The idea of “growth mindset” was proposed by Carol Dweck which suggested that people with this approach thrive by embracing challenges, maintain persistence through adversity, and through time and effort learn from their mistakes by focusing on the process and not the outcome. Probably the best example of my growth mindset came as a result of the challenges to education during the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020, winter quarter finals were shifted online due to the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in what was billed as a temporary shift.  As spring quarter arrived, it was clear we were in for an extended online educational experience.  At first, I was in survival mode trying to create online content for two anatomy and physiology majors classes which were only taught fully in-seat prior to that.  Many nights I saw the sun rise as I worked to complete the next week’s content, so that during the day I could teach the classes using Zoom while helping students navigate the online learning environment. It was one of the most challenging times in my entire professional career, but also one of the most powerful and impactful. 

As I developed content for online labs, assignments, and activities, I sought input from colleagues to find better ways to reach students and meet their educational needs. I tried many different approaches including teaching with Zoom to try to make content accessible and engaging for students.  I learned from my students, colleagues, and continual professional development about what tools worked best and those that didn’t. I experimented with technology to enhance the learning experience for students and make my instruction better.  I was a sponge soaking it all up and evolving my teaching by having a growth mindset as I navigated the educational challenges put forth by the pandemic.  Through my own mindset in developing curriculum during this time, I learned to empower my students to find their individual growth mindset in learning as well.  The time and passion I had in teaching students at this time, while invigorating for me, was also a refreshing oasis in the bleakness and isolation felt by many students during the pandemic. 

The pandemic also exposed problems with the educational system particularly regarding the lack of equity and diversity in education.  Again I took the same growth mindset approach to learn how to help my students feel community in this online world while finding ways to make the educational experience equitable, diverse, and inclusive for underrepresented students. I examined the curriculum for ways to incorporate voices and content to explore more diversity.  I used the growth mindset philosophy to find ways to adjust course policies to help students in the pandemic with the challenges that many were facing during this time. Through this process, I was able to create a welcoming educational environment for everyone while again evolving my teaching.

The challenges of the pandemic truly made me a better teacher and person. I will take much of the curriculum and inclusivity from that period and continue to incorporate and evolve my teaching strategies moving forward.  It is with a growth mindset that I can continue to strive for professional and personal improvement and create the best learning environment for my students. 

Professional Development

The pandemic caused me to self-reflect on my qualities as an instructor and I realized I needed to learn more about anatomy, histology, and educational strategies to improve my teaching and assessment. It was also a time when we were introduced to the need for diversity, equity, and inclusion for students in our classrooms.  I found myself needing more support in determining how to address these issues in my courses.   To do this, it was important that I focus primarily on professional development. I chose to obtain much of my professional development by taking a variety of online courses on pedagogy strategies and anatomy/histology to allow me to experience classes as a student while learning about valuable instruction tools.  This way, I could experience how students learn in an online environment and see how others were implementing these strategies in their courses.  

I wanted to address instruction improvement beginning with implementing more UDL (universal design learning) strategies in my teaching to provide tools for student success, particularly with increased accessibility and purposeful strategies to improve the experience for ELL (English language learners) and underrepresented students.  I began by taking the Edmonds College Improve Your Online Course to learn more about pedagogy strategies I could use in my online courses.  I also wanted to explore this more in-depth and took classes online through the University of Florida graduate program in anatomical science education, specifically the Science Curriculum Development and Designing Technology-rich Curricula courses.  In addition, I examined accessibility deeper through the SBCTC Accessibility Microcourses. Once I had a better foundation of pedagogy knowledge, I set out to apply this in my courses.  I continued to revamp BIOL& 175 and BIOL& 241 and was able to use my professional development training to enhance the quality of these classes to meet the standards of an accessible and quality reviewed online class through both the Edmonds College Course Accessibility Review (CAR) and OSCQR review. This also allowed me to improve course design with accessibility, incorporate equitable policies, implement UDL strategies, and introduce content to a diverse student population related to the course material.  I continued with the Edmonds College Flexible Learning Pilot and was able to use this knowledge to develop hyflex strategies to give students flexibility in the way they learn while still providing equity to students learning in the different modalities for BIOL& 241/242 courses further addressing the needs of working and underrepresented students. 

Taking courses in professional development and applying the knowledge in your own curricula is an important feature of a growth mindset.  However, it is also equally important to collaborate and share ideas with others.  As faculty professional development co-coordinator, I had the opportunity to contribute to the Academy for New Faculty and present at Building Community Day some of the information I learned in my graduate classes.  This also helped me by discussing these ideas with other instructors in different fields and getting new perspectives to enhance my own learning.  With the professional development I continued my growth mindset and was able to improve my teaching skills and create a more equitable learning environment for all students in my courses. 

Future Directions