To help students in biology-majors meet these learning goals, I employ problem-based learning using active learning techniques. I work with students to identify the tasks to be solved, use software to perform analytical tasks, and interpret results within the scope of ecology and environmental science.

At Northern Illinois University, I was the primary instructor for Statistics in R, a graduate-level seminar I designed to teach students how to analyze ecological data in the statistical environment R. Using ecological data from case-studies, my students learned about advanced statistical concepts (e.g., mixed-effects models, multimodel inference and averaging, and multivariate methods), how to perform these analyses, and critically interpret their results. For most assignments, students are encouraged to use their own data whenever applicable.

In 2020, I adapted the Statistics in R course to an asynchronous online organization that did not require tuition, enabling greater access to NIU members. The R Learning Community was accessed by >50 members ranging from undergraduate students to tenured faculty across six departments, and featured guest lectures from senior graduate students and post-docs at NIU.

At Elmhurst University (formerly Elmhurst College), I was the instructor of record for Introduction to Environmental Studies (ES100) during the spring semesters of 2020 and 2021. This course placed an emphasis on social and political analysis, information literacy, and oral communication. I worked to introduce complex data - for example, on climate change, environmental racism, and sustainable foods - and guided class conversation to discuss common misconceptions and nuances.

At Northern Illinois University, I instructed Experiments in General Biology (two semesters) and worked as a graduate teaching assistant for a similar course, Applications in Biology II, at the University of New Brunswick. Broadly, weekly lab topics built off one another (e.g., carbohydrates, enzymes, energy metabolism). Students worked in small groups to perform 2 – 5 investigations per lab meeting following methodologies outlined in their instructional notebook. As a class, we reviewed key concepts and vocabulary before students begin lab work in small groups. During laboratory experiments, I worked one-on-one with groups to monitor their progress and discuss their experiment results.