Teaching

Introduction

Through my teaching assistantship at Portland State University (PSU), I have gained extensive experience teaching Human Anatomy & Physiology in a laboratory setting, including leading a course on human cadaver dissection techniques. Through teaching these courses, I have developed a passion for human biology that I enjoy sharing with my students. Through my firm belief in evidence-based teaching, I have been able to implement active learning (AL) strategies to decrease the achievement gap for underrepresented populations. I strive to build a classroom environment based on inclusion and equity. By using AL, I have encouraged students to think critically and engage in class material, rather than simply memorize it. To improve my abilities as a teacher, I am pursuing a Certificate of Innovation in College Teaching (CICT) through the Office of Academic Innovation (OAI) at PSU that prepares future faculty to engage in teaching practices that promote best learning techniques and invoke cutting-edge technologies for all students, but especially those experiencing additional hurdles in higher education. I intend to implement AL techniques (e.g., think-pair-share and group work) and research-supported teaching practices in my classroom to facilitate student-centered learning environments. This portfolio was created in partial fulfillment of a CICT and is the culmination of hours of workshops, seminars, and classwork that have helped me better understand and apply teaching methods to create a classroom built on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Navigate through my teaching artifacts by clicking the buttons below:

Innovation in College Teaching in Biology

Currently, introductory science courses are considered by many students to be regurgitation of facts; biology is no exception. In my experience teaching Human Anatomy & Physiology, I have realized that students consider it a class that revolves around rote memorization. This sort of pedagogical approach mainly engages in the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives in asking students to memorize. Students are introduced to an abundance of terms that they are expected to know in an appreciably short amount of time. Of course, knowledge of terminology is important, especially those students taking anatomy in hopes for a career in medicine; however, learning terms does not need to be bland or an independent activity. As instructors, we can do more than give students a list of terms and tell them, "Go memorize these." Learning terminology can be an excellent opportunity for group work and active learning exercises. For example, when introducing the terminology of the many body regions students are expected to know, I use group activities focused on creation of mnemonics to allow students to work together, be creative, and come up with unique ways to learn the material. I remind students that the mnemonics and word associations they create do not have to be "scientific." One association a student came up with that I will never forget is for the popliteal region (meaning: behind the knee); the student introduced the term to the class and said, "to remember the popliteal region, I remember that sometimes your knee pops a little." Not only did this provide a new association for students, but it also created smiles and laughter in the classroom, which only brought the classroom together. What works for me or for other students may not work for all, so by encouraging teamwork and promoting the voices of all students, we can discover and share new ways to learn the material. I would like to help engage students in higher levels of thinking in anatomy by introducing them to case studies and creating questions that cover all levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create).

Traditionally, undergraduates gain research experience by apprenticing in faculty-led research labs; however, only a fraction of undergraduates have access to these opportunities. Together with the Biology Education Research Group at PSU, I helped design and implement a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) in the introductory biology laboratory series at PSU. CUREs provide students with the opportunity to conduct experiments to answer relevant research questions, thus allowing undergraduates to gain authentic research experience at a large scale. Providing students from marginalized populations with these opportunities is crucial for closing the equity and achievement gap, which is near and dear to me. I would like to continue developing and implementing CUREs in my own teaching practice, as evidence (Eagan et al., 2013; Laursen et al., 2010; National Academies of Sciences & Medicine, 2015) has shown research experiences can increase student motivation, interest, and retention in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.

Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning

In Human Anatomy & Physiology lab, I am able to evaluate student learning primarily through in-class assessments, such as quizzes, interactive physiology labs, drawing exercises, dissection activities, and practical exams. Quizzes are excellent examples of formative assessments as they allow for students and me to see how well they are learning the material. Based on immediate student-feedback following quizzes and their scores, I am able to adjust my lectures accordingly and clarify any misunderstandings students may have about the material. These quizzes represent a small fraction of their grades and their lowest score is dropped. Ultimately, quizzes serve as opportunities for students to gauge their understanding of the material and familiarize themselves with the sort of questions they will see on their larger summative assessments (practical exams). During some lab sessions, students complete dissections (e.g., pig hearts, cow eyes, sheep brains) where they receive points for completing a dissection and for knowledge of features. Instead of quizzing students on the spot of their knowledge of the material, I tell them to show me a few features that they have learned; this gives students the opportunity to display what they have learned without the pressure of being graded on a random question. Following this, I give students some example quiz questions I may ask the following week to show them how they would later be assessed and to give them the opportunity to think about it further.

In Principles of Biology lab, I was able to give weekly quizzes and lab addenda (formative assessments) that led up to a final research presentation (summative assessment). The lab addenda students completed throughout the term was aimed at assessing their comprehension of the week's material while at the same time guiding them towards creating their final research presentation.

Assessment and Evaluation of My Teaching

Portland State University has afforded me the opportunity to not only gain first experience teaching, but to also assess my teaching through resources provided by the biology department and the office of academic innovation. Below I provide several assessments of my teaching, including self-reflections of my teaching. In addition, I received Course Evaluations from my students at the end of each term.

Video Teaching Consultations

Human Anatomy & Physiology Video Teaching Consultation Improvement Plan #1

Human Anatomy & Physiology Video Teaching Consultation Improvement Plan #2

• A video clip of my teaching that this improvement plan was based off of is shown below:

Classroom Observations

Human Anatomy & Physiology Classroom Observation #1

Human Anatomy & Physiology Observation Letter #1

Mid-quarter Review (conducted via survey online due to COVID-19)

Human Anatomy & Physiology Mid-quarter Review

My Future in University Teaching

I am very thankful for participating in the CICT process while at PSU. CICT has been critical to my development as an instructor through providing me with so many resources and ideas to build a student-centered classroom built on diversity, equity, and inclusion. I was exceedingly fortunate to start my academic career at Whitman College, a small private liberal arts college located in Walla Walla, WA. Whitman afforded me the opportunity to conduct research first-hand as an undergraduate, which sparked my interest in biology. The ability to learn from a leading scientist while at the same time take ownership of my project enabled to me to build the confidence and independence needed for graduate school. None of this would have been possible without the small classroom sizes and student-to-faculty ratios, which enabled me to work closely with professors. To that end, I am excited to be joining the Health, Human Performance & Athletics department at Linfield University as a tenure-track assistant professor of anatomy this fall. I plan to contribute to the student-faculty interactions that were integral for both my academic and personal growth. I am already working on ways to apply my knowledge of pedagogy and science-based practices to make my classroom accessible to all types of students and create an environment that fosters learning and promotes success.

Academic Professional Development

Professional Development Workshops

Office of Academic Innovation

• Development of Teaching Philosophy (January 31, 2019)

• Lunch + Learn: Improving Student Success in Gateway Courses (February 6, 2019)

• Equity and Inclusion in the Classroom (October 21, 2019)

• Blank Slate: What If Your Syllabus Could Be Empty (October 23, 2019)

• CICT Innovation Showcase (May 22, 2020)

• Remote Teaching Accommodations (June 11, 2020)

Seminars

• “Hidden inequities in active learning classrooms: How groups of students are differentially impacted by active learning,” Dr. Sara Brownell, Arizona State University (April 28, 2016)

• “Evidence-Based Teaching and Achievement Gaps,” Dr. Scott Freeman, University of Washington (March 8, 2018)

• “Short- and Long-term Impacts of a Deliberative Pedagogy in Introductory Biology and Chemistry Courses,” Liz Griffith (Master’s thesis defense), Portland State University (October 28, 2019)

• “From Theory to Practice: Examining Undergraduates’ Interdisciplinary Science Understanding,” Brie Tripp (PhD dissertation defense), Portland State University (May 7, 2020)

Discipline-specific Pedagogy Training

Weekly TA Meetings

• Human Anatomy and Physiology I: 3 hours x 10 weeks x 5 terms = 150 hours

• Human Anatomy and Physiology II: 3 hours x 10 weeks x 4 terms = 120 hours

• Human Anatomy and Physiology III: 3 hours x 10 weeks x 4 terms = 120 hours

• Principles of Biology III (CURE): 2 hours x 10 weeks x 1 term = 20 hours

Development of Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE)

• Presentation of CURE research (research poster; see CV for research presentations and publication)

Pedagogy-Focused Coursework

Bi 510: Scientific Teaching (Syllabus)