique sessions, and professional submissions.
Maintain all course content including Canvas modules, weekly tutorials, demonstrations, assignment rubrics, assessments, and grading structures.
Oversee and mentor undergraduate teaching assistants assigned to the course.
Train TAs in grading accuracy, instructional communication, leadership, and classroom support, and supervise their work as they assist with student questions, in class activities, and course management tasks.

My Contributions to the Course

Lead the licensing partnership between FDM 2100 and Make A Wish Iowa, beginning in Spring 2025 and continuing forward.
Guide students in creating original graphic designs inspired by real Make A Wish grantees for the annual World Wish Month campaign.
Teach students how to align design decisions with Make A Wish’s brand identity and communication standards.
Mentor students through the pitching process where they present their designs directly to Make A Wish Iowa.
Support students whose designs are selected for statewide production, guiding them through real licensing workflows, brand approvals, and creative coordination.
Integrate industry standard tools and platforms such as WGSN and Pantone Connect since Spring 2025, ensuring students work with current professional practices.
Prepare students with strong technical and creative foundations in digital design, digital communication, and industry ready workflows that position them for careers in fashion, creative direction, branding, and digital content creation.

FDM 2450: Aesthetics and Brand Image

Credits: 3 credits
Course Offering: Fall and Spring
Semesters and Enrollment:

Fall 2024: 15 students
Spring 2025: 47 students
Fall 2025: 9 students

Prerequisites: AMD 131, AMD 165, AMD 204 or concurrent

Course Description

Elements and principles of design. Analysis of sensory, expressive, and symbolic aspects that build brand image, with a focus on fashion products and promotional settings.
(Official AMD catalog description.)

My Duties in the Course

Teach the foundation of aesthetics and how the aesthetic experience shapes consumer behavior in the marketplace.
Teach the elements and principles of design and how brands use them to influence visual communication, create meaning, and shape consumer experiences and responses in retail.
Teach the five Ps of branding (product, product presentation, promotional activities, people, and property) and how brands integrate these components to build a cohesive brand identity and influence consumer behaviors
Teach foundational branding concepts and branding strategies, including identity building, storytelling, differentiation, and other strategies brands use to launch, grow, or reposition themselves.
Prepare all lecture materials, assignments and exam questions
Deliver weekly lectures, and conduct live demonstrations of industry research tools and branding resources that students apply in their projects.
Organize and guide guest speaker workshops, where industry professionals visit the class to share insights and show students how course concepts are applied in real industry settings.
Provide extensive feedback during scheduled check in sessions throughout the semester, helping students refine their concepts before submitting major project deliverables.
Manage all instructional components of the course, including Canvas modules, assignments, deadlines, assessments, project guidelines, and the final presentation event.
Oversee and mentor undergraduate teaching assistants assigned to the course.
Train TAs in grading accuracy, clear instructional communication, leadership, and classroom management.
Supervise TAs as they develop in class activity questions and lead full class discussions, giving them early teaching and facilitation experience.
Support TAs in building strong critical thinking, communication, leadership, and professional readiness skills for future careers in industry or academia.

My Contributions to the Course

As part of my doctoral teaching practicum, I redesigned the entire course in Spring 2025, transforming it into a semester long experiential learning lab.
Introduced a client based branding project where students get create a full brand expansion proposal for a real business partner.
The experiential structure allows students to apply aesthetic and branding concepts in real time, practicing skills as they learn them rather than after the course ends.
Students function as a branding agency, taking on roles that align with their academic pathways and mirror real industry roles in design, merchandising, product development, marketing, and creative direction.
Teach students cross disciplinary collaboration practices that mirror the teamwork structure of professional branding agencies.
Throughout the semester, students learn how to:
- Think like entrepreneurs and small business owners
- Build a brand identity
- Develop a consumer profile
- Conduct market analysis
- Conduct trend forecasting
- Create a brand kit including logos, typography, colors, and visual brand imagery style
- Develop product mockups utilizing generative AI
- Use generative AI to create visual assets such store mockups for visual merchandising
- Produce digital visuals assets for the brand's marketing, and advertising campaigns
The semester concludes with a competitive pitch event where student groups present their proposals to a panel of academic and industry judges who provide feedback and score the presentations.
The winning team and runner-ups receive certificates of recognition
Upon completing this project, students consistently report:
- Increased confidence in applying branding and aesthetic concepts to real business problems
- Stronger information retention
- Improved teamwork and collaboration skills
- Greater perceived career readiness
The redesigned experiential model has been officially adopted by the department and continues to grow each semester.

FDM 4900R: Independent Study – Professional Practice (Teaching Assistant Mentorship)

Credits: Independent study with variable credit based on TA's workload
Course Offering: Fall and Spring
Semesters and Enrollment:

Fall 2024: 3 teaching assistants
Spring 2025: 9 teaching assistants
Fall 2025: 8 teaching assistants

Course Description

Independent study focused on applied instructional practice. Students engage in course support, grading, student interaction, and instructional collaboration under faculty supervision.

My Duties in the Course

Mentor undergraduate teaching assistants assigned to FDM 2100 and FDM 2450.
Train TAs in instructional support, professional communication, leadership, and collaboration.
Oversee weekly grading, project support, one on one student sessions, and classroom facilitation.
Review weekly skills growth journals and provide individualized feedback.
Monitor work hour logs to ensure alignment with university standards and TA progression.

My Contributions to the Course

Developed a structured mentorship model that prepares TAs for future roles as creative professionals, graduate students, or emerging educators.
Provide consistent support that helps TAs build confidence in their instructional and professional skills.
Teach TAs how to guide students effectively, lead class discussions, and manage classroom learning activities.
Create meaningful opportunities for TAs to practice leadership, critical thinking, and communication.
Strengthen the overall learning environment across my courses through collaborative, well trained teaching assistants.

Iowa State University Teaching Evaluations

FDM 2100 Computer Applications in Digital Design (Fall 2024) - Taught entirely using previous instructor's pre-recorded video tutorials with minimal live demonstrations from me. Teaching scores 👉🏽 Instructor provided helpful feedback: 4.00 👉🏽 Instructor assisted when asked questions: 3.96 👉🏽 Instructor created a learning conducive environment: 3.64 ✅ Overall course rating: 3.88 ✅ Overall instructor rating: 3.92 What students said 👉🏽 Students highlighted how helpful the tutorial videos and examples were for understanding Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. They appreciated my encouragement, clarity, and the way I checked in with them. A few students wished for more in class demonstrations in addition to the tutorial work. Student quotes 👉🏽 “My professor was very helpful and encouraging toward me throughout the entirety of this course.” 👉🏽 “The tutorial videos were extremely helpful.” 👉🏽 “The check in sessions helped me get feedback and ask questions.” 👉🏽 “The videos made for the tutorials were very helpful and in depth.” 👉🏽 “The example work helped me see the end visual and formatting.”

FDM 2450 Aesthetics and Brand Image (Fall 2024) - Before course redesign and implementation of new client-based semester-long final project. Teaching scores 👉🏽 Instructor provided helpful feedback: 4.56 👉🏽 Instructor assisted when asked questions: 4.56 👉🏽 Instructor created a learning conducive environment: 4.22 ✅ Overall course rating: 4.33 ✅ Overall instructor rating: 4.33 What students said 👉🏽 Students gave very strong evaluations, praising my detailed feedback, patience, and clarity. They felt supported throughout the course and especially during the final project. Student quotes 👉🏽 “This instructor always gave great feedback on our assignments and lectures very well.” 👉🏽 “The meetings with Belange were extremely helpful.” 👉🏽 “Belange helped us with much detail and patience.” 👉🏽 “When we had questions she answered them thoroughly.”

FDM 2100 Computer Applications in Digital Design (Spring 2025 Section 1) - Taught with a combo of pre-recorded tutorials from previous instructor's and in-class demonstrations from me. Teaching scores 👉🏽 Instructor provided helpful feedback: 4.08 👉🏽 Instructor assisted when asked questions: 4.17 👉🏽 Instructor created a learning conducive environment: 4.00 ✅ Overall course rating: 4.08 ✅ Overall instructor rating: 4.04 What students said 👉🏽 Students emphasized how much the in class demonstrations and weekly tutorials helped them learn the software. They appreciated my support and the combination of videos plus live walkthroughs. Student quotes 👉🏽 “The in class demonstration really helped me understand the tutorials better.” 👉🏽 “Professor Mutunda’s helpfulness and support.” 👉🏽 “The weekly tutorials helped me learn the most.” 👉🏽 “What helped me most was having in class tutorials with the instructor walking us through it.” 👉🏽 “Videos and in class lectures helped a lot.”

FDM 2450 Aesthetics and Brand Image (Spring 2025) - After the first implementation of new branding project . Teaching scores 👉🏽 Instructor provided helpful feedback: 3.97 👉🏽 Instructor assisted when asked questions: 4.06 👉🏽 Instructor created a learning conducive environment: 3.84 ✅ Overall course rating: 3.59 ✅ Overall instructor rating: 3.75 What students said 👉🏽 Students appreciated the one on one feedback, structured check ins, and the chance to build a brand from the ground up. They highlighted that the final project and group work helped them connect theory to practice. Student quotes 👉🏽 “The check in sessions and the final project helped me the most.” 👉🏽 “The hands on experience in creating a brand was very helpful.” 👉🏽 “The lectures were very informative and the meetings with Belange helped strengthen our work.” 👉🏽 “Working in a group and applying what we learned really helped.”

FDM 4900R Independent Study Professional Practice (Spring 2025) Teaching scores 👉🏽 Instructor provided helpful feedback: 4.25 👉🏽 Instructor assisted when asked questions: 4.25 👉🏽 Instructor created a learning conducive environment: 4.25 ✅ Overall course rating: 4.75 ✅ Overall instructor rating: 4.25 What TAs said 👉🏽 Teaching assistants described me as attentive, responsive, and supportive. They felt guided in their instructional role and appreciated how I helped them succeed both as students and as TAs. TA quotes 👉🏽 “Belange was very attentive and replied to my emails fast and efficiently.” 👉🏽 “She supported our academic success very well.” 👉🏽 “I loved being an online TA for your class, it was easy and fun.” 👉🏽 “Instructor helped support me as a TA.”

Testimonials from Students and TAs

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Experience at Iowa State University
College: College of Health and Human Sciences (CHHS)Department: Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management (AESHM)Program: Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) (Undergraduate program)Job title: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UG TA)

Courses

FDM 2250 (FKA A M D 225) : Patternmaking I: Drafting and Flat Pattern

Credits: 3 credits (1 4 contact hours)
Semesters Taught: Spring 2020 and Fall 2020
Course Offering: Fall and Spring
Course Description:
Application of patternmaking tools and their functions, measurement techniques, pattern labeling, and patternmaking communication documents. Sloper drafting and flat pattern manipulation methods for women's apparel. Design and construction of original garments using drafted slopers and flat pattern manipulation methods to enable the analysis of fit.
Prerequisites: FDM 1210, FDM 2040, FDM 2060; Permission of instructor.

My Duties in the Course:

I was one of the UG TA in the course
Assisted the instructor in demonstrations, pattern drafting sessions, and flat pattern manipulation.
Supported up to 20 students, directly assisting five students per semester.
Provided individualized feedback on sloper drafting, pattern adjustments, and garment construction.
Graded quizzes, assignments, and project patternmaking submissions.
Offered virtual assistance during COVID 19 disruptions to ensure continuous learning.

My Contributions to the Course:

Helped students understand sloper drafting techniques, measurement accuracy, and pattern labeling.
Guided students through the process of creating original garments for fit analysis.
Supported consistent communication and constructive feedback during remote learning.

FDM 3100 (FKA AMD 310) : Computer Aided Apparel Patternmaking

Credits: 3 credits (0 6 contact hours)
Semesters Taught: Fall 2020
Course Offering: Fall and Spring
Course Description:
Introduction to the computer aided patternmaking software related to pattern modification, pattern drafting, grading, marker making, and 3D virtual fitting.
Prerequisites: AMD 210, AMD 225; Permission of instructor.

My Duties in the Course

Served as the sole UG TA for the course.
Oversaw, supported, and assisted of 17 students whenever the instructor was unavailable.
Provided extensive one on one sessions to guide students through complex CAD patternmaking tasks.
Assisted with grading assignments, projects, and final exams.
Helped students navigate Lectra Modaris during Spring 2020 for 2D pattern drafting and garment construction.
Provided continuous technical support, problem solving, and clarification of CAD patternmaking processes.

My Contributions to the Program

In Spring 2020 when I took the class as student, Lectra Modaris was used for CAD patternmaking and 2D patterns were printed on patter to create physical garments.
When the COVID 19 pandemic shut campus labs, students lost access to pattern printing.
I taught myself CLO3D independently over Summer 2020 to find a solution that would allow students to continue learning.
In Fall 2020 when I was invited to be a TA in the course, I proposed integrating CLO3D into the program and received approval from my supervisor.
The instructor continued teaching 2D pattern drafting in Modaris, and I created and taught all 3D virtual design lectures using CLO3D.
I developed a full suite of CLO3D tutorials, including:
- Introduction to CLO3D
- Installing CLO3D on Mac
- Activating Right Click on Mac
- Gizmo, Screen Views, and Shortcuts
- Creating an Avatar
- Creating Fabric
- Fit Top and Sleeves
- Fit Skirt
- Small Simulation
- Top and Skirt Animation
Taught students how to:
- Export DXF files from Modaris to CLO3D
- Assemble 3D garments
- Adjust avatar measurements
- Modify fabric properties
- Run simulations and create animations
- Create prints in Adobe Illustrator and import TIFF files into CLO3D to apply patterns to garments
Guided students in 3D CAD patternmaking, virtual sewing, and digital fitting.

My innovation in introducing CLO3D during the pandemic earned me these titles:
- Fall 2020 University Student Marshal (College of Human Sciences)
- Fall 2020 AESHM Outstanding Senior for the AESHM Department