When drafting my Preliminary Narrative on Teaching, I drew inspiration from a statement I had written for my graduate program previously. The core philosophy was present, but I was unable to articulate specific details about how my courses would be conducted. I mentioned how I wanted to prioritize inclusivity in the classroom, and how I have done so in the past. The material presented in the Reflective and Effective Teaching Program revealed to me how I can improve in this area. For example, I outline in detail the expectations of how I will conduct office hours. From Northwestern’s Principles of Inclusive Teaching, I learned that office hours can be intimidating for some students, as there is a perception that one must have a specific question to attend. This statement was also developed using feedback from my peers in my Project Group Meetings. At first I was unsure of the audience of the Narrative, and whether my ideas would be feasible in a classroom setting given time constraints. Discussions with my peers and Project Group Leader clarified the direction the Narrative should take.
One of my core values regarding teaching is to ensure that every student in my classroom has the opportunity to learn and engage with material. I outline how to do this in my Preliminary Narrative on Teaching. For example, when outlining assessment guidelines, I present a mix of questions and assignments on which students are graded. DIfferent students may respond better to various types of assessment. For example, one may excel at oral presentation, but struggle at writing an essay. By varying the grading opportunities, students will have many chances to demonstrate their engagement with the course. Another core value of mine is the free discussion of ideas, especially in the scientific field. In order to maintain order in the classroom, I note in my Narrative that ideas will be debated with respect for the person conveying those ideas.
I expect my Preliminary Narrative on Teaching to evolve after the Spring quarter, when I am to teach a course on Human Genetics. Currently, my statement has been informed by lessons learned in RET and prior teaching experience. Human Genetics will be my first course where I am in charge of designing the course and creating assessments. I look forward to seeing how my practical experience matures my philosophy around teaching. In the near term, I plan to update my Narrative based on feedback from my Project Group Leader. Their feedback revealed that I can expand on my ideas more, in a way that is clear to the intended audience. I have also grown to understand specific ways in which I can make my teaching more inclusive. When it comes to STEM teaching, it can be common practice to dismiss these ideas and stick to the scientific literature. In my Narrative I outline how discussions are to be conducted in the classroom. I also plan to highlight the people doing the experiments and contributing to the literature, giving credit where credit is due.
Opening Statement
Genetics is a field with complex topics that can be interesting but should be carefully discussed. As an instructor I will do my best to convey the material in a clear and effective manner. To carry this out, I will set up an environment that allows for students to reach their full potential. The overall goal of this course is to teach introductory genetics, but also to give students an understanding of the scientific method and how to think about scientific experiments.
Classroom Etiquette and Lecture Materials
At the start of the course, students will be asked to set up guidelines that we will all agree to for discussion. Discussion of ideas has been a useful tool in developing and gaining new knowledge. While much of the discussion happens in journal articles, there are elements that happen verbally, and inspire new ideas among scientists. It is necessary that these discussions happen in a respectful manner. A core theme will be to agree to discuss and debate ideas, not each other. As a measure of student comfort level with these discussions, I will send out anonymous surveys to be completed once every other week. I will incorporate feedback on the structure of the course and its environment to the best of my ability.
The presentation slides will be available on Canvas for your reference after class is dismissed. It is important to note that scientific discoveries are made by people, whether individually or by groups. It is important to acknowledge this fact and give credit to those carrying out the work. For this reason, I will highlight the individuals who have contributed to these discoveries. Literature from laboratories currently pioneering the field will be available to you as optional reading, and to highlight where the data we cover come from. I will also post YouTube videos or podcast episodes that highlight similar work. If students come across such materials that they feel are interesting to them, please send them to me and I will post them to the class for discussion.
Assessment
The purpose of assessments in the course is to gauge whether students are keeping up with learning objectives. I will employ a variety of assessments to account for students responding differently to various types of assessments. Evidence has shown that giving students more freedom helps foster a better learning environment. For this reason, students will be evaluated through written and oral means.
Written exams will have a mix of multiple choice and short answer questions. Students will be evaluated on how completely they answer the prompts. For these questions, there will be multiple options for students to answer, but one will be dropped.. You may choose to answer all questions, but only those responded the most fully will be graded for credit. Oral presentations will ask students to find a topic related to the field and discuss its implications and how it relates to the course. A grading rubric will be released before such presentations are so that the expectations are clear for all students. In written exams, the point distribution will be consistent and determined based on how fully the questions are answered.
Office Hours
I make myself available for a consistent office hour time each week.. Office hours are open to students for help with course material. They will also be a space to expand further on questions they may arise during the course but are outside of its scope. If students cannot make office hours due to time conflict, they can email me and we will set up a time to meet. I am also available by email for shorter questions, or for if students do not feel comfortable/have enough time for an in person meeting. Please allow up to 24 hours to respond to email. If I feel that the scope of the email will require me to spend more time, I will let you know that I have seen it, but will get back to you once I am able to answer fully.