In 2018 I was selected for the Provost's Doctoral Teaching Fellowship Program. This program included intensive training in course development, effective teaching methods, diversity and inclusion, promoting positive learning environments, and assessment design. This program included a series of workshops along with individual creation and completion of a university course. Throughout the instruction of our created course we participated in peer-observations and were evaluated by other fellows and program administrators.
In order to gain more experience and develop an effective pedagogy I participated in a series of workshops led by the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL).These workshops included training in syllabus construction, learning objectives, backward design, effective feedback, diversity in the classroom, cultural awareness, and active learning. Uplon completion of these workshops I was awarded the Essentials of Teaching and Learning Certification in 2019.
I had the opportunity to design and teach a core undergraduate level course at UNC Charlotte in 2018. Course participants included 42 undergraduates, primarily first and second year Biology majors.
I was the instructor of over 20 lab classes from 2013-2019 in subject areas including Ecology, Anatomy and Physiology, and General Biology. Partially due to interest, I spent the most time as an Ecology lab instructor and had the pleasure of engaging with students to study the population structure and community dynamics of freshwater microeukaryotes, soil macroinvertebrates, and the forest in the ecological reserve on campus.
I was also a graduate lecture assistant for Cell Biology and Ecology courses. I led lessons in class and held a weekly review session for students.
I was part of a summer long program in professional development and leadership training as part of the Plant Pathway Elucidation Project (P2EP) at the NC Research Campus: David H. Murdock Research Institute (DHMRI). This was completed in 2019, and has provided me with tools to effectively mentor and manage a lab and classroom.
I've also had to opportunity to take part in STEM volunteer programs such as DNA Day and the NC Science and Technology Expo!