Evangeline (Eva) E. Nwokah, PhD, CCC-SLP

Professor of Communication Disorders
Harry Jersig Center, Room 119
210-528-7117
eenwokah@ollusa.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Areas of Expertise

I am currently a Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Our Lady of the Lake University. I obtained all my degrees in England and then 14 years later took courses in communication disorders at Purdue University and University of Texas at Dallas to meet American Speech-Language-Hearing Association requirements for licensure in United States. This included a Clinical Fellowship Year in Texas at the former Richardson Development Center.

I have over 40 years of experience practicing as a speech-language pathologist and college teaching in England, Canada, Nigeria and United States. I have held speech-pathology licenses in Indiana, North Carolina, Texas and California. My clinical experience includes both pediatric and adult settings including schools, hospitals, clinics, centers, day cares and homes. At OLLU I served as Department Chair for eight years. I currently own a private practice, SLT for Kids, as a pediatric speech-language pathologist.

The primary focus of my scholarship is on play, humor, language and early intervention (age 0-3) in children with typical and atypical development. My secondary scholarly interests are in college teaching and learning especially service learning. At OLLU I have directed the Child Language and Play Research Lab. I have published more than 40 scholarly articles and received foundation, local and federal grant funding.              

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is that an integrated approach is the most effective way to learn in the communication disorders field and that the coordination of different course components, theory, and application is crucial to a balanced and well-organized process of professional learning. The mantra that I use for the application of theoretical information learned by students is that of “teach, show, and practice.” Within the same class I try to combine both theory and application and use active, multisensory, and case study approaches to learning. I believe that an effective college teacher should integrate research, clinical experiences and professional training into the classroom. In other words, the teacher’s research and newly acquired knowledge should inform their teaching. 

Outside Interests

Outside of the university I serve on three nonprofit boards - Boys and Girls Club, Salvation Army Program Committee, and Salvation Army Advisory Board. I am a member of the American Association of University Women and was previously VP for programs. I am a caring clown member of the San Antonio Jolly Joeys Clown Alley and Clowns of America International. I also belong to the San Antonio Storytellers Association, and San Antonio Gardeners group. For over six years I have been a pupil of the San Antonio Institute of Musical Arts focused on ukelele.