College of Education and Human Development

Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development

Heather Dorsey

  • Senior Teaching Specialist

  • Office Hours

    Contact Heather Dorsey at dors0034@umn.edu for current office hours.

Heather Dorsey

Areas of interest

Communication studies
Student engagement and retention
Embodied learning through performance and arts education
Multidisciplinary education
Leadership and ethics

Degrees

M.A., University of Minnesota, liberal studies
B.S., St. Cloud State University, communications, theatre, and education

Biography

Profile

I have been a faculty member of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota for 17 years. I teach in the First Year Inquiry program which involves multidisciplinary team teaching and learning communities. I am a free-lance theatre director and performer and co-founder of Big Picture Ventures, a communication and production consulting business. I write and speak nationally about the importance of active learning and performance methodology in the higher education classroom.

Courses taught

  • OLPD 5368—Leadership for Special Education Services

Professional affiliations

  • Artistry Performing Arts Theate (Board member)
  • Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota
  • Minnesota Educational Theater Association
  • American Association of Theater Education
  • Association for Theater in Higher Education
  • Educational Theater Association of America
Publications

Pedelty, M., Dorsey, H., & Thompson, M. (2009). A bridge to somewhere. In P. Nunnally (Ed.), The city, the river, the bridge. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

Dorsey, H. (2003). Acting out: A tableau teaching method. The Evergreen State Collection of Academic Articles.

Dorsey, H. (2002). Redirecting classical theatre: An intertextual approach to drama.

Presentations

Dorsey, H. (2014, February). Embodied learning: Moving beyond text and talk. National Convention on the First Year Experience, San Diego, CA.

Dorsey, H. (2013, December). Using narrative to engage first generation students in the first year. The First Year Experience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

Dorsey, H. (2013, January). Using narrative to engage first generation students in the first year. 32nd Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience, Rollins College, Valencia College, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL.

Dorsey, H. (2005, September). Channeling art for a healthy life. University of Minnesota Civil Service Retreat, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

Dorsey, H. (2005, May). Public speaking for student leaders. The Vietnamese Student Association National Convention, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

Dorsey, H. (2005, March). Solo in ensemble: Using performance techniques to teach social justice. The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA.

Dorsey, H. (2004). All the world’s a stage: Internationalizing performance courses. Internationalizing On Campus Courses, Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

Dorsey, H. (2002). Acting out: Using performance to aid the high school to college transition. College Reading and Learning Association, Minneapolis, MN.

Dorsey, H. (2002). Integrating drama into church services. Friendship Church, Prior Lake, MN.

Dorsey, H. (2001). Stage movement tells a story. Friendship Church, Prior Lake, MN.

Dorsey, H. (1998). What is Shakespeare really saying? Instructional In-Service for high school students in the Acting Conservatory Stage’s Theatre, Hopkins, MN.