Teaching Philosophy
As an academic and scientist, I strive to be an impactful public scholar. This means that we are always learning and engaging with those we encounter in our lives, whether they are undergraduate students, neighbors, policymakers, our own children, or our parents and siblings. Everyone can learn something from someone – an idea that grounds my teaching philosophy, which is broken down here:
Why I teach: to share my enthusiasm for science and nature; encourage lifelong learning; serve as a role model for future female scientists; improve scientific literacy; encourage participation in STEM in policymaking
What I teach: locating information; critical and creative thinking; problem-solving; student responsibility and accountability; science is for everyone
How I teach: using different instructional strategies; actively engaging students; with varied resource availability to consider learning styles and aptitudes; using varied instructional technology; evidence-based practices
How I measure my effectiveness: reflective practice; direct student feedback via student reflections; assessment of student learning; seeking advice and input from mentors, peers, and students
Being a teacher makes one a better scientist, as one must constantly reexamine the fundamentals of their discipline to effectively educate students from different intellectual, socio-economic, and cultural backgrounds. Engaging students, in a meaningful manner, to foster their scientific curiosity and mastery of terms and concepts requires a high level of commitment to maintaining the quality of education. By treating all students as individual learners and unique people, we can facilitate their ability to become cooperative and collaborative learners, to think critically and solve problems, and to be personally accountable for their actions and learning. I am committed to excellence in education and continuously strive for effectiveness through teaching proficiency and taking a positive and active role in mentoring. My overall teaching philosophy centers on students being seen for who they are, placing them in charge of their learning and holding them accountable, while maintaining a student-centered classroom that caters to critical thinking and engagement of the ‘science mind’. To accomplish this, I utilize several pedagogical strategies that provide students with exciting opportunities to be engaged in the course and the material.
Pedagogical Practices
My teaching practices focus on pedagogies with the aim to engage students in critical thinking, problem-solving, and knowledge building instead of only on knowledge gaining while recognizing their individuality and using the diversity of the classroom to build knowledge. I want my courses to be engaging and have students asking hypothesis-driven questions about the material by the end of the semester, while also learning the specific topics. To accomplish these aims, I utilize teamwork, project-based modules, and higher-level assessments in each class I teach. Below is a list of pedagogies I utilize in my courses:
Team-Based Learning
In all courses I teach, a component of group work is utilized to encourage knowledge sharing and teamwork. In large enrollment courses (>100), I randomly assign students to groups (6-12 students/group) for the semester. These groups will work together on case studies in class, and occasionally on assignments out of class (Canvas-based, or offline work). Throughout the semester I stress the importance of team knowledge, and how each group is only as strong as their ‘weakest’ member. During in-class activities, I walk around the room and interject into group conversations. In smaller enrollment courses, randomly assigned groups also work together on in-class assignments as well as semester-long projects. Each group scripts and agrees to a contract outlining each group member’s role in the group and at the end of the semester each student grades their group (each individual and the group as a whole). These team-based learning activities foster an environment of collegiality and strengthen knowledge ownership. We discuss how this type of work is often used in many workplaces, and you rarely are asked to solve problems on your own in the real world.
In 2023, I implemented a Wikipedia Education Project into my Comparative Developmental Biology (BY 475/675) course to engage in team-based learning, knowledge verification, sources, and scientific communication. This is a semester-long project that leans on Wikipedia Education’s online training programs and editing assistance. Each Wikipedia Education Course Project is assigned two Wikipedia editing experts to assist and help guide students within their chosen Wikipedia article page. Teams of students choose a Wikipedia article/page on a topic from our class and work throughout the semester to edit the content (add valid sources, update information, add missing content, link to other related pages, edit language to be for a broad audience, etc.).
Problem-Based Learning
To support the objective of enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving, I assign case studies and data sets for students to assess, make predictions, and pose hypotheses about. These types of modules are usually assigned to groups to work on in class so I can be present and active in their discussions. In BY123, I use data sets and activities offered freely by Howard Hughes Medical Institute that incorporate real data from experiments I use as examples for multiple chapters. For example, the rock pocket mouse found in the deserts of the southwestern US provides a great example of natural selection, phenotypic plasticity, and genetics. After showing the class an HHMI video detailing the evolution of the rock pocket mouse coloration, I use a data set for the students to analyze genetic variation and population evolution. Students work in groups to problem-solve. In BY245/555, we use data sets and R to teach basic statistical analyses. I re-designed this course in 2018 to be an online course and Drs. Krueger-Hadfield and Patterson put together R Markdown files that guide students through the assignment.
Portfolio-Based Assessments
In courses with smaller enrollment (>25), I utilize portfolios as an assessment tool with little emphasis on exams. The portfolio-based assessment is a tool that allows me to assess each student’s individual growth over the entire course of the semester (4-5 times/semester) and give each student in-depth, constructive feedback. Each portfolio has pre-defined sections designed to have students utilize primary literature to answer questions about topics in the course. Also, the students must pose hypotheses, draw conclusions, and provide evidence/support throughout the semester. When using portfolios, I sometimes give mid-term and final exams that are take-home and critical thinking-based questions.
Creative Projects
To allow students to bring themselves into my classrooms, I often will give them creative assignments for make-up work or as homework assignments. Students can produce short videos, compose a song, write a poem, create a playlist, or other unique and creative items based on a specific topic. The goal is to one day provide a resource on our biology webpage that houses these creative outcomes for students and the public to view what our students are learning and how diverse they are.
Specifications Grading
In almost all my courses, I have adopted a form of specifications grading (Jones, PA. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2020.1773713) which relies heavily on clear and concise rubrics and assigns either ‘complete’ or incomplete’ for assignments. This type of grading scheme allows for flexibility to be built into the course outline, allowing for students more flexible options throughout the semester. This format starts with linking assignments to learning outcomes, so grades on individual assignments better reflect whether a student gained proficiency in each learning objective. Then, similar assignments are bundled based on content, level of mastery, or a hierarchy of learning objectives. Final grades are then given based on the completion of bundles. A student who receives an A would have completed the highest-level bundle, indicating mastery of all course learning objectives. An example bundle I used in BY123 looks like this: Homework assignments are assigned using Pearson’s MasteringBiology. For each exam, around 20-25 homework assignments are assigned covering information from the chapters to be assessed on that exam. For students to earn a 100 for that exam’s homework grade, they must complete 8 assigned homework assignments before the due date. If they complete 7, they will earn a 95; 6 an 80; etc. This allows students to choose which types of homework assignments they like to complete and gives them some flexibility in completion versus losing points for incorrect answers. Another example, from my BY475 Comparative Development course, includes bundles for journal entries and specific assignments which are due each week. For each bundle, they must complete 12 (out of 14 total) to earn a 100 for that bundle. This allows them flexibility for times when they might need to spend their time on another course or life gets in the way.
Courses Taught (UAB)
BY 123 – Introductory Biology I (4 credit hours) – average enrollment ~200
This course introduces general biology concepts and is geared for Freshman Science Majors. This course is taught by several Biology faculty, and I fill the rotation when needed. As a team, the faculty teaching this course use a similar course schedule and exam style to maintain consistency across the curriculum. To supplement instruction in this course, my course contains online quizzes (2 per exam period) and online homework using the course textbook online resources (MasteringBiologyÒ, Pearson).
In addition, for extra instruction and assistance with learning the material, I offer exam correction periods where students can correct the questions they missed on the exams to earn back points on their exams. Students must answer the following questions thoroughly for each question missed on exams 1-3 to earn points back: 1) why they chose the answer they did, 2) why their answer is not correct, and 3) why the correct answer is correct. Following each exam, students can earn up to the following points: exam 1, up to 20% points missed; exam 2, up to 15% points missed; exam 3, 10% points missed. When students make their corrections I encourage them to work in teams to increase their own knowledge and use their peers’ knowledge.
BY 245/555 Fundamentals of Scientific Investigation (3 credit hours, online – Now called Biological Data Analysis and Interpretation) – average enrollment ~50
I re-developed this course as an online course that is geared to Sophomore Biology Majors. The course is designed to cover the basics of what is science, how to identify pseudoscience, what constitutes facts, how science is conducted, and how to analyze easy data sets. The first half of this course covers the basics of science, including the importance of communicating science. The second half covers dealing with data, using both excel and R Studio. For student learning assessment, this course contains 9 journal entries, 9 assignments, 9 quizzes, 4 discussion boards, and one final project. Assignments are problem-based work using R, which are guided by R Markdown files. The journal entry assignments include responding to prompts or searching for information.
BY 475/675 – Comparative Developmental Biology (3 credit hours) – average enrollment ~65
This course was revised in content by changing the title and scope from Mammalian Development to Comparative Developmental Biology, which now covers ecological and comparative developmental biology. In addition, the students are required to keep portfolios of understanding for credit in this course. This revision was made to enhance the offerings of the Biology Department in comparative biology. The scope of this course covers the developmental biology of several invertebrate and vertebrate species while focusing on current literature as the primary resource.
Innovative teaching methods I utilize in my courses include the use of portfolios of understanding or journal reflections as assessments. Portfolios and journal reflections allow me to track an individual student’s progress throughout the semester and give viable and constructive feedback more often. Additionally, these types of assessments force the students to take ownership of their own learning as they direct the questions and research that are contained within each topic covered in class. I also utilize group work and problem-based modules to engage the students in active learning. Students enrolled in BY675 must complete an additional writing assignment where topics range from controversial topics in developmental biology to communicating science in the community and are called a “compilation assignment”. These are based on appendix chapters at the end of our textbook that take 4 related topics and dive into connections to society. Students choose which appendix chapter to compile and are encouraged to be creative in how they expand on the topic. A team-based assignment that works through Wikipedia Education was added in 2023. This semester-long project addresses these learning outcomes: digital literacy, writing and communication, and critical thinking. The Wikipedia Education course platform builds training modules that students engage with weekly for the first half of the semester and two Wiki Ed staff are available to students for assistance with their articles and editing.
BY 429/491/629 – Evolutionary Processes (3 credit hours) – average enrollment ~65
This course will introduce the history of evolutionary thought and modern evolutionary theory. Our discussions will cover (but are not limited to) the history of life, mechanisms of evolutionary change, adaptation, speciation, life-history evolution, sexual selection, and molecular evolution. We will also discuss historical and contemporary studies of evolution on a wide variety of topics and organisms. Course objectives include 1) demonstrating the importance of evolutionary theory to all disciplines in the biological sciences, 2) understanding evolutionary biology as a rigorous scientific field and describing what evolutionary theory does and not tell us about the diversity of life on Earth, and 3) bringing together the prevailing ideas on evolutionary theory to help students create an informed framework for thought about evolutionary issues in all fields of biological sciences.
BY 617/MPA 617 – Science Policy (3 credit hours) – average enrollment ~10
This course was designed as the first introductory class for the Science Policy graduate certificate program and covers how and where science and technology intersect with multiple areas of public policy. Students enrolled in this course come from diverse academic and experiential backgrounds, including physical and social sciences and business and arts programs. This course is assessed using full specifications grading, and students complete weekly journal entries, class engagements, and several writing and compilation assignments that include writing a research policy brief, composing a letter to a policymaker, and producing an infographic.
BY 225 – Contemporary Issues in Science Policy (3 credit hours) – average enrollment ~60
I developed this Blazer Core course with input from Drs. Pete Jones and Rob Blanton from the Political Science & Public Administration Department. The objectives of this course are for students to 1) understand developing science and identify potential social impacts, and 2) interpret and explain socio-scientific issues to diverse audiences. This course meets “Communicating in the Modern World” within the Blazer Core and addresses multiple CW learning outcomes including intercultural awareness, interpretative communicative skills, and presentational communicative skills.
BY 495/695 – Science Mentoring Outreach (3 credit hours) – average enrollment ~10
I developed this special topic course for students to earn service-learning credit while being trained in public K-12 science mentoring. The objectives of this course are to engage UAB students in science mentorship at local inner-city public schools where they will practice their scientific knowledge by working with K-8 students. In addition, students will learn how to communicate scientific knowledge to a general audience. This course will hopefully be awarded service-learning status, so students will acquire service-learning credit in the future.
The Biga Laboratory 