Learning Manifesto

You’d think that after twenty years in nuclear medicine, I’d have the whole "learning" thing figured out. I spent two decades as a nuclear medicine and PET/CT technologist, working in fast paced clinical settings where you just….do. You absorb the information, you master the equipment, you perform the exam, you care for the patient and you do it all from muscle memory. I never really stopped to ask how I learned these skills.

But shifting into higher education last semester changed everything. Suddenly, I’m the one at the front of the room, and I’ve realized something humbling: just because I’ve done this for twenty years and it’s second nature to me doesn't mean it's intuitive for my students. Teaching isn't a simple distribution of facts but rather it’s an art form. Honestly, I think I took that for granted for way too long.

This is where my learning manifesto starts. I’ve had to admit that learning isn't some linear conveyor belt of knowledge. It’s messy, takes strange turns, and is totally tangled up in a student’s confidence (or lack thereof). My students aren't blank slates; they’re people trying to filter new, complex information through their own lives and perspectives. My job has shifted from being the "expert with the answers" to being a guide who builds a space where they feel safe enough to be curious.

Stepping into this Applied Digital Learning program has put me right back in their shoes and it’s terrifying.  I’m looking at my own process under a microscope now. For most of my life, I was an "A" chaser. I figured if the transcript looked good, the learning was done. But reading Carol Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success was a massive wake-up call. I realized I’d been surviving in a fixed mindset for years—just trying to prove I was smart rather than trying to actually grow. I’ve tried graduate school four other times but never completed it because I was more concerned with doing things perfectly than just learning and moving through it. I’m done with that.

I used to be terrified of the struggle. Growing up, I was good at most things, but math was my nemesis. Because I needed extra help, I convinced myself that struggling meant I was failing. I only recently let go of that after hearing Dr. Sasha Shillcutt’s TED Talk about "failing forward." It reframed the whole concept for me. Failure isn’t the wall; it’s what gets us through the wall into actual learning.

I’m also seeing digital learning in a new light. It’s not just about screens or fancy tech; it’s about the accessibility of a vital tool. In my field, we’re asking students to visualize things that are literally invisible—radioactive decay, tracers moving throughout the body, or how a specific isotope interacts with a tumor. For two decades, I’ve seen those things in person, but for a student, a static diagram in a book just doesn’t cut it.

I want to Create Significant Learning Environments (Harapnuik, 2018) where students can "practice" a complex nuclear medicine protocol without the terrifying pressure of a real patient on the table or the clock ticking down on a short-lived dose. I want them to have a digital sandbox where they can make a wrong turn, see the result, and fix it in real-time. If they can "fail forward" in a simulation first, they’ll walk into their clinical rotations with a kind of digital muscle memory. They won't just be reciting facts they memorized to pass the boards. Instead, they’ll have the confidence to actually focus on the patient. For me, that’s the whole point of digital learning—making the invisible things clear so they can become the top-notch clinicians our patients deserve.

So, this is my commitment: I’m choosing to lean into the struggle and discomfort. Returning to the role of a student after being the "professional" for so long is a bit of a reality check, but it’s a good one. It reminded me that our identity as learners is something we never actually outgrow. We just keep revamping it. I’m staying curious, staying reflective, and staying open to the idea that I don’t have all the answers yet.

And for the first time in my life, that’s okay.

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References

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Ballantine Books.

Harapnuik, D. (2018, July 14). CSLE: It’s About Learning. Creating significant learning environments. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=849

Shillcutt, S. (2019, June 16). Resilience: The art of failing forward [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBlmvAITMrg