Degrees:

• Ph.D. Communication, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 2010
• M.A. Communication, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 2001
• B.A. Communication, Universidad del Valle de México, Campus Querétaro, Queretaro, Mexico, 1999

Courses:

• COM 101 Understanding Mass Media
• COM 103 Human Communication
• COM 212 Intercultural Communication
• COM 221 Advertising
• COM 315 Communication Research
• COM 319 Advertising Planning: Media Campaigns
• COM 703 Communication Research
• COM 725 Advertising
• COM 742 Integrated Marketing Communications
• COM 743 Integrated Marketing Communications & the Internet
• COM 744 Integrated Marketing Communications Planning

Biography:

Professor Luis Lopez-Preciado is an Associate Professor of Communication at Lasell University. He holds a Ph.D., a master's and bachelor's degree in Communication as well as a certificate in Non-Profit Management. Lopez-Preciado has extensive experience in marketing and management as well as experience in the corporate world. He has numerous academic publications on Latinos in the United States and on the advertising discipline of account planning in Spanish speaking nations.

What is your teaching philosophy for Lasell courses?

"Learning, just like teaching, is greatly determined by the experiences that have shaped our lives. To me, learning in a university setting means being able to receive, process, and enrich the information given in a classroom, in a textbook, or in a discussion with someone else in an academic community. If we are only taught to memorize since the earliest stages of our schooling, we will never move beyond this, the lowest form of learning. However, if we develop our cognitive skills as we move through the education system, by the time we leave higher education we can truly grasp, deconstruct, evaluate, and apply highly complex information. For me, ensuring that my students are able to achieve this stage is my first priority."

What do you like about teaching at Lasell?

"Teaching at Lasell affords me two very important things that are not common in larger colleges. First, by having small classrooms one can truly develop close relationships with students, as well as adapt the class to the learning pace of the majority. Secondly, the possibility of constantly developing new assignments and different ways for students to grasp concepts makes teaching at Lasell exciting and intellectually stimulating on a daily basis."

What is important for your students to take away from your classes?

"I can sum it up in two simple adages: you cannot learn without getting your hands dirty, and practice makes perfect. Therefore, I make sure that every session is productive, that it furthers each student toward the end goals of the course, and that I provide relevant feedback so students can improve on their subsequent assignments. Additionally, I encourage them to evaluate their own work and tell me where they could improve. I believe that I enable my students to learn by helping them teach themselves. Further, I always encourage them to find different and alternative solutions to the problems posted. This in turn leads them to develop a process that works best for their own style, even if the end product is based on outside expectations."

How does your professional background influence your time in the classroom with students?
"Providing students with examples that go beyond the theory is something basic to learning marketing communications. My own experiences provide students with the necessary tools to turn my classroom into more than just a room where lectures take place, but instead a laboratory where students can practice in a safe, controlled environment what they will deal with for the rest of their professional careers."