In the BIO 370 Vertebrate Zoology lab, I assisted with the redesign of the first several lab sessions to each focus on a distinct component of the research process: literature searching and interpretation, graph interpretation, using Excel to produce graphs from data, and hypothesis testing. Students enter the class with very variable experience with these skills, so these first few labs are intended to get everyone on the same page in preparation for their mid-semester project, in which they apply these skills to test an original hypothesis using a database of skeleton models downloaded from MorphoSource. Each of the first four labs focuses on group work during class, followed by an individual homework assignment to reinforce the skills learned during lab.

I also redesigned the Canvas page for Vertebrate Zoology. I created overview pages for each lab activity, listing learning goals, pre-lab tasks, and resources used during the lab activity. I also designed detailed rubrics for each assignment, which can be used during grading to save time and improve consistency across teaching assistants.

I worked closely with the instructor of BIO 462 to redesign the course from a typical lecture format to a partially flipped classroom design. Students watch recorded videos on the material before class, and then a third to one half of the in-class time each session is spent on activities meant to reinforce the material. To reduce student anxiety around speaking up during class, I had students work primarily in small groups. Groups would select a spokesperson at the start of a class discussion, and then the spokesperson would share their groups' conclusions with the class. I also utilized iClicker open responses so that students can answer a question anonymously.

In their course evaluations, students reflected positively on group activities such as our “explain to grandpa” activity where pairs of students would trade turns being the grandparent or the expert, who would explain how a complex hormone pathway worked using no jargon whatsoever. To encourage higher order thinking, we use a variety of activities including case studies, theoretical study design, and paper discussions.